**Unlocking the Sensory Potential of Virtual Digital Humans in Consumer Marketing **
Under the support of the National Natural Science Foundation of China, Professor Zhou Xinyue from Zhejiang University and Professor Jiang Yuwei from Hong Kong Polytechnic University have made new advancements in using virtual digital humans for consumer research. Their study, titled “Making Sense? The Sensory-Specific Nature of Virtual Influencer Effectiveness,” was published in the “Journal of Marketing” in September 2023.
With the development of artificial intelligence and natural language processing, more businesses and marketers are focusing on the virtual digital human market, including international brands like Prada and Samsung. Chinese policies have been supporting the integration of digital technology, leading to significant investments in the virtual digital human industry.
However, the sensory experience of using virtual digital humans for product or service promotion and how it can effectively enhance consumption remains a key concern. This research innovatively categorizes the sensory experiences associated with virtual humans into proximate senses (smell, touch, taste) and distant senses (vision, hearing).
Findings suggest that consumers believe virtual humans possess distant sensory abilities but lack proximate ones. This impacts consumer buying preferences, especially when virtual humans promote products or services linked to proximate senses. The study not only reveals the potential of virtual digital humans in promoting distant sensory products but also offers strategies to optimize their marketing effectiveness.
https://www.ebiotrade.com/newsf/2023-10/20231010065258224.htm
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/00222429231203699