BeReal combines nostalgia for social apps that came before with an anxiety about the world those apps created.
While it’s impossible to predict how big it will become or how long it will last, BeReal is generating genuine excitement 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 several ways that investing in a BeReal presence could benefit businesses.
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-time promo code on the app, which gave the first 100 users of the code a free meal. It’s a clever use of BeReal’s limited-time content, and it could be refreshing for consumers to interact with brands on a platform that hasn’t yet become overrun 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, consider why your brand wants to join BeReal: if it’s just to be part of the hype, it’s probably not worth it. If you want to win the hearts of consumers born after 1997 and you and your team are capable of producing fun, agile content without too many people in upper management looking over your shoulder, go for it.
