Of course. This is an excellent and timely research question. To ensure your co-creation study yields actionable and comprehensive design principles, we need a structured approach that moves from broad user needs to specific design attributes.

Here is a business research proposal designed to guide your study.

Business Research Proposal: Designing Trustworthy Virtual Influencers

This proposal outlines a two-part research plan to develop a set of comprehensive design principles for creating trustworthy virtual influencers for brand partnerships and marketing.

Recommended Frameworks: Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD) & The KANO Model

Framework Explanation

• Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD): This framework shifts the focus from the product (the virtual influencer) to the customer's goal. Instead of asking what features people want, we ask what "job" they are "hiring" an influencer to do for them. For example, a consumer might "hire" an influencer to "help me feel confident about a complex purchase" or "entertain me during my commute." Understanding this underlying motivation is key to designing something truly valuable.
• The KANO Model: This model is used to categorize product or service attributes based on how they impact customer satisfaction. It helps prioritize design features by sorting them into five categories:
  • Must-be Attributes: These are basic expectations. If they're absent, the audience will be dissatisfied, but their presence doesn't increase satisfaction (e.g., a car having brakes).
  • Performance Attributes: With these, satisfaction is proportional to how well they are executed. The better the feature, the more satisfied the audience (e.g., a car's fuel efficiency).
  • Attractive Attributes: These are unexpected, delightful features that can create high levels of satisfaction but do not cause dissatisfaction if they are missing (e.g., a car with a built-in massage function).
  • Indifferent Attributes: The audience doesn't care whether these are present or absent.
  • Reverse Attributes: Their presence actively causes dissatisfaction (e.g., a feature that is overly complicated to use).

Framework Applicability

Combining JTBD and the KANO model provides a powerful, two-step approach for your challenge.

1. JTBD will first help you uncover the fundamental needs and goals your audience has when they interact with any influencer, human or virtual. This provides the "why" behind their behavior.
2. The KANO Model will then allow you to test specific design attributes (visuals, voice, behavior, ethics) and classify them based on importance. This helps you translate the "why" from JTBD into a prioritized "how" and "what" for your design principles, ensuring you focus on what truly matters to building trust.

Part 1: Information Collection

To effectively use the JTBD and KANO frameworks, we will gather information through two primary methods: a web search for market context and a structured co-creation workshop with your target audience.

A. Web Search

Initial Search Plan: Before engaging participants, it's crucial to ground your study in the current context.

• Search Queries:
  1. "virtual influencer brand partnership case studies 2024"
     • Purpose: To identify existing best practices and common strategies. This will provide you with real-world examples (like CeraVe's campaign with Michael Cera or Poppi's with Alix Earle) to potentially use as stimuli or discussion points in your co-creation sessions.
  2. "consumer sentiment analysis of virtual influencers in marketing"
     • Purpose: To gather up-to-date quantitative and qualitative data on audience perceptions. This will help you validate the background information you have and refine participant recruitment by understanding the different audience segments (e.g., skeptics, fans, curious).
  3. "ethical guidelines for AI in digital advertising"
     • Purpose: To build a foundational understanding of current ethical frameworks and concerns, such as data privacy, transparency, and the potential for manipulation. This will be critical for shaping the "ethical practices" portion of your design principles.
  4. "KANO model questionnaire for product design"
     • Purpose: To find templates and best practices for structuring the specific questions you'll ask in the second half of your workshop. This ensures your methodology for classifying attributes is sound.

B. Co-Creation Workshop (User Interviews)

This is the core of your research. It should be structured as a hands-on workshop, not just a simple Q&A.

• Interview Subjects:

  • Recruit 15-20 participants, segmented into 3 groups:
    1. Enthusiasts: Follow at least one virtual influencer and view them positively.
    2. Skeptics: Are aware of virtual influencers but express distrust or discomfort.
    3. Neutrals: Are aware but have no strong opinion.
  • All participants should be digital-native consumers (e.g., Gen Z, Millennials, aged 18-35) who actively follow at least one human influencer for product recommendations. This ensures they are familiar with the "job" of an influencer.

