The next generation of influencers could be computer-generated robots.
No, this is not the plot of the next “Black Mirror” episode. It’s an emerging social media trend in which companies create pixelated characters along with their own unique storylines and Instagram, TikTok or YouTube feeds to track the action.
Offbeat Media Group, an innovative Atlanta media company, is using virtual influencers and other marketing strategies to create content and help brands advertise on social media.
“People are spending more time on their phone instead of staring at a television,” Offbeat Media Group CEO Shep Ogden said. “That’s where storytelling is going. It’s moving to social media.”
The group caught investments from Shark Tank billionaire and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban as well as seed-stage firm Atlanta Ventures. Ogden did not disclose the investment amount.
“We believe the virtual humans space presents a huge opportunity for brands, media and consumers to collectively engage with,” Atlanta Ventures wrote about Offbeat Media Group.
Offbeat Media Group runs a website called Virtual Humans, which hosts more than 100 computer-generated characters and has information for how brands can work with virtual influencers. Not all the characters are created by Offbeat Media Group, but the website aims to act as a hub for this type of marketing, Ogden said.
Ogden said Cuban reached out to Offbeat Media Group after seeing the site, which hosts all types of influencers, some of which look like real people and others are obvious cartoons.
“We’ve got some things that we’re starting to test in this industry at a much more serious scale now,” Ogden said.
The original virtual influencer is Lil Miquela, a character created in 2016 by Brud, a Los Angeles startup backed by Silicon Valley investors. Lil Miquela, a 19-year-old, Brazilian-American robot, has her own music, brand deals and 3 million followers on Instagram.
The shift to virtual influencers demonstrates the change in how people use social media. What started as a way to stay connected with friends is now also a source of entertainment. People spend hours on these sites, watching funny videos and following celebrity drama.
"You’re never going to meet Kim Kardashian,” Ogden said. “You see her on Instagram but never in person. We’re building out virtual humans for the same reasons — giving people a message and a storyline to follow.”
By having brands work with virtual influencers, Ogden said it also allows more than one person to cash in on those deals. The company currently has 15 employees and is set to double within six months.
Offbeat Media Group, founded by three University of Georgia graduates, started with meme marketing, which it continues to do for brands. Brands come to Offbeat Media Group hoping to reach a specific demographic for their products on social media. Between posts joking about living in Atlanta, being an Aquarius or loving video games, meme accounts post advertisements for the brands.
Ogden said his company is constantly evolving to hit on the newest trends in social media and marketing. Right now, the company is focused on growing its content creation, partly with the virtual influencers and with a new show.
The company recently launched “Excuse Me, What?,” which is a man-on-the-street-style interview show with low-production costs but high cultural value, Ogden said. In nine months, the show had more than 112,000 YouTube subscribers and more than 286,000 Instagram followers. The company plans to make more shows, eventually bringing in brand partnerships.
Ogden and co-founders Christopher Travers and Bailey Grady started the company while still in college. Ogden said they expected to have to move to Los Angeles or New York to grow but realized Atlanta had the cultural and technology resources to make a good headquarters.
