What is this new platform and how is it being implemented?
Written by Anastasia Wong, Social Strategist at Mekanism.
Have you seen a Gen Z-er reach for their phone and scramble to take a selfie with the urgency of a four alarm fire lately? There could be a few reasons why, but it could very well have been because they were on a time crunch posed by a new social media platform, BeReal.
What is BeReal?
BeReal is a French social media/photo platform launched in December 2019. The app is designed for users to share their authentic lives with close friends.
How does it work?
BeReal sends a prompt at random time each day. You only have two minutes to respond to this prompt with a two-image collage that is captured from your front and back cameras. This year its monthly active users have grown 315% with 65% of its lifetime downloads taking place this calendar year.
Who’s using BeReal?
BeReal is attracting dedicated users in app (2.93M daily active users globally — April 2022). The majority of which are younger Gen Z users.This makes sense given BeReal kickstarted their launch with a campus ambassador program. Driven by word of mouth BeReal has made a name for itself as the “Anti-Instagram” promoting authenticity — “it’s life, Real life”.
Are brands leveraging the platform?
Currently, BeReal does not offer any pay-to-play advertising options. However, companies like Chipotle have recently done organic activations. Chipotle leaned into the platform’s ethos of transparency by sharing limited-offer reusable promo code on its BeReal posts. The first 100 consumers for four days to use the code online or on the Chipotle app will be able to score a free entree.
Should your brand be active on BeReal?
Just because a platform exists, doesn’t mean you should plan to devote significant time and resources to building a presence. When identifying a new channel and analyzing its potential benefits, there are important considerations to be made.
- Audience: BeReal’s audience skews young. Having picked up 65% of its lifetime downloads this calendar year, BeReal is popular among Gen Z and college age individuals.
- Monetization: Has the platform already started placing ads or paying creators? When that time comes, will you be able/willing to adapt?
- Organic Content: Does your brand align with the type(s) of content being shared? BeReal’s focus is on authenticity, so brands need to be prepared to show themselves in ways customer’s can’t see anywhere else.
If your brand and social strategy can meet those three conditions, BeReal may be worth dedicating some time and effort. The key to success on this app will be transparency, consistency and creativity.
