Creative constraints + Instagram angst = success
BeReal combines nostalgia for social apps that came before with an anxiety about the world those apps created.
While it’s impossible to say how big it could grow or how long it will last for the moment, BeReal is generating legitimate enthusiasm among TikTokers, Twitter addicts, and college students.
How it works?
- Every day at a random time that varies by country, the app sends out a push notification — ⚠️ Time to BeReal. ⚠️
- Users have two minutes to take their pictures.
- The camera snaps a selfie and a rear-facing photo simultaneously, in a fashion reminiscent of the mid-2010s app Frontback.
- If you post after the two minutes expire, your photos are marked as “late”; you can’t view your friends’ posts unless you post first.
Should my brand join BeReal? To BeReal or Not To BeReal?
There are a number of ways investing in a BeReal presence could work out well for companies.
There are always brands whose content will resonate, no matter the platform. Mexican grill chain Chipotle is one such brand. They’ve won industry-wide recognition for their BeReal presence, with The Drum noting that Chipotle ran one of BeReal’s first ever brand activations.
Last month, they shared a limited-offer promo code on the app, providing the first 100 code-users with a free meal. It’s a smart way of making use of BeReal’s time-limited content and could be refreshing for consumers to interact with brands on a platform that hasn’t yet become deluged with influencers.
By definition, content on BeReal is hard to plan, which in some organizations will pose issues when it comes to necessary pre-approvals.
At the end of the day, it’s worth thinking about why your brand wants to join BeReal: if it’s just to join in the hype, it’s probably not worth it. If you’re aiming to capture the hearts of consumers born after 1997, and you and your team are capable of creating fun, agile content without too many people in upper management glancing over your shoulder, by all means give it a go.
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