Virtual Influencers Revolutionizing Marketing: A Bibliometric Deep Dive into Emerging Trends and Future Prospects

Within the academic literature stream of influencer marketing, studies around virtual influencers are gaining momentum concurrently with the emergence of virtual influencers and their popularity, especially among young audiences on social media. As this study domain is vastly developing, more research is needed to examine this topic from various spectrums. This study examines current and future research trends regarding virtual influencers in marketing and advertising literature. A bibliographic analysis using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) framework is used to reveal themes regarding virtual influencers based on 167 papers dated from 2020–2024. The analysis results highlight the annual production of academic literature concerning virtual influencers, most productive journal outlets, country productivity, paper co-citation, and emerging and future trends presented in various mapping and visualizations. Based on the findings, this research offers insights into the trend and future research area around the emerging virtual influencer marketing topic.