The rise of virtual influencers in tourism marketing: Analysing Esther Olofsson’s visual branding on Instagram
Rosnąca popularność wirtualnych influencerów w marketingu turystycznym. Analiza brandingu wizualnego Esther Olofsson na Instagramie
Virtual influencers are non-human, digitally created with human-like qualities. This study investigates the visual self-presentation and branding strategies of Esther Olofsson on Instagram using systematic visual content analysis. Thereby exploring how Esther is visually constructed as a digital persona and how elements of tourism, human likeness and influencer aesthetics are integrated into her online representation. A sample of 107 pictures from 94 posts published between October 2022 and October 2023 was selected. Tourism is a key theme, particularly urban and cultural settings, positioning Esther as an aspiring travel figure. The study also highlights how virtual influencer challenge traditional notions of identity, presence, and trust in digital marketing. Overall, the study shows how visual cues are strategically used to construct a coherent yet ambiguous digital self that bridges human and virtual identities. It contributes to research on influencer cultures, visual communication, and the aesthetics of virtual entities in tourism and branding.
Wirtualni influencerzy to cyfrowo wykreowane postacie przypominające rzeczywistych influencerów, posiadające cechy ludzkie, ale niemające fizycznego odpowiednika w świecie rzeczywistym. Niniejszy artykuł analizuje strategie wizualnej prezentacji i brandingu stosowane na Instagramie przez wirtualną influencerkę Esther Olofsson. Zastosowano systematyczną analizę treści wizualnych, obejmującą 107 zdjęć z 94 postów opublikowanych między październikiem 2022 a październikiem 2023 r. Szczególną uwagę poświęcono podobieństwu do człowieka (human-likeness) oraz estetyce wizualnej związanej z promocją miejsc turystycznych. Motyw podróży dominuje w treściach publikowanych przez Esther, co pozycjonuje ją jako aspirującą wirtualną influencerkę podróżniczą. W analizie wyróżniono dwa główne konteksty: turystykę miejską oraz turystykę kulturową. Badanie ukazuje, w jaki sposób poprzez komunikację wizualną budowana jest spójna, lecz celowo niejednoznaczna cyfrowa tożsamość, łącząca elementy ludzkie i wirtualne. Wyniki stanowią istotny wkład w badania nad estetyką wirtualnych postaci oraz cyfrowym self-brandingiem w kontekście turystyki.
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