With enough social media apps to kill your precious time in the day, it’s natural to feel hesitant with another new app to download, use and keep up with. Not forgetting last year’s flop of the highly anticipated Clubhouse. However, BeReal has caught much more heat than previous social media aps, already jumping up the app charts (315% increase in downloads this year alone).
Is BeReal the next platform for luxury brands to use and promote their products and services?
We tasked our New Business Manager, Amber, to give BeReal a go. Here are her findings:
What is BeReal?
BeReal is a social media app that asks users to post unfiltered photos of themselves once a day. It’s meant to encourage people to be more authentic, instead of trying to present their best selves.
The picture-based app breaks down social media’s obsession with perfectionism. It is rewriting the rules on posting content in a unique way to discover who your friends really are in their daily life.
How does BeReal work?
The format is similar to Snapchat, but there’s no editing, and no retakes (if you do, the app will warn other users, flagging exactly how many re-takes it took).
The app prompts you at random times of the day to take a quick snap using both your front and back camera simultaneously, posting within a two-minute window of the notification to allow friends to see what you’re doing in real-time.
If you post outside of the allocated two minutes (therefore allowing time for editing or a quick tidy up of your surroundings), users will be notified the post was edited or it was posted outside the 2-minute window.
If you don’t post a BeReal when notified (or after notification) then you’re unable to see your friends’ posts too. If you decide to delete your BeReal on the day, all content becomes locked again.
Does BeReal pose an opportunity for brands?
There’s an opportunity for luxury brands to make space here. While the app is designed to be consumer first, you can’t help but wonder which brand is going to be brave enough to enter the BeReal universe first.
BeReal could help a luxury brand build their personality and online presence. Posting behind the scenes snapshots from meetings, shoots, or everyday office life can help customers view the brand in a different light and build community and customer loyalty – especially within Gen Z communities. However, there is the challenge that for some luxury brands wanting to maintain their prestige and allure this might not be very attainable or approachable for them.
Where we feel this space will really grow is for Influencer collaborations. Influencers must be ready to monetise the two minutes they have, as this seems like the most obvious path for brands to take. Working on the same old formula we know, but slightly re-invented… making the daily cup of “grind” coffee, applying the first touch of “hourglass” mascara, yoga ready in “girlfriend collective”… you get the jist.
While BeReal is still unknown to many, it has shown us that there are audiences who are responding positively to an unfiltered content approach. The space remains open, and as a luxury digital marketing agency specialising in social media and creative services, we are here to offer fresh ways of thinking and creating content across even the newer platforms and apps.
Why BeReal works?
BeReal seems to have an oddly compelling formula that’s catching momentum. Organic, authentic and skewed to a younger audience who are reaching peak social saturation are all indicators of success. If it succeeds, it marks another obstacle in how brands operate in younger skewed social spaces.
But, with that, there are more opportunities to become more creative in how luxury brands implement social media marketing. One thing is for sure though, community and authenticity continue to reign supreme.
Get in touch
Get in touch if you’re a brand and want to understand more about what BeReal could offer you, or if you would like to explore how we could support your social media strategy. We’d love to hear from you.
