Every year we publish an article with a ranking of the world’s top virtual influencers. We first started compiling this ranking 3 years ago, when there were just 32 accounts on the list.
Now, as of 2022, we’ve included over 150 virtual influencer accounts (link to the full list) in our ranking. We’ve got you covered with all the biggest news, events, and data about the world of virtual influencers in 2022.
Video was created with the help of Neiro. AI Digital Clones That Drive Engagement.
This year, in addition to the Top 20 Influencers section, we’ve also created a section rating both the Top Successful and Top Failed collaborations.
To get a more complete picture, we invited Christopher Travers, a virtual influencer expert and the Founder of VirtualHumans.org, to join us for the study.
Definition
VirtualHumans.org defines a virtual influencer as a digital character created using computer graphics software, who is then given a personality defined by a first-person view of the world, and made accessible on various media platforms for the sake of influence. This extends to include two-dimensional characters because they are characters who don’t break the illusion of being real (i.e. they always act as if they themselves are the influencer).
Key Findings
28% of Virtual Influencers' accounts from the Top List didn’t post this year.
43% of Virtual Influencers' accounts are growing, while 57% are losing followers.
For the first time, Lil Miquela lost 114,000 subscribers in a year.
Nobodysausage gained the most subscribers – the Sausage grew by 1.8M subscribers.
@magazineluiza is ranked first for the third year in a row.
Brands are actively involved in cooperation with virtual influencers and even launch their own virtual influencers, but audience reception is not always positive.
Global advertising agencies began to provide a service just for creating virtual Influencers.
Christopher Travers on The State of the Virtual Influencer Industry
"2022 has been a monumental year for avatar identities, especially for those virtual influencers who cracked the video medium and algorithm this year as 'VTubers'.
A VTuber, as defined on Wikipedia, is an online entertainer who uses a virtual avatar generated using computer graphics. Real-time motion capture software or technology are often—but not always—used to capture movement.
We saw anime demon VTuber 'IronMouse' rocket to become the #1 most subscribed female streamer on Twitch. We watched the widely-beloved technician behind 3DTuber 'CodeMiko' win VTuber of the year at the 2022 YouTube Streamy Awards. Along the way, the VTuber category on Twitch achieved 500% YoY growth for the third year in a row, with YouTube disclosing that VTubers now achieve 1.5B+ total views per month.
What is going on? What drives this?
The desire to use an avatar as an influencer identity is growing in popularity. Why? Consider how the early internet was built on the basis of pseudonymity, with identities recognized and respected in the form of IP addresses, handles, and domain names. However, in the last 2-3 decades since the "early internet days", the most common form of online social expression has been dominantly usurped by friend-centric sharing and, in its wake, relentless identity disclosure... privacy, data, and vanity brokered away in exchange for an online friend service. It's a give and a take, though, with platforms trying their hardest to track and monetize users.
Through this phase, some unique networks held true to the premise that one's online identity could still be defined by their IP address, handle (pseudonym), or domain name. Networks like Reddit, Tumblr, YikYak, or your typical Forum/IRC feed. Innovations like blockchain, movements like Signal, and cultural shifts like wearing a mask in public now reflect a forgotten, or perhaps not-yet-realized, truth in culture in viral media: The early internet was built on the basis of pseudonymity, and you can still identify in this way.
A new generation of digital natives is realizing they can be more extroverted by using introverted mechanisms within an increasingly fractal, online world. What is "identity" to the kid who was raised socializing on the internet, living in video games, conversing in the YouTube comment section, and making best friends in Discord servers?
Christopher Travers as a virtual influencer
It's avatar. It's variable. It's expressive, true to self, and breaking down social barriers for those who strongly identify as someone who is online, rather than someone who goes online.
I believe in privacy. I believe in self expression. I also believe that to experience magical, memorable moments on the internet, it should not require human identity to play a role in the equation at all, unless as an option. Gaming, streaming, augmented reality, computing, and motion tracking technologies get better and better every single year, and at the intersection of these growing technology trends you will discover millions of pseudonymous avatar identities all expressing themselves and, at the end of the day, connecting.
