Key points are not available for this paper at this time.
Riding on the waves of growing popularity, virtual influencers (VIs) are reshaping the influencer marketing landscape. The proliferation of generative AI has further accelerated their commercial adoption, with global brands such as Chanel, Prada, and Balenciaga entering into endorsement deals with these artificial entities. Nevertheless, the extant literature remains fragmented and inconclusive in assessing the effectiveness of such endorsements, thereby necessitating a comprehensive inquiry into what makes VIs effective endorsers. To address this gap, the current study employs the Total Interpretive Structural Modelling (TISM) methodology and is the first to provide a comprehensive hierarchical framework that organises the disparate findings into a structured, multi-stage cascade of effects. In addition, a MICMAC analysis is conducted to determine the relative importance of each factor based on its driving and dependence power. The findings offer actionable implications for VI creators, advertisers, and brand managers, alongside expanding the current body of literature.
Aniket et al. (Wed,) studied this question.