• Workshop Structure (90-120 minutes):

  • Part 1: The "Job" of an Influencer (JTBD Exploration)

    • Purpose: To understand the fundamental needs and goals users have when following influencers, regardless of whether they are human or AI.
    • Core Questions:
      1. "Think about a time an influencer's recommendation led you to try or buy a product. Can you walk me through that experience? What made you trust them?"
         • Analysis Purpose: Identifies the core drivers of trust and the "job" the user was hiring the influencer for (e.g., "validate my choice," "simplify a complex decision").
      2. "Describe an experience where you distrusted or were put off by an influencer's promotion. What happened?"
         • Analysis Purpose: Uncovers the key friction points and trust-breakers in the influencer-audience relationship.

  • Part 2: Design Your "Trustworthy" Influencer (Co-Creation Activity)

    • Purpose: To allow participants to build their ideal virtual influencer, making their preferences tangible.
    • Methodology: Use a digital whiteboard tool (like Miro) or physical cards. Provide participants with a "Persona Toolkit" with attribute options across four categories. Ask them to "build" a trustworthy virtual influencer for a brand they like.
      • Visuals: (Options: Hyper-realistic, Stylized/Anime, Cartoonish, Clearly robotic)
      • Voice/Communication: (Options: Expert/Formal, Friendly/Casual, Witty/Sarcastic, Soothing/ASMR, Text-only)
      • Behavior: (Options: Posts a mix of personal life and ads, Only posts about products, Interacts with followers in comments, Acknowledges they are an AI in conversations)
      • Ethics/Disclosure: (Options: Disclosure in bio only, #ad hashtag on sponsored posts, Verbal statement in videos, An on-screen watermark)

  • Part 3: Prioritizing Features (KANO Questioning)

    • Purpose: To systematically categorize the attributes from Part 2 to understand their impact on satisfaction.
    • Core Questions: For key attributes they chose (and some they didn't), ask the two classic KANO questions:
      1. "How would you feel if the virtual influencer did [have this attribute]?" (e.g., "...did have a perfectly photorealistic appearance?")
      2. "How would you feel if the virtual influencer did not have [this attribute]?"
         • (Provide a scale for answers: 1. I like it, 2. I expect it, 3. I am neutral, 4. I can live with it, 5. I dislike it.)
         • Analysis Purpose: These paired questions will allow you to precisely map each attribute to the KANO categories (Must-be, Performance, Attractive, etc.).

Part 2: Information Analysis (Achieving the Final Output)

After collecting the data, you will analyze it in a structured way to generate your final deliverable: A Playbook of Design Principles for Trustworthy Virtual Influencers.

• Step 1: Define the "Jobs-to-be-Done."

  • Analyze the transcripts from Part 1 of the workshop. Cluster the user stories and motivations into 3-5 core "Jobs."
  • How-to: Look for recurring themes like "Help me see how a product fits into a real lifestyle," "Give me honest pros and cons," "Entertain me with creativity," and "Make me feel part of a community."

• Step 2: Map the KANO Categories.

  • Tally the answers from Part 3 of the workshop using a KANO evaluation table. This will translate the paired answers into categories.
  • How-to: For each attribute (e.g., "Verbal disclosure"), you'll determine if the audience perceives it as a Must-be (its absence causes dissatisfaction), a Performance attribute (more is better), or an Attractive one (a delightful surprise). The data will likely show that attributes like clear disclosure are 'Must-bes'.

• Step 3: Synthesize JTBD and KANO into Actionable Design Principles.

