Agency
Virtual Creators Report 2022
A creator who does not exist has 16.7 million TikTok followers. Virtual influencers, computer-generated characters with consistent personalities, are no longer a novelty. They build fandom, drive engagement, sign brand deals, and behave like recognizable media properties across Instagram and TikTok.
The Virtual Creators 2022 Report studies this emerging category. NeoReach partnered with Offbeat Media Group, using its Virtual Humans platform to identify the top virtual creators on Instagram and TikTok, then Tensor Social to analyze audience demographics, engagement, views, follower growth, brand affinity, and comparisons with real-life creators.
Inside, the report shows virtual creators moving from novelty into commercial relevance. Characters like Lu of Magalu, Nobody Sausage, Miquela Sousa, and FN Meka have built audiences in the millions, and brands are beginning to treat them as scalable storytelling assets. The bigger story is not fake influencers; it is the avatar economy, where fictional characters carry personality, community, commerce, and brand partnerships the way traditional creators do. Some are independent; others, like brand-built mascots, are owned IP from the start.
Instagram's top virtual creators already had multi-million audiences: Lu of Magalu (6M), Nobody Sausage (4.3M), and CB of Casas Bahia (3.2M).
TikTok's were larger still: Nobody Sausage (16.7M), FN Meka (10.2M), and Tito Lizzardo & Catty B (5.7M).
TikTok delivered the most scale: its top five virtual creators had 44.4M total followers and 2.1M average views, versus Instagram's 19.2M and 679.7K.
Smaller Instagram virtual creators engaged hardest, at a 6.92% average rate, beating the top five's 1.23%.
Fashion led brand work on Instagram at 33.9%, ahead of Entertainment (17.9%) and Beauty (14.3%).
Some virtual creators are brand-owned IP: Lu of Magalu (2009) and CB of Casas Bahia were both built by retailers.