Axios C-Suite: Why Lu do Magalu is an influencer you should know

Axios C-Suite: Why Lu do Magalu is an influencer you should know

Data: Axios research; Image: Magazine Luiza; Chart: Axios Visuals

A made-up woman is the most effective marketer at one of Brazil's largest big-box retailers.

  • Lu do Magalu (Lu from Magalu, shorthand for Magazine Luíza) started in 2003 as a virtual shopping assistant for the brand — a replacement for Magalu's in-store salespeople as the company moved online — and built trust over decades by being genuinely useful.

    • Why you should care: Lu showcases the possibilities of owning your own trusted brand voice, rather than throwing cash at human influencers with their own shifting audiences and prices.

    By the numbers: As the world's most followed non-human influencer, she pulls in an estimated $2.5M every year in sponsored posts.

  • When she appeared in music videos with some of Brazil's most popular artists, the outfits she wore sold out on Magalu's app.

    • The big picture: She's leading a market that's real and growing fast.

  • Grand View Research said the virtual influencer market was worth $6B in 2024 — and projected it to hit $46B by 2030.

    • The bottom line: Most Americans have no idea who Lu is — and that's the point. She provides the template for what a non-human brand ambassador might look like in the AI era.

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