Or, should I say, social networking. I encourage you to look deeply into these subjects in 2023, as avatars will define the future of social networking at large." Christopher Travers shared his latest vision of the state of the industry.
28% of 156 accounts from the Top List didn’t post this year
The last post in Bermudaisbae account was made on September 21, 2020
These influencers don’t have new Stories, Posts, or Reels; their accounts are paused or abandoned.
Among the top followed abandoned accounts are Knoxfrost, kda_music, Seradotwav, and Bermudaisbae.
57% of Virtual Influencers' accounts are losing followers
43% of Virtual Influencers' accounts are growing, while 57% are losing followers. Most Virtual Influencers appear to be losing followers.
Interestingly, the account belonging to the most famous virtual influencer, Lil Miquela, saw the greatest losses – she lost 114,000 followers in a single year.
Lil Miquela followers' growth chart
The fall began at the beginning of the year and continued through to October. It’s difficult to determine what caused such a decrease in followers.
Nobody Sausage followers' growth chart
The record for the growth of new subscribers is Nobody Sausage, whose account grew by 1.8M new followers. The scale of this success can likely be attributed to the popularity of Reels, which Nobody Sausage regularly creates.
Global advertising agencies began to provide a service for creating virtual influencers
Global advertising agencies have begun to offer a service for creating virtual influencers, or digital avatars that represent brands and promote their products or services online.
To create a virtual influencer, advertising agencies typically start by designing a digital avatar that represents the brand and its values. The avatar is then given a personality and a social media presence, with the goal of building a following and promoting the brand's products or services.
As the use of virtual influencers continues to grow, global advertising agencies will likely continue to expand their offerings in this area and develop new and innovative ways to help brands reach and engage with their audiences.
In 2022, Dentsu has introduced Dentsu VI, a global service that helps brands create virtual identities for use in the metaverse and beyond. This end-to-end solution, known as the Dentsu Creative Virtual Identity, allows brands to have a presence and personality in the online world and interact with consumers in real-time.
Ogilvy has also recently launched a "digital human" and an experience studio called Reality, which will focus on augmented reality, synthetic experiences, and decentralized experiences such as NFT design and Web3 applications. These new services show the growing importance of virtual identities and experiences in the digital world.
Examples of good collaborations with Virtual Influencers
Amazon Prime Video launched a campaign with virtual influencers promoting their new show, The Peripheral.
For this campaign, Prime Video collaborated with India’s first virtual influencer, ‘Kyra’, and Brazilian virtual influencer Luks. Luks is the Metaverse avatar of popular Brazilian content creator Lucas Rangel
‘Kyra’ and Prime Video
Luks and Prime Video
What makes this a good collaboration?
Overall, posts for this campaign received positive feedback from audiences.
The topic of the TV show aligns with Virtual Influencers because it focuses on a future where people can remotely operate human-like drones – so the collaboration was both authentic and relevant.
Marimekko promoted the launch of a new collection made of regenerated fibers with the help of Imma Gram
Imma Gram and Marimekko
What makes this a good collaboration?
Marimekko provided a reason as to why they collaborated with virtual influencers.
In 2023, Marimekko will launch its first capsule collection made with partly-regenerated fibers from cutting waste and other leftover materials generated in the production process.
Wasteless production is the future, as are virtual influencers – and the Marimekko audience took this post, and the connection, positively.
Asus partnered with Shudu Gram and Rae to promote a new notebook
Virtual influencer Shudu Gram and Asus
Virtual influencer Rae and Asus
What makes this a good collaboration?
For this promotion, Shudu and Rae made an engaging video that cumulatively gained 78k views and 1712 reactions.
Technology and Virtual Influencers are aligned together and have direct associations, once again making this a relevant collaboration.
Nobody Sausage, Imma Gram, Noonori, and Boss
Nobody Sausage and Boss
Noonoouri and Boss
Imma Gram and Boss
This year, Hugo Boss revealed their #BeYourOwnBoss campaign. They partnered with a range of virtual influencers, namely Imma, Nobody Sausage, NooNoouri, and Sofi Twins, as well as renowned athletes and models such as Kendall Jenner and Hailey Bieber.
