Impacto de los Influencers Virtuales frente a Humanos en Instagram: Un Estudio Comparativo de Productos en Cuenca

Abstract

Influencer marketing, together with artificial intelligence, has given rise to the era of virtual influencers. This study aims to identify whether there are differences in the influence exerted by AI-generated influencers and human influencers, based on the variables of authenticity, credibility, attitude, and engagement. The methodology was developed in two stages. In the first stage, a focus group was conducted to gather key information for the variables later included in the survey used as the conclusive method. A non-probability sampling approach was adopted, focusing on men and women between 19 and 34 years of age living in the city of Cuenca. In the second stage, two questionnaires were administered, one for each type of influencer. The Mann–Whitney U test, a nonparametric statistical test, was used to analyze the data. The results showed no significant differences between the groups across any of the variables, indicating that participants perceived both types of brand endorsers in a similar way. One of the main findings of the study is that most respondents would be willing to interact with influencer content, although some still expressed reluctance to follow them. In addition, participants in both groups were unable to identify whether the videos shown in the survey had been created by a human content creator or by artificial intelligence. These findings are relevant for companies that allocate marketing budgets to this form of digital advertising, as they provide useful insights for deciding whether to work with a virtual influencer or a human influencer.