Cited by 688AI in Service InteractionsDigital Marketing and Social MediaMarketing and Advertising Strategies

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An Emerging Theory of Avatar Marketing

Miao, Fred, Kozlenkova, Irina V., Wang, Haizhong, Xie, Tao, Palmatier, Robert W.·2022·Journal of Marketing

DOI 10.1177/0022242921996646

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Abstract

Avatars are becoming increasingly popular in contemporary marketing strategies, but their effectiveness for achieving performance outcomes (e.g., purchase likelihood) varies widely in practice. Related academic literature is fragmented, lacking both definitional consistency and conceptual clarity. This article makes three main contributions to avatar theory and managerial practice. First, to address ambiguity with respect to its definition, this study identifies and critically evaluates key conceptual elements of the term avatar, offers a definition derived from this analysis, and provides a typology of avatars’ design elements. Second, the proposed 2 × 2 avatar taxonomy suggests that the alignment of an avatar’s form realism and behavioral realism, across different contingencies, provides a parsimonious explanation for avatar effectiveness. Third, the authors develop an emerging theory of avatar marketing by triangulating insights from fundamental elements of avatars, a synthesis of extant research, and business practices. This framework integrates key theoretical insights, research propositions, and important managerial implications for this expanding area of marketing strategy. Lastly, the authors outline a research program to test the propositions and insights as well as advance future research.

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“Players use characters to enter the virtual world in role-playing games, which serves as a means to explore alternative realities [31], and leads to a strong emotional connection with characters [32], referred to as “character attachment” [37].”
Background
Can Avatars Amplify the Effectiveness of Request-Based and Default-Change Messages Aimed at Triggering Pro-environmental Tourist Behavior?
Zhao, Z., Cheng, M., Huang, L., & Dolničar, S. (2025) · Journal of Travel Research · doi:10.1177/00472875251337778 · Cited by 3
“With the increasing adoption of avatars in retail and marketing, scholars have increasingly recognized the significant impact of avatar type and design on enhancing the customer experience (Miao et al., 2022; Zhu et al., 2024).”
Influential
Real me or digital me? Consumers’ consumption responses to online avatars
Yi, B., Shi, D., & Li, G. (2025) · International Journal of Hospitality Management · doi:10.1016/j.ijhm.2025.104394 · Cited by 5
Platform customer misconduct: A conceptual framework for research and practice
Lee, J.-Y., Sridhar, S., Bosukonda, N., & Yan, S. (2025) · Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science · doi:10.1007/s11747-025-01111-7 · Cited by 3
“Platforms like Fortnite or Roblox encourage greater digital detachment by allowing users to interact through avatars or gamertags, whereas platforms like Next-door, which require real-name identification and residential neighborhoods, constrain such psychological detachment (Miao et al., 2021).”
The Effect of E‐Commerce Live Streamer Partner Type on Consumers' Approach Intention: An Empirical Study Based on Live Streaming Studios
Xiong, S., Wu, R., & Li, Y. (2025) · Journal of Consumer Behaviour · doi:10.1002/cb.70084 · Cited by 3
To Initiate or Not: How Virtual Social Touch of Virtual Humans Affects User Perceptions in Marketing Interactions
Sun, C.-H., Meng, H., & Liu, Y. (2025) · International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction · doi:10.1080/10447318.2025.2607555 · Cited by 3
“Behavioral realism refers to virtual humans exhibiting behaviors similar to those of humans (Miao et al., 2022).”
Digital (Global) Capitalism and Re-Globalization
Durante, T. (2026) · Fudan Journal of the Humanities and Social Sciences · doi:10.1007/s40647-026-00462-x · Cited by 4
The implementation of artificial intelligence in organizations by functional areas: A review and conceptual model
Aguado-García, J.-M., Alonso‐Muñoz, S., & De‐Pablos‐Heredero, C. (2026) · Journal of Management & Organization · doi:10.1017/jmo.2026.10091 · Cited by 7
“…particular, AI-driven tools such as recommender systems and chatbots facilitate more accurate identification of customer preferences, responsiveness, and emerging needs, thereby enhancing customer experience and supporting data-driven marketing strategies (Miao et al., 2022; Padigar et al., 2022).”
When “nonsense” makes sense: Effects of non-informational speech by virtual streamers in livestream commerce
Huo, J., Wang, R., & Yang, Q. (2026) · Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services · doi:10.1016/j.jretconser.2026.104848 · Cited by 3
Exploring AI-Powered Virtual Influencers!
Salam, M. A., Leong, V. S., & Muhamad, N. (2026) · IGI Global eBooks · doi:10.4018/979-8-3373-7396-6.ch006 · Cited by 3
AVATARLAR İLE İLETİŞİM: SANAL İNFLUENCERLAR VE ÜRETİM TEKNİKLERİ ÜZERİNE BİR İNCELEME / Communication With Avatars: A Review on Virtual Influencers and Production Techniques
DOĞRU, Ö. Ü. H. Ç. (2023) · International Journal of Interdisciplinary and Intercultural Art · doi:10.29228/ijiia.201 · Cited by 3
Cross-modal Latent Space Alignment for Image to Avatar Translation
de Guevara, M. L., Hold-Geoffroy, Y., Echevarria, J., Smith, C. M., Li, Y., & Ito, D. (2023) · IEEE/CVF International Conference on Computer Vision (ICCV) · doi:10.1109/iccv51070.2023.00054 · Cited by 3
“Such a representation has been ubiquitous in our daily life, from personal use on social media to marketing strategies by companies [23].”
Background
Virtual Influencers in Marketing: A Bibliometric Analysis of Current and Future Research Trends
(2024) · Journal of Logistics Informatics and Service Science · doi:10.33168/jliss.2024.0809 · Cited by 6
Beyond code: Consumer response to chatbots
Davis, N. L., & Jin, J. (2024) · Current Opinion in Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.copsyc.2024.101841 · Cited by 3
What Drives Advertisers Toward or Away From Immersive Virtual Spaces?
Marder, B. L., Yau, A., Yule, J. A., Osadchaya, E., Angell, R. J., Zhang, W. Z., Oliver, S., Lavertu, L., Stylos, N. D., Kang, Q., et al. (2024) · Journal of Advertising Research · doi:10.2501/jar-2024-020 · Cited by 3
Play or Attack? Navigating Identity in the Virtual World, a Conceptual Perspective on Virtual Influencers and Influencer Marketing
Cui, E. R. (2024) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-63516-8_7 · Cited by 3
Contrasting the Efficacy of the Type of Influencer to the Type of Product: The Mediating Effect of Perceived Authenticity
Abdelsattar, W. O., Shamma, H. M., & Amr, M. (2024) · Global Business Review · doi:10.1177/09721509241251400 · Cited by 5
From Avatars to Allies: Understanding Social Dynamics in the Metaverse
Mahalakshmi, S., Bharath, H., & Kautish, S. (2024) · Information systems engineering and management · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-72418-3_15 · Cited by 3
Yiyecek İçecek Sektöründe Teknoloji Tabanlı Yenilikçi Uygulamalar
Akgül, V. (2024) · Özgür Yayınları eBooks · doi:10.58830/ozgur.pub587.c2436 · Cited by 2
A Matter of Taste: Seeking Uniqueness in the Metaverse Consumption
Tang, Q. G., Huang, X., & Zhang, K. (2025) · Journal of the Association for Consumer Research · doi:10.1086/734658 · Cited by 3
How Life-like Digital Humans in Voting Advice Applications Can Stimulate Young Voters to Inform Themselves About Politics: The Role of Familiarity and Expertise
van Veggel, E., Liebrecht, C., & Kamoen, N. (2025) · International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction · doi:10.1080/10447318.2025.2465859 · Cited by 4
“In recent years, due to increasingly advanced technology (Zhang et al., 2024), animated avatars have become more realistic and have evolved into highly human-like 3D avatars called digital humans (Miao et al., 2022; Silva & Bonetti, 2021; Song & Shin, 2024).”
3D - AI Avatar Attributes Impacting on Bank Customers’ Perceived Experience
Imangi, I., Lakshan, S., Silva, S. M. D., Arachchi, H. A. D. M., & Samarasinghe, G. (2025) · International Conference on Advanced Research in Computing (ICARC) · doi:10.1109/icarc64760.2025.10963179 · Cited by 3
“Companies invest more in avatars to improve customer service quality and engagement [15].”
The Most Appropriate Avatar Design for Sri Lankan Online Consumer Banking: A Comparison of 3D vs. 2D Designs
Silva, S. M. D., Lakshan, S., Imangi, I., Arachchi, H. A. D. M., & Samarasinghe, G. (2025) · International Research Conference on Smart Computing and Systems Engineering (SCSE) · doi:10.1109/scse65633.2025.11031074 · Cited by 3
“In addition, the emotional bond created through human-like virtual assistants increases engagement and brand loyalty [9].”
Will the inclusion of AI anchors enhance the operational performance of live streaming e-commerce supply chains?
Yan, X., Lu, Q., & Xiao, D. (2025) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0321995 · Cited by 3