These campaigns represent a new chapter for Hugo Boss as the 98-year-old label is splitting into two identities: Hugo and Boss. Because virtual influencers are a key element in creating brand awareness within their dedicated, loyal fanbase of Gen-Z and Millennials, involving them in a campaign is a savvy move that speaks directly to youthful consumers.
“It is our aim to excite new and younger target groups and turn them into fans of our brand. Both campaigns are therefore an important step in further boosting brand relevance and in reaching our goal to become a top 100 global brand in the years to come,” Daniel Grieder, CEO of Hugo Boss, said in a statement.
What makes this a good collaboration?
Boss chose virtual influencers with high-quality, active audiences. These influencers also created great visuals and generally got a positive response from their audience.
Examples of contradictory collaborations with Virtual Influencers
Brands are actively involved in the game and even launch their own virtual influencers, but audience reception is not always positive.
Marks and Spencer launched Mira.
Her Instagram bio says: “I’m Mira, an M&S Insider. You might notice something different about me. I’m a virtual influencer (made by a computer), sharing my top fashion picks.”
The first post caused a wave of indignation.
M&S’s core audience thought it was weird, creepy, and even ridiculous.
The most popular point of view was:
"Your consumer demographic doesn’t want this and thinks it’s creepy. Haven’t we already learned about the damage seeing photoshopped images can have on young people’s self-worth – this is even more extreme. Please listen to your customers, withdraw this and replace it with real and diverse models."
Why did this collaboration fail?
M&S didn't provide a reason as to why they needed a virtual influencer in the first place. M&S wanted to attract a younger audience but activated their old one with a giveaway. The core M&S audience doesn’t share an interest in virtual influencers.
Lil Miquela and Pacsun
PacSun has sparked backlash after revealing that its latest spokesperson is virtual influencer Lil Miquela, a CGI avatar who exists solely on the internet.
The American retailer announced its partnership with the self-proclaimed “queen of the metaverse” on 12 August in an effort to strengthen the brand’s digital presence. Miquela (aka Lil Miquela) will collaborate on social content for the California clothing company by amplifying PacSun’s back-to-school and 2022 holiday campaigns.
"Miquela has become a digital muse for PacSun and we’re thrilled to be working with a great example of a strong female advocate and inspiration," said Brieane Olson, president at PacSun.
However, the post was met with skepticism.
Why did this collaboration fail?
Pacsun didn't give a reason as to why a virtual influencer was needed and didn’t align with the values of their audience.
Mercedes virtual rally
Mercedes collaborated with plusticboy and ria_ria_tokyo to make a series of posts featuring iconic Mercedes-Benz vehicles going around the virtual globe.
Why did this collaboration fail?
The engagement rate on these posts in Mercedes Benz’s feed was 22% less than on other posts. Most of the comments consisted of emojis and were made from suspicious accounts. It’s difficult to even understand what the idea behind this collaboration was.
Conclusions
Technology adoption curve
Virtual influencers are now entering the "Early Adopters" phase, where brands are starting to actively experiment with them and create campaigns featuring multiple virtual influencers. While virtual influencers were initially seen as personal guides to the world of the metaverse and NFTs, the hype around these technologies has since subsided. Many NFT collections and branded games launched by virtual influencers have not been successful, and the crypto world has faced a series of scandals that have damaged trust in it.
It is important to carefully consider why you are partnering with a virtual influencer and give your audience a compelling reason for doing so. Simply wanting to attract a Gen-Z audience is not enough. It is also essential to analyze the success of previous virtual influencer campaigns before choosing to collaborate with one.
Top 20 Virtual Influencers on Instagram in 2022
Discover the most followed Virtual Instagram accounts, ranging from models and travel influencers to musicians and vloggers. These virtual influencers attract huge audiences and give their followers engaging and inspiring content.
For each of the virtual Instagram influencers on our list, we’ve provided key metrics such as the total number of followers, quality audience (as opposed to total audience), and Engagement rate.
Also, you can find the full list of 150 Virtual Influencers by the link.
