Want to create a virtual influencer?

Himanshu's top tips

among a wide variety of people. In CGI (computer-generated imagery), most artistes create American characters, so getting the Indian-ness was difficult,” Himanshu reveals.

Challenge this

1. Focus on the story. There should be a drivingforcebehindthecharacter.

2. Think of her or him as a person while posting or working with brands.

3. Get good quality CGI.

4. Have a list of genres and audiences and stick to them. Remember, the youth is looking for aspirational lifestyles.

5. Don’t just stick to social media. Explore other options in the Metaverse—people are also doing holographic media.

The biggest challenge? To get the CGI right. “There are two types of virtual influencers: Photorealistic virtual influencers and the ones that look more cartoon-ish. We went with the former,” Himanshu says.

Asia’s most popular virtual influencers come from Indonesia, China and Japan. “Imma from Japan has some of the best CGI in the world; it’s better than the US. Imma has 385k followers on Instagram. We have millions of internet users in India, so if we do it right with a great story, we can make Kyra Asia’s most popular virtual influencer,” says Himanshu.

But Kyra, at the moment, is losing out due to lack of access to Tiktok, which is wildly popular abroad. Instagram is primarily what works in India, which makes it Kyra’s primary partnership platform, though Himanshu says they may explore Indian platforms like Josh and Takatak later. Kyra has a soft Youtube channel too, though the focus is on short form and static content. But the plans are endless: a series, music videos and lyric videos.

“The US caters to more of a global audience. India is unique because of the numbers we have on social media; India has great potential. With the Metaverse, we are on the fence right now as audiences are still reacting rather than taking part. But virtual influencers and the Metraverse can actually come together in games like PUBG, and others that have playable characters. Maybe we will see virtual influencers on TV? All you need is powerful storytelling and marketing tools!” Himanshu says.

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Living in the city or the countryside?

I love the countryside, but I can’t live there forever. So, the city.

Sitting on the fence or taking a side?

There are times when I think it’s wise not to interfere. But, at other instances, I speak out strongly. It depends on the situation.

Shah Rukh Khan or Salman Khan?

I’ve always been a Salman

Khan fan. ill