Social media influencers are big business, with recent studies predicting that the industry will reach $2 billion by 2020. But now CGI designers are getting in on things, developing avatars and digital supermodels that are outgrowing the human influencers in popularity. Yes, you heard right. CGI models. Thanks to the development of new synthetic house dataset technology, these CGI models are partnering with brands like Prada and Chanel, and even expanding beyond their Instagram pages to pose in fashion magazines.
WHAT?!
CBS News reported this week that Shudu Gram, the world’s first digital supermodel – as noted in her Instagram bio – already exceeds 123,000 Instagram followers. But another CGI influencer, Lil Miquela (@lilmiquela), “has maintained an allure of anonymity,” CBS News wrote. That’s because nothing in her Instagram bio says she’s not real. Meanwhile, consumers – 2.4 million of them, in fact – may think they’re following and engaging with an actual person. Yes, you read that right, Lil Miquela has over 2 million followers on her Instagram page and posts regular content for them all to see. Normal users would certainly have to use tools like Nitreo to even get a fraction of her follower count on their page!
Now some are saying the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) may need to insert itself into the conversation and create guidelines for these CGI influencers. Last year, the FTC kindly reminded celebrities and other influencers to disclose their relationships when promoting or endorsing products through social media, so the argument is that with this new technology, brands should continue being transparent and disclose what is real or organic, and what’s not.
I’m torn. From a PR perspective, I don’t care if they’re real or not. If Miquela agrees to pose with a client’s product in hand, that’s hundreds of thousands of potential new customers. But as a consumer, I can’t bring myself to trust the recommendation of someone who isn’t real.
