SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING REDEFINED: THE ROLE OF CHATBOTS AND VIRTUAL INFLUENCERS IN AI-DRIVEN INFLUENCER MARKETING
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29121/shodhkosh.v7.i8s.2026.7828Keywords:
Social Media Marketing, Influencer Marketing, Virtual Influencers, Chatbots, Artificial Intelligence, EtcAbstract [English]
Social media marketing emerged as a popular and effective strategy for companies to promote their products due to the rapid development of digital technology. This approach of marketing has been utilising more by businesses as it offers target audiences more choices. Social Media Marketing or SMM use the power of social media influencers in building and maintaining a strong relationship with the audience. Influencer marketing is a collaboration between a brand and an online personality, known as Social Media Influencer or SMI who will endorse and promote products, services, ideas or brands to their followers. Technological advancements in the form of artificial intelligence (AI) is also a recent trend in influencer marketing which is used in the form of chatbots and virtual influencers. These digital personalities are used in influencer marketing to support brands and increase their marketing efforts. For the brands which are constantly looking for innovative ways to engage with their target audience, introduction of chatbots and virtual influencers has opened new possibilities. This research focuses on the role of chatbots and virtual influencers in influencer marketing and examines how they impact consumer engagement, trust and brand perception. For the purpose of this study, qualitative research method is adopted to examine consumer attitude towards chatbots and virtual influencers. Researchers collected data from reviewing existing literature and semi-structured interviews to understand consumer perception. The study also explains the methods such as creating personal experience and automated interactions through which the brands strengthen their online presence. This study also provides valuable information on the effectiveness of chatbots and virtual influencers in influencer marketing which adds to the expanding knowledge of digital marketing. It also stresses on the opportunities and challenges to integrate these technological advancements in the marketing efforts of the brands. The study provides recommendations for brands to strengthen customer engagement by maintaining trust and authenticity.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Chithra Lekshmi K S, Jayaseelan R, Kadeswaran S, Soundra Rajan D, Muralidharan K
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