I had a recent training where I engaged 16 years old and thanks to them I was introduced to a new application called BeReal. It seems that this app is already buzzing amongst teens and was launched not so long ago, in 2019 by Alexis Barreyat, and since then has been growing in popularity.
I know whenever we are introduced to a new social media platform we tend to compare them to TikTok and Instagram. But watch out people, BeReal has now reached over 53 million worldwide downloads across the app store and Google Play. So, it is coming slowly but steadily into the social media scene. But, what makes it different and why should you care? Let me try to make it simple for you.
In BeReal the main motivator is for users to post authentic, unfiltered images every day showing exactly what they are doing in that real-time. If you forget to do that, the app will send you a notification reminding you that you should "BeReal". The app opens and gets a full picture of you and the trick is there is no time to edit your picture, add filters or text, and there is a time limit when taking the picture or the app will just take it and post it for you. If you take any more than 2 minutes to take your picture, your post will be marked as late. Unlike TikTok Now, you have only 2 minutes instead of 3...Scary.Right?
Like there is not enough thing to worry about with AI, ChatGPT, authenticity, and else, what should marketers do with BeReal? Gen Z is there and Gen Alpha is following too so for brands who wish to have a more humorous, informal voice, it could be the perfect way to demonstrate authenticity and understanding of their audience. Due to its brevity, it is impossible to go for editorial approvals so it would not work for big brands who program their content weeks in advance and have automation tools. So now the question is, will influencers go for it? According to CIM (Chartered Institute of Marketing), purpose and transparency will be key for marketing in 2023, and BeReal allows for both of these. Therefore in my humble opinion, BeReal if it is managed well has a good future ahead. Let's wait and see.