  • This is the most critical step. You will create your design principles by connecting the "what" (KANO) with the "why" (JTBD).
  • How-to: Structure your principles by category (Visuals, Voice, Behavior, Ethics). For each principle, explain how it helps fulfill a core "Job."
    • Must-be attributes from your KANO analysis will form your Foundational Principles & Ethical Guardrails.
    • Performance attributes will become your Optimization Principles.
    • Attractive attributes will become your Differentiation & Delight Principles.

• Step 4: Structure the Final Deliverable.

  • Organize your findings into an actionable playbook for a brand or marketing manager.
  • How-to: The playbook should have a clear structure:
    1. The Core Trust Framework: Start by defining the 3-5 "Jobs" a trustworthy virtual influencer must perform for the audience.
    2. The Design Principles: List the principles for each category.
       • Example Principle (Hypothetical):
         • Principle: "Leverage artificiality for creative transparency."
         • Category: Behavior/Ethics.
         • KANO Type: Attractive.
         • JTBD Fulfilled: "Entertain me with creativity."
         • Guideline: Instead of hiding the AI nature, use it for unique content impossible for humans (e.g., instantly changing hair color based on a live poll). This turns a potential weakness into a delightful strength and builds trust through transparency.
    3. The "Red Lines" (Reverse Attributes): Clearly list the attributes that actively destroy trust, based on your KANO analysis (e.g., "Pretending to have human physical experiences like tasting or smelling").
    4. A Simple Application Matrix: A one-page guide helping a manager decide which principles (e.g., "Expert Tone" vs. "Friendly Tone") are most relevant based on their brand archetype (e.g., Luxury vs. Mass-market).

Summary of Interviews on Designing Trustworthy Virtual Influencers (VIs)

These interviews, spanning diverse perspectives from marketing professionals, tech entrepreneurs, Gen Z consumers, digital media students, to cybersecurity experts, collectively shed light on how virtual influencers can build trust in brand partnerships and product marketing. The overriding themes emphasize transparency, authenticity aligned with AI capabilities, and ethical communication while avoiding deceptive human mimicry.

1. Transparency and Disclosure as the Core Foundation of Trust

All interviewees stress that absolute, proactive transparency about the VI’s AI nature is non-negotiable. This includes:

• Prominent, frequent AI disclosure via bios, verbal acknowledgments, visual cues (e.g., subtle digital effects), and metadata tagging.
• Clear, prominent sponsored content disclosure with hashtags (#ad, #sponsored, #AIPartner) and verbal/on-screen alerts.
• Open acknowledgment that VIs cannot physically experience products but rely on data, analysis, or human-backed input.

This transparency fosters trust by preventing deception and aligns with Gen Z’s and Millennials’ savvy in detecting inauthenticity.

2. Embracing AI Identity and Strengths Over Mimicking Humans

A recurring theme is that VIs should not try to simulate being human, nor claim personal experiences such as “feeling,” “tasting,” or “using” products. Such acts create a "credibility gap" and are described as "creepy," "deceptive," and "instant trust-killers." Instead:

• VIs should lean into their digital identity, positioning themselves as knowledgeable, data-driven experts or guides.
• Utilizing virtual capabilities—like instant data synthesis, product demos on diverse human models, or dynamic visual product trials—enhances credibility and engagement.
• Tone and behavior should reflect clear, confident expertise without human emotional flaws, empathy, or personal anecdotes.

3. Visual Design: Stylized, Distinctly Digital, and Functional

Interviewees agree hyper-realistic visuals are risky due to the uncanny valley effect, causing discomfort and distrust. The preferred visual style includes:

• Clearly stylized, appealing designs that signal artificiality proudly rather than attempt to deceive.
• Visual cues such as subtle glows, unique textures, digital watermarking, or futuristic UI elements to reinforce their AI identity.
• Designs that enable creative product demonstrations (e.g., morphing skin tones, changing hair instantly).