Authors: Miao, F., Kozlenkova, I. V., Wang, H., Xie, T., & Palmatier, R. W.
Affiliations: The University of Texas at Arlington (US)
University of Virginia (US)
Sun Yat-sen University (CN)
University of Washington (US)
Corresponding author: Miao, Fred
ORCID: Miao, Fred
Kozlenkova, Irina V.
Wang, Haizhong
Xie, Tao
Palmatier, Robert W.
Venue: Journal of Marketing
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Published: 2021-05-25
Volume: 86
Issue: 1
Pages: 67-90
ISSN: 0022-2429 (ISSN-L)
1547-7185
DOI: 10.1177/0022242921996646
OpenAlex: W3127061213
Cited by: 688
References: 79
Citations by year: 2026: 165 · 2025: 191 · 2024: 189 · 2023: 103 · 2022: 33 · 2021: 6
FWCI: 28.99
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: closed
Licence: journals.sagepub.com/page/policies/text-and-data-mining-license (tdm)
Locations: Journal of Marketing (publishedVersion)
Funders: National Natural Science Foundation of China (71832015; 72072191)
Topics: Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Marketing › AI in Service Interactions
Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Marketing › Digital Marketing and Social Media
Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Marketing › Marketing and Advertising Strategies
Keywords: avatars, behavioral realism, purchase probability, marketing strategy

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An Emerging Theory of Avatar Marketing

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