Virtual Influencing: Nefele promotes human values ​​in a digital form.

Virtual humans are changing the rules of influencing as we knew it.

This article was originally written by Demi Karanikolaou in Greek for Harper’s Bazaar Greece. You can find it here.

The world is changing with the pandemic having accelerated digitization across all sectors. Boundaries between physical and virtual are becoming progressively more blurred and most of us are spending more time on social media compared to watching TV or going to events. Indeed, a Uswitch study found that members of Gen-Z, the future consumers of the world, are spending a shocking 9 hours per day in front of a screen. Having obviously been heavily affected, the fashion industry is now relying on influencer marketing for brand discovery, engagement and most of all community building. Indeed, the global influencer marketing market size has more than doubled since 2019 and in 2021, the market was valued at a record $13.8 billion. But just as we are getting used to seeing new human influencers appearing quite frequently, a new kind of influence is on the rise: Virtual Influencers. The computer built sensations that have been around for a couple of years are now ready to capture more of our attention. If anything, they are perhaps the best positioned for an upcoming introduction to the Metaverse and NFTs. However, after having seen some of them emulating classic influencer characteristics and relying on their looks a bit too much, we are now being introduced to the next generation of virtual influencers: ones that are driven by real values. 

A prime example for that, Nefele was built in Turin,Italy as the world’s first digitally imperfect influencer, going against the fake “perfection”, usually portrayed by virtual humans. Indeed, as founders Filippo Boschiero, Laura Elicona and and Luca Facchinetti told us in an interview: “our mission is to democratize the beauty of imperfections by leveraging the human side of CGI technology, in order to push genuine messages and eradicate current social preconceptions. Nefele represents the new frontier of digital communication as a digitally imperfect influencer and will therefore be a refuge for those who find tranquility in diversity. We are aiming at becoming a reference point for those who want to get away from the obsession of having to continuously chase higher levels of beauty in order to feel accepted and appreciated”. With her name deriving from the ancient Greek “Nephele” (cloud), the virtual human has intentionally been created as being fluid enough that everyone can see what they want in her, just like looking at a cloud. However, Nefele’s physical and character attributes have not been created by accident. The virtual influencer is confident about her signs of vitiligo, fluid gender expression and is also an open advocate for diversity. Gender rights are very dear to her heart since she is identifying as non-binary and uses multiple pronouns. Revolutionary to the influencer world, the virtual Italian has not been built as the traditionally sexy and feminine persona often seen on Instagram. While in the past it seemed like only VIP’s and individuals on a social pedestal could openly discuss their “imperfections” Nefele is not not relying on status or glamorous surroundings to earn a voice for inclusion. Instead, what we are seeing for the first time is the usage of technology as the tool that will push advocacy for the real issues in human society. On a visual level, Nefele’s character has used the latest CGI advances to achieve her unique facial traits. Her vitiligo freckles (a characteristic that many pharmaceutical companies have tried to cover on real humans for decades) and free gender expression are becoming the very unique characteristics that refuse to adapt to societal standards and are therefore seen as an original reference point of beauty, instead of something to deviate from. For the first time, technology can portray it’s human side to disseminate genuine messages as originally intended.

Apart from storytelling though, virtual influencers can prove to be a very important business tool. Nefele for example, can act as a brand ambassador for companies, which can use her gender fluid nature to adopt a more inclusive brand image, eliminating stone set pronouns and societal structures and thus allowing everyone to identify themselves with the brand. With companies wanting to expand on a younger and more demanding audience, the virtual influencer can also help them with bringing a fresh narrative, international outlook and community building on board. “We wanted Nefele to be a “student of life” Elicona told me. “ Nefele is continuously traveling the world, trying to grasp the essence of every place while respecting local customs, hence being relatable by almost everyone. Being a citizen of the world and dismantling the concept of space-time, Nefele could be virtually positioned in the most remote spaces in the world. This was very important to us especially during lockdowns. Her Instagram posts feature her going to Cappadocia, the Maldives and Springfield with a click on the computer, something impossible by physical limitations". Additionally, for companies that are conscious of improving their sustainability ethics and corporate structure, virtual influencers can prove to be a solution . Indeed, Nefele has been built with a green mindset at her essence. Finding refuge in nature and the world, she is able to get in touch with her inner self and become an ambassador of the circular economy, especially in the fashion and textile industries. Being digital by nature her clothes are mostly virtual, which also opens doors in the conversation around the “Metaverse”, or else the future of the internet Web 3.0. Augmented and Virtual realities will add a multitude of new opportunities for content and marketing, all of which will be able to be captured with the use of a virtual influencer. “Don't waste more, buy meta-fashion”, says Elicona. Nefele is already a step ahead in the Metaverse narrative, trying to eradicate previous notions about the retail industry, which will eventually help us understand the importance of virtual assets in urgent social issues such as pollution. 

Perhaps the most important value that virtual influencers can add though, is proven brand safety. Companies associated with them do not have to fear the typical uncontrollable behavior of physical ambassadors. Instead of being involved in privacy scandals which cause brand dilution, they can eliminate all risks by using this new model of risk-free brand communication. Lastly, the virtual nature of Nefele is also offering immense scalability potential. Being totally programmable, the virtual influencer can respond impeccably to immediate marketing communication needs. Instead of simply promoting products, Nefele can embed the brand’s message into her own story, making the underlying theme more credible and therefore more real. However, with all the innovation that has taken place over the last few years, a few voices have expressed concerns that virtual humans will eventually replace real ones. “The trick is to face these new technologies without being overwhelmed or fear that we are being replaced. We created Nefele with the goal of giving humanity back to people and using technology to do so. We strongly believe in the human concept of technology which allows us to meet increased, unique and fascinating experiences” Boschero mentioned. 

Nobody can exactly predict what the future will look like, but the global influencer marketing platform market size is set to grow to 24.1 billion $ by 2025. Born in the city of Turin Nefele carries some characteristics of Italian society, showing us that complex technology can be more human that perhaps we initially thought. And since real people have failed to improve human society online, perhaps modern innovation can now help us promote important human values and achieve real diversity.  You can find Nefele’s Instagram here.