Ad-free photo-sharing app BeReal is the new “It” platform, and corporations are taking note. Social media users who resent the move away from friend connections (Think: Facebook and Instagram) are embracing BeReal’s emphasis on connecting with a close inner circle. BeReal users are positively responding to the raw appeal of an app that doesn’t allow time for curated content.
Though brands cannot buy ad space on BeReal or create business pages, some are getting creative in an effort to interact with followers on a lower, 1:1 level. Even international companies, like Chipotle and e.l.f. Beauty, have joined the platform with a checklist – determining how to make their presence known and whether intimate platforms like it could have long-term business potential.
Positioned to spontaneously capture arbitrary moments in time, BeReal is making a bid to connect friends over the everyday. The platform works like this: once a day, BeReal sends users a notification at random times, at which point people have two minutes to snap two photos simultaneously—one from their front camera, one from their back camera. While you can post late or retake a photo, if necessary, the real satisfaction of the app comes from being able to “do something” something with your friends.
Source: BeReal.
The excitement of making a spontaneous post within the timeframe adds a small accomplishment to your day. It’s considered by some to be an “antidote” to the heavily curated and polished images and stories commonly found on platforms such as Facebook and TikTok. BeReal uniquely leans into the idea of authenticity, a quality that Gen Z in particular prizes.
BeReal is currently (and determinedly) a no-ads zone, but some brands are embracing the platform anyway. They are responding to BeReal’s young community of users, and the fact that the app is gaining traction: as Business of Apps shares, it had been downloaded more than 67.2 million times as of October this year.
The novelty factor of being “one of the first” allows brands to join the community, test the application, and possibly build out a new audience, which can prove to be a valuable opportunity.
Source: Chipotle/BeReal
Chipotle, one of the first major brands to stake a claim in BeReal back in April 2022, gave companies a blueprint for how to create a presence. The fast-casual restaurant chain shared reusable promo codes for a week, for example, with the promise that the first 100 people to use the promo would snag a free entrée (as Candice Beck, Chipotle’s social director notes, the bid was successful: the codes were routinely redeemed in less than a minute). Chipotle also organized a stunt in which the brand’s social media team snapped BeReals in Times Square.
Source: e.l.f. Beauty/BeReal
Cosmetics brand e.l.f. Beauty, something of a trailblazer when it comes to innovative use of social media, was the first beauty brand to join BeReal. They use their account (@elfyeah) to give users an “inside look” at the company along with special discounts/freebies/specials to their BeReal audience as well.
Currently, both accounts are, as expected, maxed out on their friend limit. Everyone on the app is limited to the same maximum number of friends in order to keep the app tight-knit and the same rules apply to businesses, too. Users have the option to utilize “Discovery Mode” where post privacy settings can be revised from private to public. This allows brands to get creative and incorporate a digital strategy for their inner circle of BeReal friends or curate a post with the intention of getting global attention in an organic, public “campaign.”
At this point in time, there are no company verification checkmarks or business pages to tell a corporation apart from a normal user. The only method of verification is the company itself sharing its BeReal username and accepting your friend request (first come, first serve just like other users).
Source: TikTok
Other platforms are signaling that, at least for now, BeReal’s promise is more than a blip. TikTok, accustomed to being the blueprint for copycats, is now taking a turn at playing catchup: the app announced in September that its new offering, TikTok Now, would invite users to post spontaneous videos or pictures. Imitation being, presumably, the sincerest form of flattery, TikTok has even mimicked some verbiage. While BeReal’s push notification encourages that “It’s Time to BeReal,” TikTok exhorts users that it’s “Time to Now.” This proves TikTok’s willingness to adapt and make changes/options for users. Incorporating the BeReal style of quick, unpolished video posts into their platform fits TikTok’s brand.
Source: Vox
Think about when Instagram started stories for the first time to mimic Snapchat. It’s a concept and feature that made sense for the platform to add. While the decision had some questioning the redundant feature, it gave Instagram new life. Six months into adapting the feature, both apps had the same amount users daily and in less than a year, Instagram doubled Snapchat’s daily user activity.
There are benefits to paying extra attention to the newest apps and technology. Whether it’s knowing how to “play the game” or adding similar features to your own platform, as we learned from Instagram, the payoff can be rewarding.
While there are no guarantees that BeReal will be able to survive the long term in an increasingly crowded social app market (remember Clubhouse?), there are definitely benefits to being on the ground floor and testing if it works for your business.
How might brands engage with this new phenomenon and catch Gen Z’s attention? Whether you invest time in BeReal or one of its imitators, we recommend these tips:
Does BeReal have legs? It just might. Or it might be a fad. But if your brand wants to take a leap and explore less curated content, the app could be a powerful way to connect with a young, emergent demographic. We can help you figure out a social media strategy that is consistent with your brand’s goals and presence across the digital world – which is part of our holistic ConnectedContent approach. Contact us to learn more on how we can help you accomplish those goals.