AMSTERDAM – April 8, 2025 – Hibou, together with BBP Media (known for MarketingFacts and MarketingTribune, among others), has virtualized editor-in-chief Imke Walenberg. For both parties, the new project represents an opportunity to further explore what AI-driven 'digital humans' can mean for the industry.
For this project, Imke Walenberg was digitized by Hibou in both image (video) and sound (audio). This resulted in a realistic digital version of her. This experiment demonstrates how technology can help create and share content in new ways.
‘Deploying Digital Imke for more content for the target audience’
“It is interesting to see what this technology is already capable of,” says John Meulemans from Hibou. “The digital Imke can be utilized in many different ways to unlock BBP Media's content. In the coming period, we will continue to explore together what is possible across various areas. We are curious to see whether BBP Media will succeed even better in communicating with its target audience and what the commercial opportunities are. In addition, we will deploy the digital Imke to create more content for the target audience.”
‘Takes some getting used to seeing a digital version of myself’
Imke Walenberg, editor-in-chief of MarketingFacts and MarketingTribune, is enthusiastic: “It takes some getting used to seeing such a digital version of myself, but I find it incredibly exciting to see what AI and digital humans can do for our work. It offers completely new ways to share our knowledge and articles with marketers.”
More than a gimmick
The project is more than a gimmick; it is the beginning of a longer collaboration. The plan is to soon create content with the virtual Imke, such as voiced columns or event summaries. After that, Hibou and BBP Media also want to make her interactive. “The way people create and consume content is changing very rapidly,” Meulemans says. “As a publisher, you have to move along with that. We are now looking at how we can create content with this digital human, and then move on to interaction.”
‘This is about the future of content’
Walenberg adds: “This project is more than just technology; it is about the future of content and how we can distribute it. We are curious to see how we can serve our readers even better with this and what new interactive opportunities will open up. For example, making our MarketingFacts Yearbook more easily accessible and available in all languages.”
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