Do you remember Sam? Samsung's virtual influencer whose purpose was unknown until she launched her own blog earlier this year? Only for said blog to lack any content updates post-launch? Well, after a few months of falling off the radar, Sam stepped back into the spotlight. And according to Samsung, the virtual influencer was instrumental in improving early sales of the Galaxy Z Flip 5, Z Fold 5, Galaxy Watch 6, and Tab S9 in Latin America.
Sam was “present” during Samsung's live streams organized in Brazil Mexico, Panama, Chile, Peru, and Argentina. The virtual assistant covered the Galaxy Unpacked event from Seoul on Samsung's Live webpage, where the company lets viewers purchase new products as they watch Galaxy-themed live streams.
In Colombia, Sam hit the stage at the “Flip & Fold Music Fest” after Galaxy Unpacked. The music festival was held at the Movistar Arena in Bogota for roughly 7,000 attendees.
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There are real people behind Sam's digital appearance
Although Sam is designed to look like an intelligent, autonomous virtual avatar with influencer capabilities, the truth is that the technologies Samsung uses to bring Sam to life are relatively archaic.
Samsung was able to showcase Sam live through motion capture and voice acting. There are real people behind the face of Sam, working to bring this virtual avatar to life. In other words, Sam is not an independent AI with incredible cognitive functions. It's closer to a souped-up camera filter powered by motion capture and voiceovers than that.
Why does Samsung keep betting on Sam's abilities as an influencer for the modern era, at least in Latin America? Well, according to the company, Sam's positive comments during Samsung Live in Mexico increased sales (via the Live portal) by 30%. It seems like whenever Sam is on the screen, people are more willing to buy Galaxy products online.
Samsung will probably keep bringing Sam to the virtual stage for future events as long as she can positively impact sales. But for now, Sam's participation appears to be paying off only in Latin America.
Image credit: Samsung
