Synthetic Users in More Industries
Synthetic Users in Marketing & AdTech
by Sherry Jones (September 2025)
Synthetic users are AI-driven digital personas that emulate real customers' behavior, preferences, and decision-making. These virtual users are built from real data and generative AI models to simulate human reactions in various situations.
Market Research Revolution with AI Personas
Marketing professionals are using synthetic users to augment traditional market research methods. Instead of recruiting human participants for every study, firms can generate synthetic respondents that mirror target demographics and ask them questions about products, ads, or user experience.
The Advertising Research Foundation found that ChatGPT-4's answers closely matched real survey results. In one case, its estimates of Americans' trust in police and media were consistent with three years of actual survey data.
76%
Real Respondents
Gave top rating in MilkPEP concept test
75%
Synthetic Respondents
Matched real consumer responses closely
50%
Time Savings
Faster insights at one-third the cost
Delve AI Market Research with Synthetic Users in Action
Delve.ai uses AI and synthetic users to conduct AI market research for companies.
Ad Campaign Testing with Synthetic Audiences
Marketing teams are using synthetic users to simulate audience reactions to advertising before launching costly campaigns. These "synthetic audiences" act as stand-ins for target consumer segments, allowing rapid testing of ad creative, messaging, and customer journeys in a risk-free environment.
U.S. Bank Case Study
Built five AI-modeled audience personas representing key segments like young professionals and mid-career parents. Teams could ask these audiences questions via chat interface, essentially creating virtual focus groups.
90-95% Overlap
When validated with traditional surveys, synthetic and real audience insights showed remarkable consistency, giving confidence to iterate creative concepts faster.
Sensitive Topics
AI personas could discuss topics like couple finances that real participants might feel uneasy about, leveraging anonymity for candid insights.
AI-Driven Persona Development
Traditional personas are static profiles based on surveys. Synthetic personas are "alive" – you can chat with them and see them make decisions. This dynamic quality allows companies to build nuanced, data-rich personas that sharpen customer understanding.
Companies feed years of customer data into generative models to create digital twins of typical customer segments. These avatars reflect current state of mind rather than just past actions.
01
Data Integration
Feed customer data including demographics, purchase history, support chats, and social media behavior into AI models
02
Persona Creation
Generate interactive digital twins that can answer questions about preferences, reactions, and decision-making
03
Continuous Updates
Personas evolve with new data, reflecting current customer mindset and behaviors
04
Micro-Segmentation
Identify unique drivers beyond demographics for precise targeting and personalization
Product Development Simulation
Companies employ synthetic users to simulate customer reactions during product development. This helps answer questions like "If we build feature X, will our target users find it valuable?" early in the innovation process.
Concept Testing
Test new product concepts and pricing schemes with AI-modeled customers to predict uptake before development
Virtual A/B Testing
Deploy synthetic users to interact with prototype interfaces, highlighting confusion points or churn triggers
Predictive Metrics
Forecast Net Promoter Score and satisfaction impacts when implementing changes like faster delivery or new fees
"One major telecom provider used synthetic customers to plan a budget mobile plan launch, testing various feature bundles virtually before real customer validation."
Training and Customer Experience Simulation
Employee Training
Organizations deploy synthetic users for frontline employee training. Call centers use AI personas that emulate difficult customers, letting staff practice handling realistic interactions in low-risk settings.
Sales trainees can repeatedly pitch to skeptical AI customer personas, learning to refine their approach through consistent yet varied scenarios.
CX Optimization
Companies simulate entire customer journeys using swarms of synthetic users. These AI agents navigate websites, contact support, and flag pain points much like real users might.
Google and Amazon internally use AI models as synthetic users to test interface changes, ensuring updates don't degrade user experience.
Call Center Training
AI customers express frustration, ask difficult questions, and go off-script, requiring trainees to think on their feet
Website Testing
Synthetic users navigate sites and identify UX issues proactively, improving customer experience
Empathy Building
Practice with AI-driven customers helps employees build empathy and skills before facing live customers
Privacy-Compliant Ad Targeting
As browsers tighten tracking and privacy regulations require opt-ins, marketers often lack full data on user behavior. Synthetic users offer a solution by using AI to predict and fill gaps when real user data is missing.
1
Data Loss Problem
Cookie banners and privacy laws create blind spots in conversion funnels when users decline tracking
2
AI Prediction
Machine learning creates virtual user profiles that statistically resemble hidden user behaviors
3
Synthetic Events
Generate privacy-compliant synthetic conversions with no personal identifiers for ad platforms
4
Performance Boost
Campaigns achieve 24-25% higher ROAS with complete data feeding optimization algorithms

Pixum Success Story: Recovered 97% of conversions lost due to cookie consent issues, enabling full audience activation on ad platforms while maintaining privacy compliance.
