In September 2025, Cathy Boulanger, co-founder of an organic cosmetics company, considers using an influencer to enrich her customers’ consumer journey. Between real and virtual influencers, what are the advantages and risks and ultimately what choice should she make? The case study deals with influencer marketing and the choice between real and virtual influencers.
AdolphsR (2009) The social brain: neural basis of social knowledge. Annual Review of Psychology60(1): 693–716.
2.
AudrezetAde KervilerGMoulardJG (2020) Authenticity under threat: when social media influencers need to go beyond self-presentation. Journal of Business Research117: 557–569.
3.
BartneckCKandaTIshiguroH, et al. (2007) Is the uncanny valley an uncanny cliff7 In 16th IEEE International Conference on Robot & Human Interactive Communication, pp. 368–373.
4.
BrevesPLLiebersNAbtM, et al. (2019) The perceived fit between Instagram influencers and the endorsed brand: how influencer–brand fit affects source credibility and persuasive effectiveness. Journal of Advertising Research59(4): 440–454.
5.
CarolusABinderJFMuenchR, et al. (2019) Smartphones as digital companions: characterizing the relationship between users and their phones. New Media & Society21(4): 914–938.
6.
CasalóLVFlaviánCIbáñez-SánchezS (2018) Influencers on Instagram: antecedents and consequences of opinion leadership. Journal of Business Research117: 510–519.
7.
De VeirmanMHuddersL (2020) Disclosing sponsored Instagram posts: the role of material connection with the brand and message-sidedness when disclosing covert advertising. International Journal of Advertising39(1): 94–130.
8.
De VeirmanMCaubergheVHuddersL (2017) Marketing through Instagram influencers: impact of number of followers and product divergence on brand attitude. International Journal of Advertising36(5): 798–828.
9.
DjafarovaETrofimenkoO (2019) ‘Instafamous’–credibility and self-presentation of micro-celebrities on social media. Information, Communication & Society22(10): 1432–1446.
10.
EdwardsCEdwardsAStollB, et al. (2019) Evaluations of an artificial intelligence instructor's voice: Social Identity Theory in human-robot interactions. Computers in Human Behavior90: 357–362.
11.
EpleyNWaytzACacioppoJT (2007) On seeing human: a three-factor theory of anthropomorphism. Psychological Review114(4): 864–886.
12.
EvansNJPhuaJLimJ, et al. (2017) Disclosing Instagram influencer advertising: the effects of disclosure language on advertising recognition, attitudes, and behavioral intent. Journal of Interactive Advertising17(2): 138–149.
13.
FischerK (2011, March). Interpersonal variation in understanding robots as social actors. In Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Human-robot Interaction (pp. 53–60).
14.
HoneycuttJMBryanSP (2011) Scripts and Communication for Relationships. Peter Lang.
15.
Jiménez-CastilloDSánchez-FernándezR (2019) The role of digital influencers in brand recommendation: examining their impact on engagement, expected value and purchase intention. International Journal of Information Management49: 366–376.
16.
KiCWCCuevasLMChongSM, et al. (2020) Influencer marketing: social media influencers as human brands attaching to followers and yielding positive marketing results by fulfilling needs. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services55: 102133.
17.
KolesBAudrezetAMoulardJG, et al. (2024) The authentic virtual influencer: authenticity manifestations in the metaverse. Journal of Business Research170: 114325.
18.
LabrecqueLI (2014) Fostering consumer–brand relationships in social media environments: the role of parasocial interaction. Journal of Interactive Marketing28(2): 134–148.
19.
LemonKNVerhoefPC (2016) Understanding customer experience throughout the customer journey. Journal of Marketing80(6): 69–96.
20.
LiewTWTanSM (2018) Exploring the effects of specialist versus generalist embodied virtual agents in a multi-product category online store. Telematics and Informatics35(1): 122–135.
21.
LouCYuanS (2019) Influencer marketing: how message value and credibility affect consumer trust of branded content on social media. Journal of Interactive Advertising19(1): 58–73.
22.
MacDormanKFGreenRDHoC, et al. (2009) Too real for comfort’7 Uncanny responses to computer generated faces. Computers in Human Behavior25(3): 695–710.
23.
MoriM (1970) Bukimi no Tani [The uncanny valley]. Energy7(4): 33–35.
24.
NassCMoonY (2000) Machines and mindlessness: social responses to computers. Journal of Social Issues56: 81–103.
25.
NassCSteuerJTauberER (1994) Computers are social actors. In: Proceedings of SIGCHI ’94 Human Factors in Computing Systems. ACM, 72–78.
26.
OhanianR (1990) Construction and validation of a scale to measure celebrity endorsers’ perceived expertise, trustworthiness, and attractiveness. Journal of Advertising19(3): 39–52.
27.
PhuaJSeokSHKimJJ (2022) The role of authenticity in virtual influencer marketing: effects on purchase intentions and brand attitudes. Journal of Interactive Advertising22(3): 255–272.
28.
ReevesBNassC (1996) The Media Equation: How People Treat Computers, Television, and New Media like Real People and Places. Cambridge.
29.
SchankRCAbelsonRP (1977) Scripts, Plans, Goals, and Understanding: An Inquiry into Human Knowledge Structures. Erlbaum.
30.
SchoutenAPJanssenLVerspagetM (2020) Celebrity vs. influencer endorsements in advertising: the role of identification, credibility, and Product-Endorser fit. International Journal of Advertising39(2): 258–281.
31.
SokolovaKKefiH (2020) Instagram and YouTube bloggers promote it, why should I buy? How credibility and parasocial interaction influence purchase intentions. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services53: 101742.
VrontisDMakridesAChristofiM, et al. (2021) Social media influencer marketing: a systematic review, integrative framework and future research agenda. International Journal of Consumer Studies45(4): 617–644.
35.
WangPHuangQ (2023) Digital influencers, social power and consumer engagement in social commerce. Internet Research33(1): 178–207.
36.
WangPHuangQDavisonRM (2021) How do digital influencers affect social commerce intention? The roles of social power and satisfaction. Information Technology & People34(3): 1065–1086.
37.
Xie-CarsonLBenckendorffPHughesK (2023) Not so different after all? A netnographic exploration of user engagement with non-human influencers on social media. Journal of Business Research167: 114149.
Supplementary Material
Please find the following supplemental material available below.
For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.
For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.
