Social media influencers, as young as nine, have become millionaires cashing in on their fan following. Some have built their careers just by sharing posts, blogs, content and videos.

But Rozy isn’t your everyday social media influencer. She isn’t a beauty blogger or food expert. Nor a cute dog or cuter cat.

She is a South Korean social media star who has taken Instagram by storm. With around 75,000 followers, she may not be the biggest star on the popular image-sharing app. But that’s enough followers to put her on the radar of multiple advertisers. She made more than one billion Korean won (around $850,000) this year through 100 sponsorship deals.

But the sunny, yoga-loving Instagram star isn’t for real.

Rozy is a graphically generated model which was created by Sidus Studio X in August last year. The studio had not come out with Rozy’s ‘real’ identity until December.

Rozy has already completed multiple advertising contracts and has over eight exclusive contracts, Sidus Studio X CEO Baek Seung-yeop said during CBS Radio's Kim Hyeon-jung's News Show.

Seung-yeop added that the company was aiming for profits of over $850,000 this year. For now, Rozy can only pose for photos and make short clips but Studio X plans to expand her activities into movies, dramas and entertainment shows.

Virtual influencers

Rozy is just one of the new class of influencers -- the virtual influencers. They are crafted by computers and visual designers. Virtual influencers are being thought of as better than the real thing. They do not age, they are far from controversies, they are always available, do not need a break, do not suffer from burnout and can be under contract for much longer than other influencers.

While the idea of a virtual mascot or influencer has existed for a long time, the CGI tech has now made it possible to make them near human. There have been challenges, but with the proliferation of photo filters that often distort and mask human features and flaws, it has become easier than ever for virtual influencers to pass off as humans.

Also read: Startup Street: Here’s how social media influencers are redefining brand building

Rozy is not the only virtual social influencer out there. Balmain, the French luxury fashion house, had introduced three CGI models to be part of its model line-up.

Puma, one of the leading sports apparel brand, had also brought on Maya, a virtual social media influencer from South-East Asia to promote its Future Rider Sneakers last year, before moving away from her.

Riot Games, the makers of the popular League of Legends franchise, introduced a K-pop band named K/DA which featured characters from its games. The virtual band managed to garner over 700 million views through its music videos, raking in huge revenues in the process.

Also read: Meet India's two most loved and popular social media influencers

(Edited by : Shoma Bhattacharjee)

First Published:Sept 16, 2021 5:37 PM IST