SK-II is the latest brand to jump on the virtual influencer trend with its new ambassador, Yumi
Have you ever looked at a model and wondered how someone so beautiful could even be real? With new trends towards the use of virtual influencers for beauty and fashion brands, there is a chance the stunning model in question is, in fact, not real.
SK-II recently partnered with AI company Soul Machines to create its first animated digital influencer, Yumi, who is now the newest face of the luxury skincare line. Needless to say, her skin is flawless.
Yumi will join the ranks of Lil Miquela, a virtual influencer who shared a digital kiss with Bella Hadid in a controversial Calvin Klein campaign; Kyoko, Raf, and Talita, the three avatars gracing the luxury shops at Landmark in its ‘A Year of Play’ 2019 campaign; and Shudu, whose Instagram bio claims she is “the world’s first digital supermodel.”
However, Yumi sets herself apart from these virtual influencers by also offering autonomous interaction with SK-II customers, as she's able to interact as a human would to provide beauty advice and help consumers better understand their skin, and she'll be available to customers any time of day or night to offer her skincare expertise in Japanese, English, and eventually Mandarin.
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“Yumi is more than a digital influencer. She is a digital human capable of interacting and engaging in ways technology hasn’t been able to do until now,” said Sandeep Seth, Chief Executive Officer, Global SK-II. “Yumi personifies our goal to combine technology and creativity to benefit customers. She provides the warmth and connection of human touch in the form of a digital experience to make the overall skincare experience at home and in-store more enjoyable and compelling.”