Virtual Influencers and Digital Brand Personas
AI-powered virtual influencers are entirely fictional characters that amass real social media followings and promote brands. These synthetic personas simulate human spokespersons for marketing campaigns.
Lil Miquela, created in 2016, now has over 2.6 million Instagram followers and has partnered with luxury brands including Prada, Samsung, and Louis Vuitton to reach tech-savvy audiences.
Companies like KFC and Toyota have experimented with virtual brand ambassadors, while some human influencers are creating AI clones for one-on-one fan interactions.
The Economics of AI Influencers in 2025
The financial success of virtual influencers is rapidly growing, with some top AI personalities commanding massive earnings comparable to their human counterparts. These digital entities are proving to be highly lucrative for brands and their creators.
Lu of Magalu
Highest earner at $2.5 million annually with 7.1M followers.
Nobody Sausage
Earning $33,880 per sponsored post with 22.1M TikTok followers and 8M Instagram followers.
Janky & Guggimon
Leading TikTok with 11.6M followers and securing Prime Video deals.
Barbie
With 3.5M followers, earning $15,400 per sponsored post.
Lil Miquela
Boasting 2.5M followers and collaborating with luxury brands.
Virtual influencers offer unique advantages that contribute to their economic viability and appeal to brands:
Consistent Brand Messaging
They offer consistent brand messaging without scandals or controversies.
24/7 Availability
Always available for content creation, photo shoots, and interactive engagement.
Cost-Effective
Often more cost-effective compared to human influencers in the long run.
Higher Engagement Rates
Achieve higher engagement rates in some cases due to their novelty and targeted appeal.
"Most [celebrities] aren't any more real than Guggimon" - Paul Budnitz, Superplastic founder
AI Influencer Showcase: From Realistic to Fantastical
The world of AI influencers is a vibrant canvas for creativity, allowing brands to explore a spectrum of virtual personalities. These digital beings range from incredibly photorealistic models, almost indistinguishable from humans, to highly stylized animated characters with unique and often fantastical designs.
Beyond the already prominent figures, we see a growing number of AI influencers like Imma, a pink-haired fashion model from Japan, or Knox Frost, a male AI influencer focusing on youth and finance. Brands are actively experimenting with these diverse virtual types to resonate with specific demographics and campaign goals. Luxury brands might opt for sophisticated, photorealistic AI models to embody elegance, while youth-oriented brands might gravitate towards quirky, animated personas that exude playfulness and relatability.
The Impact and Future of Synthetic Users
90%
Insight Accuracy
Overlap between synthetic and real audience feedback in validation studies
50%
Time Reduction
Faster research cycles compared to traditional methods
25%
ROAS Increase
Performance boost from privacy-compliant synthetic user tracking
Synthetic users are moving from novelty to mainstream adoption across marketing and AdTech. U.S. companies report faster research cycles, improved ad performance, and deeper customer understanding by embracing AI-driven consumers.
The technology enables testing bold ideas swiftly, training teams with realistic simulations, and reaching audiences in innovative ways – all at lower cost with unprecedented scalability. However, experts emphasize that synthetic users complement rather than replace real customer insights.
Enhanced Speed
Rapid iteration on marketing concepts and campaign testing without waiting for human recruitment
Cost Efficiency
Significant reduction in research costs while maintaining insight quality and reliability
Privacy Compliance
Maintain robust analytics and targeting in the post-cookie era while respecting user consent
Conclusion: The Future of Marketing Intelligence
From behind-the-scenes analysts to public-facing brand ambassadors, synthetic users are increasingly woven into modern marketing fabric. They enable companies to uncover deeper truths while saving time and cost, often achieving similar results in half the time at one-third the expense.
Market Research
AI personas provide quick insights between real-user studies
Ad Testing
Synthetic audiences predict campaign performance across segments
Persona Development
Dynamic customer twins enable deeper understanding
Product Innovation
Virtual testing accelerates development cycles
Privacy Solutions
Compliant data augmentation maintains targeting effectiveness
Virtual Influencers
AI brand ambassadors engage real audiences
"The best results come when marketers use synthetic users as an enhancement tool – leveraging their speed and scale but always cross-checking with genuine human feedback and judgment."
As of 2025, synthetic users are moving from novelty to mainstream adoption. The marketing toolbox has expanded to include sophisticated new "users" that, while not flesh and blood, prove surprisingly effective at unlocking personalized, responsive, and imaginative marketing strategies.
References
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