Human Against Virtual Influencers: Can AI Impact Purchase Behavior?

Influencer product advertisements and artificial intelligence (AI) generated content are increasingly present in social media. As companies evolve in their marketing strategies, the use of Virtual Influencers (VI) may be a lucrative way to connect with consumers on social media. Research on VI has found attractiveness, perceived trustworthiness, congruence, and credibility to have an impact on consumer purchasing intentions. However, little work has focused on directly comparing short-form human influencer advertisements to VI ones. In the present study, 64 participants viewed 8 short-form video advertisements, 4 with VI and 4 with human influencers, and answered survey questions about the influencers and products advertised. Results were mixed; across influencer and product statements, both VI and human influencer product advertisements were preferred uniquely. These findings show that VI may be a comparable option to human influencers for brands to promote their products on social media.