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Amazon is leaning into virtual influencers to engage younger consumers
Summary
Amazon has invested in Superplastic, a character-design studio that specializes in creating virtual influencers with social media accounts, cult followings, and brand partnerships. These computer-generated influencers can help brands appeal to a younger demographic, and the trend is already growing in Asia, with some US brands also getting on board. Amazon's investment may mean that these virtual influencers will become more mainstream in the near future.
Q&As
What is Amazon's venture capital arm investing in?
Amazon's venture capital arm is investing in consumer technology startups focused on AI, voice technology, and entertainment.
What is unique about Superplastic's virtual influencers?
Superplastic's virtual influencers have social media accounts, cult followings, and brand partnerships, just like human influencers.
How have brands like Calvin Klein and Nike utilized virtual influencers in Asia?
Brands like Calvin Klein, Nike, and Adidas have paired up with top digital celebrities from Japan and Korea.
Why did Amazon appeal to Superplastic as a partner?
Amazon appealed to Superplastic as a partner because of the tech giant's wide reach.
What does Amazon believe virtual influencers represent?
Amazon believes virtual influencers represent a new form of intellectual property targeted to younger generations.
AI Comments
👍 It's great to see Amazon investing in innovative technology that engages younger consumers, such as Superplastic's virtual influencers!
👎 Amazon's investment in Superplastic's virtual influencers may take away from the authenticity of the influencer industry.
AI Discussion
Me: It's about Amazon's investment in a design studio called Superplastic, which specializes in creating virtual influencers with cult followings. Apparently they're already popular in certain markets like China, and are starting to gain traction with US consumers. Amazon believes this is a new form of intellectual property targeted to younger generations.
Friend: Wow, that's really interesting. What do you think the implications of this trend could be?
Me: Well, I think it could certainly help brands to better target younger audiences. It could also provide more options for brands to create unique campaigns with virtual influencers, like the one Mercedes-Benz did with Superplastic's Superdackle character. Additionally, the article mentioned that Amazon is in talks with Superplastic about integrating touchless checkout into their brick-and-mortar store, so it could have implications for in-store shopping experiences as well.
Action items
- Research virtual influencers and their impact on the retail industry.
- Consider partnering with virtual influencers to reach younger consumers.
- Explore Amazon’s Alexa Fund and its investments in consumer technology startups.
Technical terms
- Virtual Influencers
- Computer-generated characters that have social media accounts, cult followings, and brand partnerships, just like human influencers.
- Metaverse
- A virtual world that is made up of multiple interconnected virtual environments.
- Synthetic Celebrity
- A computer-generated character that is used to represent a brand or product.
- NFTs
- Non-fungible tokens, which are digital assets that are stored on a blockchain and can be used to represent ownership of a digital asset.
- Brick-and-Mortar Store
- A physical retail store.