Quality Audience: 3.8M
Followers: 6M (grew by 340K in the last year)
ER: 0.01%
Country: Brazil
Operator: Magazine Luiza
Brand mentions (180 days): 16 brands
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@magalu
About: Lu first came to life on YouTube in August 2009 to promote iBlogTV on behalf of Magazine Luiza (“Magalu”). Since 2009, Lu has used her massive, rapidly growing social media accounts to feature unboxing videos, product reviews, and software tips on behalf of the company, one of the largest Brazilian retail companies. Magalu saw $552M in profit in 2019.
Lu can be seen on the navigation bar of Magalu’s website and Magalu’s Android and iPhone apps, and commands a massive following, particularly on Facebook, making her the most visible virtual human in the world.
While Lu may have an impressive following, it’s important to note her notoriety and reach are reserved for Brazil.
2. @nobodysausage
Quality Audience: 2.8M
Followers: 4.3M (grew by 1.9M in the last year)
ER: 8.38%
Country: Brazil
Operator: Kael Cabral
Brand mentions (180 days): 3
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nobodysausage
About: Sharing choreographies of hot songs in videos of up to 30 seconds, colorful and stylish sausages make Internet users happy and hypnotized. The Nobody Sausage page accumulated over eight million followers on TikTok and repeated its success on Instagram gaining 2.4M followers just in one year.
The Nobody sausage has already taken part in two commercial challenges on TikTok in collaboration with Samsung and Grupo Natalia Beauty.
3. @casasbahia
Quality Audience: 2.1M
Followers: 3.3M (grew by 471K in the last year)
ER: 0.09%
Country: Brazil
Operator: Casas Bahia
Brand mentions (180 days): 32
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@casasbahia
About: CB is the virtual character of Casas Bahia, one of the biggest retail brands in Brazil.
Before being called CB, he was known as Bahianinho, a brand mascot that was extremely well-known throughout the country – practically a national cultural heritage. Last year, he went through a redesign process and went from being a child to being a teenager.
CB is passionate about games, sustainability, youth culture, and getting to know Brazil and its secrets. He is an incredibly vibrant boy who, in less than a year, is already a hit on the brand's social networks due to his fun and welcoming personality.
4. @lilmiquela
Quality Audience: 1.9M
Followers: 2.9M (fell by 114K in the last year)
ER: 0.5%
Country: United States
Operator: Brud
Brand mentions (180 days): 47 brands (Del Taco, Givenchy Official, Bershka, Dior, Olive Garden)
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lilmiquela
About: Miquela took the world by storm in 2016 when she mysteriously started posting her life on Instagram. Miquela is a kind soul and ambitious dream chaser who uses her transmedia platform to spread awareness, advocate for equality, and advertise for forward-thinking brands. She’s highly fashionable and respected by many clothing brands, and she’s even gone as far as to launch a clothing line called Club 404 Not Found (now discontinued or paused).
Miquela released her first single, titled “Not Mine,” in August 2017. Her songs have since amassed 15M+ net streams across platforms.
Miquela is the project of Brud, founded by Trevor McFedries and Sara DeCou. In addition to Lil Miquela, Brud also created Blawko and Bermuda. Lil Miquela and her friends have been represented by PR firm Huxley and have received ~$30M in investment at a $125M valuation from Spark Capital, Sequoia Capital, M Ventures, BoxGroup, Chris Williams, Founders Fund, and WME.
In October 2021, Dapper Labs, the NFT startup behind NBA Top Shot which was recently valued above $7.5 billion, purchased virtual influencer startup Brud and will be bringing the entire 32-person team aboard.
Quality Audience: 2.1M
Followers: 2.5M (fell by 121K in the last year)
ER: 0.8%
Country: United States
Operator: Buzzfeed
Brand mentions (180 days): 0
About: The Good Advice Cupcake is a character from the short-form cartoon series created by Buzzfeed. Cupcake is on Instagram to give you some good advice – but most importantly, it will lift your spirit with kind and complimentary words.
6. @barbie
Quality Audience: 1.6M
Followers: 2.2M (grew by 205K in the last year)
ER: 0.5%
Country: United States
Operator: Mattel
Brand mentions (180 days): 10
About: Barbie meets the definition of a virtual influencer because she adopts a first-person personality on YouTube that emulates a Vlogger, and in that medium, she does not break the illusion by drawing attention to Mattel – it’s just her life and her world. This is called a VTuber, and she’s a leading example for other virtual influencers on YouTube.