4. Communication Style: Articulate, Data-Driven, and Engaging

• VIs should maintain a consistent, professional, yet friendly and accessible tone that reflects their persona.
• Communication should be concise, authoritative, and supported by data or credible sources.
• They should avoid human speech fillers or feigning deep emotions but can use subtle humor or self-aware references to their AI nature.
• Interactivity is essential: prompt and personalized responses, Q&A capabilities, and community engagement boost trust.

5. Behavior and Role: Educators, Demonstrators, and Ethical Facilitators

• VIs should act as knowledgeable educators providing insightful, comparative product information, focusing on problem-solving and tangible value.
• Avoid overly promotional or indiscriminate advertising; maintain consistent brand alignment and ethical boundaries.
• Community interaction (polls, replies, virtual events) is encouraged to build rapport without feigning human vulnerability.
• Fully transparent AI and sponsorship disclosures should accompany every interaction.

6. User and Expert Perspectives Highlighted Tensions

• Marketers and Creators focus on balancing innovation with ethical storytelling and audience connection.
• Gen Z users prioritize authenticity, “vibe,” and clear cues against deception.
• Cybersecurity and ethical experts emphasize radical transparency and reject any semblance of simulated human emotion or experience, viewing VIs as tools for data-driven recommendations, not personas to be trusted emotionally.

Conclusion

Trustworthy virtual influencers must reject illusions of humanity and instead fully embrace and communicate their AI nature. The key to trust lies in radical transparency, consistent ethical behavior, stylized yet distinctively digital appearances, expert yet approachable communication, and responsible brand partnerships. By positioning themselves as knowledgeable AI guides—not faux human friends—virtual influencers can authentically engage modern, savvy audiences while navigating the fine line between innovative and "creepy."

Word count: Approximately 480 words

Summary of Interview Insights on Designing Trustworthy Virtual Influencers

This synthesis draws from interviews with five professionals—a secondary school teacher, content creators, and brand strategists—each providing rich perspectives on trust, ethics, and transparency in the use of virtual influencers (VIs) for brand partnerships and product marketing.

1. Transparency and Disclosure

Across all interviews, transparency emerged as the fundamental bedrock of trust. Interviewees emphasized that disclosure about the AI nature of virtual influencers must be:

• Unambiguous, prominent, and pervasive: Disclosures should be immediately visible and repeated every time the virtual influencer appears, as audiences often consume content quickly and piecemeal.
• Multimodal: Including clear visual markers (e.g., “AI Generated” overlays, watermarks, badges) on all visuals, explicit textual statements at the top or bottom of captions, and verbal disclosures at the start of video/audio content.
• Distinct for Sponsored Content: An additional, clearly visible layer (e.g., “Paid Partnership with Brand”) that explicitly calls out commercial ties, avoiding any pretense of organic endorsement.

Sophia Rodriguez highlighted disclosure as part of the VI’s persona—turning their digital nature into a unique, self-aware strength rather than a concealed trait.

Some interviews (e.g., Maya Chen) called for platform-level mandates standardizing AI disclosures to prevent subtle or buried notices that fail to inform users properly.

2. Ethical Boundaries

All experts converged on clear ethical omissions:

• Avoid promotion of products/services requiring genuine human experience or professional expertise. These include:

  • Health, medical, and wellness products (pharmaceuticals, supplements making strong efficacy claims).
  • Financial services and investments.
  • Sensory-dependent products (food, beverages, perfumes, skincare, apparel demanding tactile or taste experience).
  • Products or messages targeting vulnerable groups or involving weight-loss, beauty ideals, addictive substances, or political/social advocacy.
  • Deeply personal/emotional domains such as parenting, relationships, or mental health counseling.

• Prohibited Claims:

  • No expressions of personal use, emotion, preference, or sensory experience (“I love this coffee,” “This cream feels amazing”).
  • No unrealistic or unsubstantiated product efficacy claims.
  • No testimonials mimicking human experience.
  • Avoid medical, financial, or legal advice.

