In China, virtual idols (aka virtual influencers), are becoming a force to be reckoned with. According to Bloomberg, the industry has reached a worth of $960 million in 2021. Their audience, that mostly include GenZers and Millennials, now reaches almost 390 million users.
What are the reasons for their success? Virtual KOLs connect with their audience through many different social media platforms (like Weibo, Bilibili, Douyin, Xiaohongshu or Taobao).
Let’s dig deeper into five Chinese virtual idols directing this industry’s expansion in China.
- Luo Tianyi (洛天依)
China’s first virtual idol Luo Tianyi was originally created as a “vocaloid” by the Chinese company Shanghai Henian Technology in 2012.
Vocaloids are synthesized voices created by software that model human voices.
Luo Tianyi dominates Chinese social media. She has more than 5 million followers on Weibo and hosts live streaming e-commerce sessions on Taobao. She is the face of various commercial campaigns, has multiple videos of virtual concerts on Bilibili and a fan base that allows her to perform in multiple in-person shows.
- AYAYI
Ayayi is one of the most recent virtual idols in China. Created by the Chinese company Ranmai Technology together with the Japanese company Aww Inc., Ayayi made her debut in Xiaohongshu on May 20, 2021. A thoughtful combination of detailed CGI work made her hyper-realistic. Her incredible realism made her rapidly gain 40.000 followers on Xiaohongshu.
The key to Ayayi’s successful collaboration with important brands like Louis Vuitton is a well-developed storytelling. She has a growing presence also on western social media platforms like Instagram, where she communicates in English.
- Ling (翎)
Created by the Shanghai-based company Xmov Information Technology, Ling is a full-time virtual model that strikes poses that show off the brands that endorse her. She promotes a wide array of products (including watches, cars, food, cosmetics, and fashion), and has more than 150.000 followers on Weibo. Among her many collaborations, the ones with Tesla and Vogue are worth mentioning.
- Angie (阿喜)
Angie is a virtual idol designed by the creator, Jesse Zhang, with a Shenzen-based CGI firm.
Angie is famous for being “ordinary”: she is sensible and sensitive (she even cries!), shows fans her everyday routine, loves what regular people do. That is why she has connected with a significant fan base. Between Weibo and Douyin, Angie already has more than 300.000 followers who identify with her simple lifestyle.
- Honor of Kings (王者霸业)
Honor of Kings is a virtual band comprised of five male characters from multiplayer video game Honor of Kings developed by Tencent. The band members are Li Bai, Huge Liang, Baili Shouyue, Han Xin and Zhao Yun. They have a massive following on Weibo, with more than two million followers. The band performs in concerts next to real humans and posts videos to show off every character’s style. Teaming up with Givenchy, Honor of Kings virtual group became the image of the brand’s Qixi Festival Campaign in 2021. They were also on the cover of SuperELLE and released a single exclusively to celebrate the partnership with the brand.
Chinese social media platforms offer virtual idols an endless variety of commercial opportunities to engage with their audiences. How will the Chinese virtual idols industry evolve in the future? And how and when will it impact the western market?
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