7. @guggimon
Quality Audience: 1.2M
Followers: 1.5M (grew by 58K in the last year)
ER: 0.3%
Country: United States
Operator: Superplastic
Brand mentions (180 days): 5
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@guggimon 2.4M
About: Guggimon has stated he’s a “fashion horror artist & mixtape producer with obsessions: handbags, axes, designer toys, Billie Eilish, & The Shining ” Superplastic is the world’s premier creator of animated synthetic celebrities, designer toys, and apparel. Home to Janky & Guggimon, Superplastic was created by artist and entrepreneur Paul Budnitz (Kidrobot, Ello, Budnitz Bicycles). Legendary toy artist Huck Gee oversees art and production, while an abundance of other brilliant people of all colors, shapes, and sizes also work there.
This year, Superplastic raised $20M to expand its cartoon influencer universe.
Superplastic‘s investors include Google Ventures, Index Ventures, Founders Fund, Craft Ventures, and individual investors such as Jared Leto and Justin Timberlake. The $20M Series A round brings the company’s total capital raised to $38 million.
Fortnite added Guggimon and Janky skins to its battle royale metaverse. Skins are cosmetic items in Fortnite that players can add to their in-game character to change their appearance. They can be purchased on the Epic Store using Fortnite’s in-game currency, V-Bucks.
Superplastic partnered with Christie’s to auction NFTs for virtual celebrities Janky & Guggimon.
8. @janky
Quality Audience: 654K
Followers: 1M (grew by 116K followers in the last year)
ER: 0.35%
Country: United States
Operator: Superplastic
Brand mentions (180 days): 4
About: Janky is owned by Superplastic, the world’s premier creator of animated synthetic celebrities, designer toys, and apparel.
9. @minniemouse
Quality Audience: 638K
Followers: 736K (grew by 26K in the last year)
ER: 2.39%
Country: USA
Operator: Disney
About: Minnie Mouse is a cartoon character created by The Walt Disney Company. As the longtime sweetheart of Mickey Mouse, she is an anthropomorphic mouse with white gloves, a bow, a polka-dotted dress, and low-heeled shoes which occasionally feature ribbons on them.
10. @itspuffpuff
Quality Audience: 560K
Followers: 661K (grew by 494K in the last year)
ER: 7.3%
Country: USA
Brand mentions (180 days): 0
About: Puff Puff is notorious for being positive and optimistic – but his story is a sad one. Nobody showed up to Puff's 8th birthday; his parents separated in early 2021; his classmates tease him for being short and weird. But Puff Puff sees the best in you, even when you don't. He smiles. He forgives. He loves. And with every chance he gets, he tries to give you what you deserve. A warm, fluffy hug.
11. @kda_music
Quality Audience: 407K
Followers: 559K (fell by 14K in the last year)
ER: 27%
Country: USA
Operator: Riot Games
About: K/DA is a virtual K-pop girl group consisting of four themed versions of League of Legends characters: Ahri, Akali, Evelynn, and Kai’Sa.
K/DA was developed by Riot Games, the company behind League of Legends, and unveiled at the 2018 League of Legends World Championship with an augmented reality live performance of their first song, “Pop/Stars”.
A music video of the song uploaded to YouTube subsequently went viral, surpassing 100 million views in one month, eventually reaching 400 million views, as well as topping Billboard’s World Digital Song Sales chart.
The conception of K/DA was based on Riot’s expressed desire to create more musical content in the future, with the characters that were chosen based on K-pop archetypes. The group was created to promote the League World Championship and to sell in-game K/DA skins of the characters in League of Legends. K/DA has subsequently achieved significant popularity both within and beyond the League of Legends fandom, and received critical acclaim, especially for their performance during the World Championship and the impact of gaming on the music scene.
12. @anymalu_real
Quality Audience: 483K
Followers: 526K (grew by 9.1K in the last year)
ER: 1.09%
Country: Brazil
Operator: comboestudio.com.br
Brand mentions (180 days): 0
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@anymalu_real
About: Brazil media personality, YouTuber, and Instagrammer.
