Ok, then we may need to reconsider things. What do you suggest should be possible, beyond the normal operation of the plugin? And what would prevent users to create their own characters, based on our voices? Genuine questions here, I'm really not that familiar with this scene.
What makes a vocal synth popular has been hotly debated for years. Something that might help you greatly is checking out the wikia's database of Vocaloids. You can view their characters/lack of characters and get some information on the product's popularity. The wikia doesn't have every detail, but it's the best place to start if you want an overview of the 10 years of vocal synth marketing we've seen.
Some Vocaloids have a whole backstory, even short animated videos to give them extra character. Others leave it entirely up to the users to decide what their personality will be. Some offer maximum creative freedom with no character at all, whereas others give producers something intended to inspire them. Some characters are drawn in a mature style, whereas others are humorous, whimsical or cartoony.
Here is a list of mascots, click on the Vocaloid's name for information on their marketing.
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In general, this is very a difficult question, because so many factors can influence a product's popularity, such as timing, advertising and the culture of the country it's sold to.
Some key examples from the history of Vocaloid:
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Miku Hatsune is incredibly popular in Japan. However, many other Japanese Vocaloids have since used the same marketing tactics, and been unsuccessful because of increased competition. Crypton has also attempted to make Miku popular in English speaking countries. She has a solid fanbase, but was never the sensation she was in Japan. The idea of buying software with an anime teenager on it didn't work for Western audiences.
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IA is an example of a Japanese Vocaloid that managed to become popular in spite of competition. IA had the combination of a very well-received design, voice, popular voice actor, marketing after her release and being picked up by very popular music producers.
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Mayu is an example of a Vocaloid that didn't become popular despite having a strong character and lots of commissioned songs from well-known producers. She was marketed heavily, but failed to make an impact. Her voice wasn't enough to convince producers to stray from the products they preferred.
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Avanna was quite successful with Western producers, topping Zero-G's sales charts for some time. She has also often been used by producers who are not part of the Vocaloid community. Although she wasn't a break through hit like Miku, her success with professionals may be something to investigate.
- Poorly received character designs can hurt a Vocaloid.
ZOLA used famous illustrator, Yoshitaka Amano for their boxart. However, the unusual style was poorly received by the community, and may have negatively effected their popularity.
Sonika,
Clara and
Bruno all had beta designs which had to be altered due to backlash.
In particular, English vocal synths have a history of missing the mark with their characters. It's tricky to say what is needed in a good design, because we have never had a release that wasn't polarising. I think characters have a place in the Western community, but it may take some experimentation before we find what is needed to bring more people in.