A Systematic Review of Virtual Influencers: Similarities and Differences between Human and Virtual Influencers in Interactive Advertising

Virtual influencers (VIs), computer-generated characters that serve as influencers, offer novel and cost-effective advertising strategies. VIs’ roles and appearances are comparable to those of human influencers (HIs) in advertising in that they mimic humans in their behavior. However, novel features of these digital entities allow virtual VIs to engage in unique interactions with audiences. With the rise of successful VIs, academic research on VIs has been growing rapidly. Thus, a systematic comparison of VIs and HIs in the context of interactive advertising is a timely endeavor to better understand the conceptual and operational similarities and differences between them and to guide future research. After analyzing 44 final papers on VIs, the current review suggests that there are many similarities between HIs and VIs and their roles as the source of advertising messages, but also critical differences that determine the limitations and potentials of VIs in interactive advertising.