Humanizing Flaws: A New Marketing Strategy for Virtual Influencers
The global virtual influencer market is expected to reach $2.4 billion by 2026, which demonstrates the immense potential and appeal of this segment. Brands often focus on their fit with brand values when choosing a virtual influencer to work with. However, in an era where consumers crave authenticity and intimacy, virtual influencers whose personas and stories appear too perfect may instead lose the trust of their audience due to a lack of authenticity. As a result, some brands are adopting a new marketing strategy: introducing humanized flaws to virtual websites.
Humans are naturally prone to empathize with flaws - the imperfections and flaws of virtual influencers make them more personable and remind us of our vulnerability. According to Narrative Identity Theory, characters who show growth, experience challenges, or exhibit imperfections are more engaging and memorable. The same principle applies to virtual influencers. Instead of presenting a flawless, all-powerful digital persona, it is better to create a more authentic and engaging persona by showing moments of self-doubt, minor failures, or personal growth on the virtual influencers. When these flaws are properly integrated into a character's story, they can inspire empathy and authenticity, which enhances the emotional connection between the virtual influencers and the audience.

The digital environment is awash with carefully manicured images of perfection, but consumers increasingly crave to see the real thing, even in virtual influencers. By incorporating humanizing flaws, brands can respond directly to this need, ensuring that virtual influencers are not only visually appealing but also emotionally resonant, thus having a lasting impact on consumer trust and engagement.
The strength of the virtual webcomic is its controllability. Brands can craft their persona to ensure alignment with marketing objectives. However, it's this sense of control that can sometimes make virtual influencers seem too artificial. To combat this, some brands are strategically incorporating small flaws in their digital personas. These can be moments that show virtual influencers making mistakes, developing self-doubt, or dealing with everyday challenges - subtle but authentic details that bring them closer to the real human experience.

Imma, a Japanese virtual model, is a prime example of using flaws as a marketing tool. Despite her perfect physical design, her story revolves around moments of self-discovery and vulnerability in fitting into the real world. Imma's storyline contains elements such as feelings of being out of place in the human world or struggles with self-identity, which resonate with viewers who are experiencing similar emotions. By way of comparison, Imma's Instagram posts that showcase persona flaws and internal kinks have a higher interaction rate than posts that only showcase perfect appearance and routine. This data suggests that narrative flaws can help virtual web celebrities create a deeper emotional connection with their audience, which in turn drives higher interaction rates and brand loyalty.
The data suggests a growing consumer demand for authenticity in marketing. According to the Edelman Trust Barometer, 81 percent of consumers need to trust a brand before they will consider purchasing its products. In addition, 73 percent of consumers prefer brands that show vulnerability or openly acknowledge their challenges. For brands adopting the marketing strategy of virtual webmasters, demonstrating imperfection is not a weakness, but a powerful tool for building brand trust and authenticity.

Samsung is also one of the brands that have effectively implemented this strategy, with its virtual webcomic SAM portrayed in campaigns as a technically savvy but sometimes awkward figure in social situations, especially when interacting with human users. These moments of clumsiness or missteps made her more human, which led to greater empathy and a deeper emotional connection for users. Ultimately, SAM was instrumental in the early sales of many products in Latin America such as the Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Tab S9.
In the rapidly evolving world of virtual netizens, perfection is no longer the ultimate goal. Instead, brands that embrace the human imperfections of their digital personas will be better able to foster trust, build emotional connections, and increase consumer engagement. By demonstrating vulnerability and imperfection, virtual influencers can break down the barriers between the digital and the real, making them a powerful tool in the future of virtual influencer marketing.