The consensus is that virtual influencers cannot authentically endorse subjective experiences, and any attempt at such is deceptive and erodes trust.

3. Role and Function: From Endorser to Curator/Informer

Rather than personal advocates, virtual influencers should serve as knowledge curators and facilitators, performing tasks such as:

• Aggregating, summarizing, and transparently sourcing genuine human reviews and expert analyses.
• Presenting objective, fact-based product information: ingredients, features, specifications, sustainability metrics.
• Offering comparative data and highlighting both pros and cons based on real user feedback.
• Facilitating human community feedback by encouraging user-generated content (UGC) and authentic discussion.
• Demonstrating products with clear disclaimers if simulations or visual demonstrations are used.

This shift repositions the VI as a data-driven information assistant, helping consumers make informed decisions rather than pretending to have human-like preferences.

4. Trust-Building Practices

Interviewees agreed on several trust-enabling behaviors:

• Radical and consistent transparency: Always disclose AI nature and brand sponsorship clearly.
• Acknowledging AI limitations openly; embracing their artificiality creatively and self-awarely rather than mimicking flawed human traits.
• Integrating human elements:
  • Collaborate with human experts and influencers for authentic testimonials and deeper narrative.
  • Showcase “behind-the-scenes” human teams responsible for development and content.
  • Host live Q&A with real humans for nuanced interactions.
  • Highlight the ethical criteria for brand partnerships to reflect shared values.
• Focus on education and empowerment: Use AI’s strengths in data synthesis and analysis to provide deep, comparative, and ethical insights, avoiding hype and manipulation.

James and Sophia emphasized that a trustworthy VI behaves like an unbiased research assistant or critical guide rather than a synthetic “friend” or personal recommender.

5. Philosophical and Practical Reflections

• Virtual influencers should lean into what they are—digital, artificial, data-driven entities—not masquerade as human beings.
• Human connection remains irreplaceable; virtual influencers should complement, not replace, genuine human experiences and storytelling.
• Ethical design requires respecting consumer intelligence and autonomy, preventing manipulative marketing tactics.
• Transparency is not just regulatory compliance; it is the foundation of all genuine consumer trust and long-term relationship building.

Conclusion

This collective insight presents a clear roadmap for designing trustworthy virtual influencers:

• Full and frequent disclosure of AI nature and commercial interests.
• Strict ethical exclusions on products and claims demanding human experience or posing high stakes.
• Function as transparent curators and informed facilitators of human voices and data.
• Human-AI collaboration and visible human stewardship to maintain authenticity and emotional depth.
• A focus on education, empowerment, and consumer respect rather than persuasion alone.

When executed with integrity and care, virtual influencers can become valuable, credible informational tools enhancing brand narratives without misleading or eroding consumer trust.

The interviews with five diverse experts and stakeholders—Maya Greene (marketing specialist), Nova Vibe (digital media student), a Gen Z gamer, Alex CreatorGen Lee (tech entrepreneur), and Chloe (beauty brand marketing manager)—reveal a coherent set of principles for designing trustworthy virtual influencers (VIs) in the context of brand partnerships and product marketing. Together, these insights map out how VIs can overcome inherent challenges related to authenticity, credibility, and audience trust by leveraging their unique digital nature rather than imitating humans.

Core Challenges and the "Credibility Gap"

A unanimous concern across interviews is the fundamental "credibility gap" created by VIs’ inability to genuinely experience products (e.g., physically using skincare or tasting food). Pretending to have human sensations or emotions—commonly seen as "fake" or "creepy"—is identified as an immediate trust breaker. Instead of simulating human flaws, emotional vulnerability, or physical experiences, VIs must own their artificiality openly and avoid any illusion of being human.

