Take a Break with BeReal on Social Media

Let’s get real on social media.

Social media users are tired of influencers with a million followers hocking skin care products. We want to see friends and families without being heavily influenced by others’ perfect-looking lives and money-driven product placement.

Gen Z, in particular, is asking to “make Instagram casual again.” TikTok has helped pave a way for over-produced media to be a thing of the past. People want to know about the mundane, not just the highlight reel.

Enter BeReal.

What is this app? You may be asking.

It found a hole in the market and wants to be the anti-Instagram. The goal is to create an alternative to addictive social networks. Users can only share one image a day, at a certain time of day and you can only be connected to a limited number of friends.

“Every day at a different time, everyone is notified simultaneously to capture and share a photo in 2 minutes. A new and unique way to discover who your friends really are in their daily life.”

• A photo-sharing app without filters created in France in 2020.
• #1 in the app store as of July 2022.
• Over 10 million daily active users as of August 2022.
• Gen Z is the primary audience.

Currently, many people are downloading their BeReal posts and resharing them to Instagram and Twitter.

Regardless of your personal beliefs about whether or not someone can ever be truly authentic through the internet, there are still ramifications for how brands can interact on emerging platforms.

Case studies.

Chipotle

• Uses the app to send out promo codes. 100 codes are usually redeemed in one minute.
• Chipotle’s director of social and influencer, Candice Beck says “the company plans to use BeReal to feature employees and in-house experiences not captured on their other social media accounts.”

Trident & Sour Patch Kids

• Announced a collaboration using BeReal.
• Posted the image to Twitter to let more users know.

A value add for brands.

BeReal can be a new place to post content that doesn’t fit onto other platforms.

A new way to connect with consumers

• Product launches
• Brand collaborations
• Behind the scenes
• Giveaways

What does this mean for marketers on social media?

Like every platform, there’s pros and cons for us marketing folks. Some pros include, posts are perceived as more authentic than on other apps, brand personification opportunities and there’s a chance ads will be integrated into the platform. Cons include, that it’s not necessarily spontaneous because users can post later than the 2-minute window so they are doing something interesting when they post, Gen Z can see through a lack of strategy from inauthentic brands and it is technically against app guidelines to use it for marketing and commercial purposes.

Industries that will thrive

Our current and future clients of various industries can use a platform like BeReal to help their brands.

Consumer goods & manufacturing

• BTS in factories, transportation, packaging, on shelves in-stores

Restaurants & bakeries

• How the food is made, work environment

Retail stores

• Try-ons, day-in-the-life of workers, new inventory

Home improvement

• Before and after, during project, supply hauls

Fitness

• BTS of classes, before and after, updates on new gym openings

What’s next?

TikTok and Instagram have released similar features in the past few weeks, meaning BeReal may be bought out or go away all together in the near future. All is not lost, though. The app served its purpose by pushing others to be more authentic online in general and it seems that sentiment is here to stay.

At iluminere, being on the cutting edge of technology matters to us. We pride ourselves on being subject matter experts and always want to continue to update our methods to give the best recommendations to our clients. If you’re interested in joining us on this ever-changing journey, drop us a line!

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