manager_1 Bangkok Naughty Boo, a young influencer in Asia, has flawless skin and neon hair. These stars blur the line between reality and fantasy, and are very popular among teenagers in the area. Industry experts predict that they will gain more power as the “metaverse” grows in popularity.
Bangkok Naughty Boo, who uses they/them pronouns, said that she was 17 forever, nonbinary, and has a dream to be a pop star in an introductory video sent by AFP.
Adisak Jirasakkasem, a fashion designer, and his friends created the character to represent a tribe made up of virtual influencers who were born under COVID-19 pressures.
Ai-Ailynn was born in September after her agency became frustrated with the “limitations of human influencers” during COVID-19 lockdowns.
SIA Bangkok stated that virtual influencers are “suitable for the new normal.” According to Statista, artificial intelligence creations are making a strong presence in the lucrative influencer market. It is estimated that it will be worth 13.8 Billion dollars by 2021.
Industry analysts believe that Asia will be the place where the industry really explodes in the next decade.
“We believe that Asia will see rapid growth in the virtual influencers sector. “Generation Z” is Asia’s largest internet user group. It is digitally adept and is well-versed in social media and virtual marketing,” said Nick Baklanov, Hype Auditor’s marketing specialist.
‘First metaverse inhabitants’
Baklanov predicts that the industry boom will be caused by Facebook’s investment into the metaverse, which Baklanov claims has tripled the number of virtual influencers to 130.
He said, “Virtual influencesrs are more suited for the role of first inhabitants in the metaverse than any other person,”
Lil Miquela is the “robot It-Girl”, a Los Angeles-based robot that makes an average of 7,000 dollars per post, which is believed to be the biggest virtual earner.
Knox Frost, a 21 year-old AI “universal adapter”, was recruited by the World Health Organization to share safety messages about coronavirus to his 700,000 audience.
Computer-generated pop stars in Asia such as Hatsune Miku from Japan and Luo Tianyi, from China, have opened the door to new “stars” as technology advances.
Adisak took photos of a model in Bangkok before creating Bangkok Naughty Boo’s face online. To create his virtual idol, Adisak combined the computer-generated model’s face with the real-life model’s body.
Bangkok Naughty Boo was already signed to a top Thai – human – modeling agency, and Ai-Ailynn has already secured an agreement to be the face for a major mobile operator.
“Influencers are more powerful in the East and offer more lucrative brand opportunities and brand engagement opportunities because idol and fandom concepts have more cultural roots,” Saisangeeth Daswani (a market intelligence company Stylus) explained.
Lives controlled and scandal-free
The fictional avatars have a trouble-free past, a steady work ethic and a controlled public persona. This is a great relief for companies that are concerned about reputational damage.
Christopher Travers, founder of Virtual Humans, commented that some brands have the security of being associated with influencers (virtual) who have a defined backstory and future.
Businesses may want to be able to control everything, especially with the authorities in certain Asian countries policing freedom speech.
“The Chinese government’s recent crackdown against exorbitantly compensated, ‘vulgar,’ and ‘immoral influencers is likely increase the appeal of virtual influences,” Chen May Yee, APAC director at Wunderman Thompson Intelligence, stated.
They won’t make impolitic remarks or get involved in sex-related scandals. SIA Bangkok reports that Ai-Ailynn has attracted a lot of interest from businesses in Asia, which are looking for “innovation and a new order”.
Some content creators may be worried about a shakeup in the status quo, but Mutchima Wachirakomain, a human influencer welcomes newcomers.
The 25-year old exclaimed, “They are freaking awesome,” and shared glamour shots with her 21100 Instagram followers.
As she prepared for the shoot at an avocado-themed café, she stated that “people still yearn to be authentic, the realness and authenticity of a real-life influentialr.” “The characters are not enough to replace the intimate relationships humans have with one another.”
Bangkok Naughty Boo is willing to give it a shot.
Their Instagram features cheeky outfits, shots against the backdrop of Bangkok’s concrete jungle capital, as well as everyday life moments like spilling bubble tea and getting your first shot at vaccination.
“I wish I could meet you all in person some day. I love you!” They said to their subscribers and signed off with a kiss.
