Influencer marketing and AI: two megatrends combined

by Julia Pott

Influencer marketing is a marketing strategy in which retail companies work with influencers to promote their products on social media. Influencers are people who are considered opinion leaders for certain topics or target groups due to their reach and credibility. In this way, brands aim to establish trusting relationships with their target groups, promote brand awareness and increase engagement.

AI-generated influencers, such as virtual avatars, offer a new dimension to influencer marketing by being available around the clock and acting without human limitations. There are also general advantages that the use of AI in marketing offers: personalized and scalable content, predictive targeting, data-based automation.

As early as 2022, a survey on AI influencers among consumers in the United States found that more than one in two people surveyed followed a virtual influencer. In Generation Z, it was even three out of four people. Since then, the use of AI-generated influencers and avatars for marketing purposes has increased.

To promote three new varieties of its “Gönrgy” energy drink, Montana Black and the German food retailer Kaufland are working with artificial intelligence. The result was nothing less than a short action movie: In the AI-generated video, “Monte” Montana Black embarks on an agent mission to procure the new Gönrgy varieties. The use of AI optimized the entire video production, from concept development to final implementation.

“You can still recognize a few AI-typical peculiarities here and there, but the result is already absolutely worth seeing,” says Christoph Schneider, Managing Director Marketing Germany at Kaufland. Montana Black himself is interested in the use of AI. “That's why he was the ideal partner to take the pioneering step towards the offensive use of artificial intelligence for marketing campaigns. With a reach of over 20 million followers on social media, Montana Black is one of the most successful influencers in Germany.

The retail company Müller is supporting the Ready to Recycle campaign together with MBRC the Ocean, relying on an innovative combination of influencer marketing and artificial intelligence. Instead of taking elaborate trips with camera teams, the campaign uses AI-generated images that impressively illustrate the impact of plastic waste on beaches and oceans. Marine and Bird Rescue Center the Ocean is an NGO committed to recycling plastic waste and educating people about the marine environment in order to protect the oceans.

Müller and MBRC the Ocean want to give people a wake-up call with these figures: More than twelve million tons of plastic end up in the oceans every year. If this trend continues, the press release warns, there will be more plastic than fish in the oceans by 2050. The AI-generated scenes from places such as Costa Rica and Indonesia are therefore intended to raise awareness of the issue of plastic waste and show how each and every one of us can contribute to a cleaner future. The campaign content will be distributed in cooperation with media partners such as STRÖER and Ad Alliance. The influencer power is provided by actress Collien Ulmen-Fernandes, YouTuber Jonas Wuttke, TikToker Saskia Bidell and web video producer Jonas Ems.

XXXLutz is also breaking new ground in brand communication and presenting the first AI-generated influencer in the furniture industry: Lucy Homefield communicates living trends on Instagram. She will inspire XXXLutz customers on a wide range of channels when it comes to furnishing and decorating. As a “digital human”, Lucy is available around the clock, complementing the use of human brand ambassadors such as Matthias Schweighöfer. The virtual influencer translates the expertise of interior design consultants into a modern, digital form and is available 24/7 as a chatbot to answer customer queries.

These three examples show how influencer marketing is reaching new dimensions in conjunction with artificial intelligence. Be it through the creation of marketing content such as images or videos or even the creation of new virtual influencers – AI has arrived in digital retail marketing.

However, it remains important for retail companies not to completely replace the human component with technology. Even if AI is able to interact with people and respond to their questions, the authenticity of real human contact remains crucial for many consumers. Brands must continue to ensure that they are perceived as accessible, trustworthy partners for their target groups in order to secure long-term customer loyalty. AI can support this as a tool.

Sources: Press release Müller, Press release Kaufland, Press release XXXLutz