Visual Design: Stylized Authenticity Over Hyper-Realism

All interviewees agree that hyper-realistic VIs often trigger the unsettling "uncanny valley" effect, leading to mistrust. The recommended approach favors:

• Stylized realism or distinct artistic design: Clear visual cues that signal digital origins (e.g., subtle glows, unique eye patterns, futuristic aesthetics).
• Consistent visual identity: Stable facial features, body type, styling, and quality of rendering to establish a recognizable and “real” persona over time.
• Incorporating “imperfections” or quirks deliberately to enhance relatability without mimicking human flaws inauthentically.
• Adaptability for product demonstrations: Leveraging digital capabilities like instant transformations, morphing textures, or “X-ray vision” to showcase products uniquely.

Voice and Communication: Engaging, Transparent Digital Guides

A natural, personable voice that fits the VI’s visual persona is essential. Key aspects include:

• Avoiding robotic monotones or exaggerated emotional acting.
• Using a clear, articulate, sometimes witty or casual tone that mirrors a knowledgeable, “cool friend” or expert.
• Consistently weaving AI transparency into communication—e.g., self-aware remarks like “As an AI, I can’t taste this, but data shows...”
• Storytelling focused on objective product benefits and human user experiences rather than personal anecdotes.
• Engaging with the audience through interactive features like polls, Q&As, or direct responses.

Behavior and Content Strategy: Transparent, Educative, and Value-Driven

Interviewees emphasize that VIs should serve as knowledgeable guides and product educators rather than pseudo-human friends. Core behavior traits include:

• Providing data-driven, human-validated insights rather than subjective personal endorsements.
• Curating and showcasing real user-generated content and reviews to ground recommendations in authentic human experience.
• Utilizing AI-specific strengths such as hyper-personalization, immersive digital product try-ons, and interactive demonstrations.
• Maintaining a consistent persona and digital lore to foster reliability.
• Avoiding forced “human mimicry” in content or behavior.
• Ensuring consistent, prominent disclosure of AI nature and sponsorships across all content types (visual, verbal, metadata).

Ethics and Transparency: The Non-Negotiable Foundations

Clear and frequent disclosure about the VI’s AI nature and sponsored content is universally recognized as essential:

• Use explicit bio statements, on-screen labels, hashtags (#ad, #sponsored, #AIInfluencer), and vocal cues.
• Transparency should go beyond minimal legal compliance—over-disclosure builds trust.
• Embracing the AI identity openly frames VIs not as deceptive human replacements but as distinct digital entities with unique advantages.
• Ethical guardrails prohibit misleading content, unsubstantiated claims, or faking human experiences.

Summary

Trustworthy virtual influencers are best designed as transparent, stylized digital entities who leverage their artificial intelligence for knowledge, creativity, and interactive engagement, rather than attempting to pass as humans. Their visual design should balance aesthetic appeal with clear digital cues, their voice should be clear and personable without robotic affectations, and their behavior should emphasize consistent, data-backed product education and genuine interaction. Crucially, there must be unambiguous, proactive transparency about their AI nature and brand partnerships.

This combination of authenticity through transparency, stylized yet consistent design, educational value, and ethical clarity provides a roadmap for virtual influencers to build genuine trust with savvy, authenticity-demanding audiences—especially Gen Z and Millennial consumers.

Key Quote Synthesis:

• Maya Greene: “It’s about creating a unique visual language that says, ‘I’m not trying to fool you, I’m here to connect with you in a different way.’”
• Nova Vibe: “Transparency is the absolute bare minimum, no cap.”
• Gen Z Gamer: “Embrace their AI superpowers... instead of trying to hide their AI nature, they should use it.”
• Alex CreatorGen Lee: “Proactive and consistent disclosure: every piece of content should clearly and consistently disclose their AI nature.”
• Chloe: “Transparency isn’t just about avoiding legal trouble; it’s about building a foundation of trust with an audience that values honesty above almost everything else.”

This synthesis provides clear design and ethical guidelines for brands and creators aiming to develop virtual influencers who can authentically represent products and maintain high levels of consumer trust in the evolving digital marketing landscape.