With a digital influencer, you can promote your services and products quickly and relatively cheaply. Will you opt for a generic TikTok avatar or a custom face for your brand? Both options score well on reach. But what is reach worth if your brand can't claim authority? And do avatars have more impact than real people?
The easy way: promote your services and products with TikTok’s avatars
Want to get started quickly with a digital influencer? TikTok recently introduced the tools for that. TikTok’s Symphony suite lets you deploy avatars to hold products, wear clothes, or demonstrate an app. You choose from standard ‘stock avatars’ or develop (for an additional fee) a custom version. All output is transparently labeled as AI-generated.
The benefits:
No expensive influencer contracts or shoot days
Complete control over what is said and worn
Fast and scalable — ideal for A/B testing or top-of-funnel campaigns
But… does your customer trust a robot?
Showcase Products performs well on views and clicks. But conversions? Those lag behind if no credible connection is established between your brand and the target audience.
Data points to a clear paradox among Gen Z:
46% are actually more interested in a brand that uses AI influencers
At the same time, the human factor remains crucial for trust and conversion
The conclusion: AI grabs attention, but real impact requires more than an avatar with a smile.
From a one-off campaign to a brand strategy
TikTok's avatars are a fun gimmick to have a product or service promoted by a digital avatar. A digital human is the “custom-made” version of that. A custom-developed digital personality with its own voice that you can deploy entirely according to your wishes.
Those who strategically invest in digital humans build brand personality — not a one-off campaign. Hibou develops digital brand ambassadors with their own character that fit your brand and can be deployed in any way.
For Stichting ParkinsonFonds, we created ‘James Parkinson’: an AI avatar trained on 25 years of scientific knowledge. Available 24/7, 100% reliable. As a patient, you can ask him questions about the progression of your disease, and for loved ones, James Parkinson is a source of support and advice on how to assist a patient in a pleasant way.
For MarketingTribune and MarketingFacts, we developed a digital clone of editor-in-chief Imke Walenberg. Soon you will be able to ask her all kinds of questions about the substantive topics from the MarketingFacts Yearbook.
For Rosewood, we designed the world’s first digital dog as a brand ambassador. This dog has a high digital cuddle factor and is used to give owners tips on dog care. But the dog will also follow his own storyline so that followers on social media build a bond with him, keeping the brand top of mind with followers.
When to use an avatar and when to use a digital human?
Use TikTok’s avatars for:
Quickly testing formats and messages
Fast production of snackable content
Language- and culture-free visual promotion
Use digital humans for:
Brand stories that last for years
Virtual hosts, experts, or customer service representatives
A scalable, recognizable brand personality
AI is not a goal. It is a tool. The difference lies in how you use it.
At Hibou, we help brands that want to think beyond the hype. Want to go from a gimmick to a brand strategy ? Then take a look at our sister agency The Synths.
