Dentsu SG launches new offering to customise virtual identities for clients

Dentsu Singapore is launching Dentsu VI (pronounced “V” and “I”), an end-to-end offering born in Singapore, to celebrate National Day. Dentsu VI will bring custom virtual identities to life through frequent, live interactions on any scaled video-streaming platforms.  This can be on local, regional or global levels.

The new offering will allow brands to use virtual identities to power brand intimacy, and bring a face and personality to eCommerce destinations. It will serve as a virtual influencer for the brand, amp up live events and social commerce, interact with consumers in the metaverse, metaverse citizens, and employees, among others.

Along with the launch, it is also introducing its first virtual identity, Rumi, inspired by Persian poet Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī. Rumi's name is also a nod to Dentsu's Japanese heritage, with her name loosely translating to "a fluid sense of beauty". 

According to Dentsu, Dentsu VI provides a seamless process for businesses to easily access the potential of virtual identities by creating unique versions that personify their brands as part of their long-term digital strategy. Brands will be able to leverage on this and own fully custom-made virtual identities strategically built for targeted brand purposes. Businesses will have full control over brand governance.

Additionally, the virtual identities will also be able to show up live to deliver emotional performances in real time on any channel and is powered by the latest motion capture technology commonly used in gaming and films. Dentsu’s CGI specialists will bring these virtual identities to life in a live virtual studio equipped with motion capture and streaming capabilities.



Dentsu’s end-to-end process encompasses everything from creating the vision, to producing the virtual identity and determining how it shows up, which includes:

• Brand immersion to understand brand personality;
• Identification of the vision and purpose of the virtual identity for the brand;
• Star Power research to identify and weave in star qualities and fascination traits that matter the most to the brand’s audience - such as the appearance and behaviour of the virtual identity;
• A Lightning Round process born for creative exploration at speed.

Businesses that are looking at customisation for short and mid-term brand activations will be able to select from an existing cast of virtual identities, including Rumi, as well as explore pre-recorded offerings.

Dentsu VI will also enable brands to use the virtual identities to power brand intimacy across a wide range of brand experiences, bring a face and personality to eCommerce destinations, serve as a virtual influencer for the brand, amp up live events and social commerce, interact with consumers in the metaverse, metaverse citizens, and employees, among others.

“Our team of relentless creatives dreamed loud and climbed high to make this real, bringing together the most advance technology and expertise to unlock endless opportunities for brands looking to connect with the always-live generation,” said Prakash Kamdar, CEO, Dentsu Singapore and Indonesia.

Stan Lim, chief creative officer, Dentsu Creative Singapore said that digitalisation makes it easy to forget that people are on its receiving end. People are social beings who value the familiarity of human interaction, and Dentsu VI can “help brands show up as a friendly face in all digital worlds”.

“Dentsu VI addresses a real need for businesses and brands to remain human in a technology-driven world. We believe that the limitless potential of virtual identities truly represents modern creativity, yet, we are also not trying to fake realism."  '

He added that the power of virtual identities comes from creative freedom, not from recreating reality. "That is why we recently created Rumi, our first virtual identity from Dentsu VI, and have built up our capabilities to offer a powerful offering for business that are rethinking their marketing strategies for the new digital frontiers,” he explained.

Meanwhile, Prema Techinamurthi, MD, Dentsu Creative Singapore said: “Dentsu VI has been in development since early 2021 to meet the rapidly growing needs and expectations for immersive virtual experiences with a human touch. Whether you are already investing heavily on human influencers, or a brand that wants a foray into the world of virtual influencers or simply one that is looking to improve customer experiences, Dentsu VI is a game changer for brands wanting to innovate how they show up in the digital world.”

With the pandemic accelerating digital adoption globally, more brands have sought to reach out to their customers online, white trying to maintain a human touch to the online interactions. The widespread trend of introducing virtual influencers or brand ambassadors is a way brands can resonate with the new generation of digital-native consumers. 

Just last week, children clothing label Balabala unveiled its new official brand ambassador, Gu Yu, a one-of-a-kind virtual influencer. The introduction of the virtual influencer and ambassador was in line with Balabala’s brand rejuvenation journey, which aimed to shift away from the traditional fashion marketing playbook in favour of innovative, tech-infused activations.

Meanwhile, to advocate for more representation, Down Syndrome International (DSi) partnered with creative agency Forsman & Bodenfors (F&B) and global digital modelling agency The Diigitals to create the world’s first virtual influencer with down syndrome, Kami, in May. According to DSi's press statement, the influencer's name, Kami, is short for the name Kamilah which means perfection, and that is how DSi wants the world to see her.

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Forsman & Bodenfors and DSi push for more representation with virtual influencer with down syndrome