This persona is India’s first-ever virtual influencer

Kyra’s creators are delighted with the attention that she has drawn online. (Image credit: @kyraonig/Instagram)

India now has an answer to the virtual influencers of the world -- a digital character named Kyra.

Kyra has been created by Top Social, an influencer marketing platform. She was launched in January 2022, and within just three months, gained over 50,000 followers on social media, Himanshu Goel, the business head of Top Social said in a LinkedIn post.

The virtual influencer’s social media following has grown to over 96,000 on Instagram now. Her bio describes her as a “dream chaser, model and traveller”.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by K Y R A (@kyraonig)

True to her intro, Kyra’s Instagram feed shows her doing yoga, lounging at beaches and posing in front of heritage sites.

“She has done a fashion shoot, Valentine’s Day interaction,” her creators said. “Kyra's journey has just begun and there are many more adventures and secrets to be revealed.”

In March, she participated in a metaverse fashion week that brought together big global names like Estée Lauder, Tommy Hilfiger and Dolce & Gabbana.

“When we launched Kyra, (India's first Virtual Influencer) fashion was one of the first categories we focused on,” Goel said. “We can't wait to see how Indian fashion brands will participate in the Metaverse space.”

Kyra’s creators are delighted with the response that she has received. But her launch has also been mocked.

In an interview with Hindustan Times, Goel said there were people who said the concept of a virtual influencer was stupid.

“Some people were like, ‘Are you kidding me?’ and ‘Yeh toh fake hai’. (This is fake),” he added.

But for brands, getting virtual influencers on board will be beneficial, Goel added.

“Imagine this: There’s a brand that wants to do a travel campaign,” he told Hindustan Times. “Flying an actual influencer around the world will be much more expensive than a virtual influencer, who can be placed in front of say, Hawa Mahal, using an actual picture or one recreated in 3D.”

Virtual influencers are also ageless, he added.

Read: Meet the virtual influencers who are giving stiff competition to the real ones