13. iamxalara
Quality Audience: 351K
Followers: 480K (grew by 284K in the last year)
ER: 2.03%
Country: Brazil
Operator:iamx.live
Brand mentions (180 days): 5
About: Turkey's first digital influencer. Interested in Turkish Culture, Music and Fashion
14. @anna_cattish
Quality Audience: 407K
Followers: 471K (fell by 9.5K in the last year)
ER: 1.3%
Country: Russia
Operator: Unknown
About: Anna is an illustrator and animator from Russia. Anna’s art style is cute and edgy with a little bit of attitude.
Many of her pieces are sketches and cartoons that are created through digital media, and she shares a lot of her daily work through Instagram. She is also a part of a visual label called Honkfu.
15. @thalasya_
Quality Audience: 257K
Followers: 469K (fell by 11.7K in the last year)
ER: 1.02%
Country: Indonesia
Operator: unknown
Brand mentions (180 days): no brand mentions
About: First Indonesian virtual influencer.
16. @imma.gram
Quality Audience: 319K
Followers: 407K (grew by 53K in the last year)
ER: Account has hidden likes – we are not able to calculate Engagement Rate
Country: Japan
Operator: Aww Inc
Brand mentions (180 days): 11 brands (IKEA Japan, Burberry, Adidas Tokyo, TikTok, Y’s Official)
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@imma.tokyo
About: Imma is Japan’s first virtual model. She is easily identifiable with her signature pink bob, but it’s not easy to tell she’s virtual. Imma enjoys collaborating with top artists and brands to display her realness and authenticity in a world of reality-lacking digital social media, making her a contrarian voice for the future.
Imma was selected as a “New 100 Talent to Watch” by Japan Economics Entertainment. She also appears in numerous headlines, from fashion to business magazines, on TV, and online. Imma’s name is from the Japanese word “ima,” which translates to “now.”
17. @noonoouri
Quality Audience: 310K
Followers: 403K (grew by 19K in the last year)
ER: 1.1%
Country: France
Operator: Opium Effect
Brand mentions (180 days): 43 brands
About: Noonoouri is a cartoony, 19-year-old fashionista hailing from Munich, Germany. She has worked with most of the top brands in the fashion industry and continues to wow consumers with her unique look.
18. @seradotwav
Quality Audience: 324K
Followers: 398K (fell by 28K in the last year)
ER: 30.3%
Country: USA
Operator: Riot
Brand mentions (180 days): 0
About: Seraphine, League of Legends’ newest character, was turned into a virtual influencer to promote her upcoming release and skins.
Riot went so far as to create real-life social media accounts for her character, in which Seraphine is a bedroom producer who lives in our world. She has a cat named Bao, likes to do face masks, and is a fan of K/DA. She’s also a café worker who wants to pursue music. Her Twitter became a venue for telling her backstory. One day she posts a cover of K/DA’s “Pop/Stars” and gets “noticed” by the group; the next thing you know, she’s flying out to help record with the group.
Seraphine hasn’t had new posts on her account since November 8, 2020.
19. @realqaiqai
Quality Audience: 267K
Followers: 339K (fell by 14K in the last year)
ER: 0.5%
Country: USA
About: Qai Qai is a doll belonging to Alexis Olympia Ohanian, the daughter of American professional tennis player and winner of 23 Grand Slam titles, Serena Williams, and co-founder of Reddit and Initialized Capital, Alexis Ohanian
20. @leyalovenature
Quality Audience: 291K
Followers: 333K (grew by 5K in the last year)
ER: 0.2%
Country: Switzerland
Operator: Cosmiq Universe
About: Virtual avatar artist Leya Love connects the dots between all living beings and present consciousness, working as an ambassador for the World Awareness Movement #WAM and as a speaker at the Global Youth Summit Asia in 2020/21 for Human Rights.
LeyaLove is created by Cosmiq Universe, founded by Annika Kessel and Bruno Stettler. Cosmiq also created Aya Stellar, the first interstellar avatar traveling through space to earth, landing on 22/2/22 to bring back the secret of life. Cosmiq Universe has received USD >1.7m investments in seed rounds so far by international investors, a large community of like-minded individuals intently set on realizing Leya’s and Aya’s vision and creating a more loving place on earth to be.
