BeReal seems to be a rising star in the social media landscape. Having 3.3 million downloads globally in Q1 of this year, a 390% jump from Q4 of 2021, and having reached number 1 on Apple’s App Store last month (July 25th, 2022), if it’s not already – it should be on your radar as a marketer.
The Concept
The best way to understand BeReal is to think of it like an ‘anti-Instagram’, and its rise in popularity comes off the back of criticism against Instagram for its move to a video-first platform with a default engagement-based feed.
Where Instagram images are curated, endlessly edited, and carefully posed – creating the illusion of a perfect life where everyone is either on holiday or out at a hot new restaurant – BeReal sends users a notification to post at a randomised time during the day. Users take a photo as soon as the notification comes through (or as close to as possible – the app times how long it takes to respond to the notification) with both the front and back camera, to show what they’re actually doing with their day!
BeReal’s philosophy is ‘Your Friends for Real. A new and unique way to discover who your friends really are in their daily life.’ The concept has so far been a hit with rapidly increasing downloads this year. It’s yet to be seen if BeReal will be a passing trend or a platform that’s set to stay.
What About Brands
Currently, companies are not allowed to use BeReal to promote their business. From BeReal’s terms of service:
“Users must agree not to use BeReal for advertising or commercial purposes to publish or facilitate the transmission of advertising, commercial solicitations, spam, “chain letters”, “pyramid schemes” or to collect information, data or Content about other Users without their permission;”
Despite this some brands have hopped on the BeReal trend already. Chipotle has posted promo codes for free starters, and Trident, PacSun and Love Island have posted BeReal-stlye photos to Twitter.
Will BeReal be Able to Keep it Real?
We’ve seen the commercialisation of platforms such as Instagram where things started out in a similar fashion – friends sharing photos with friends – but then ended up being one of the most important places for brands to have a presence on the internet.
So, will BeReal be able to keep to their ‘Friends for Real’ philosophy?
Your content can be set to private (only seen by your friends) or you can allow it to be discoverable by other users. However, unlike platforms like TikTok or Instagram you cannot ‘follow’ other accounts without them accepting your friend request. In this sense the app is more like Snapchat.
This means that it could be difficult for influencers and brands to thrive on the app. Brands and businesses will not be able to build up a following like on the traditional channels Facebook, Instagram and even TikTok.
However, this doesn’t stop the app rolling out advertising. At present, advertising for brands in the app goes against their ethos and their service terms. But will the creators of BeReal be able to resist the enormous potential revenue of ads? It’s yet to be seen. With the rising popularity of the app it’s definitely a possibility.
In Short
Despite going against the app’s policies, a small number of brands are already getting creative to use BeReal. However, it’s unlikely that BeReal will reach the same level of commercialisation as platforms like Instagram as you cannot really ‘follow’ or engage with accounts.
So, as a brand do you need to worry about BeReal? The answer is not yet.
If the app continues to rise in popularity, as we’ve seen with other platforms, there’s a high chance there will be advertising. Although, as of right now that isn’t the case.
What do you think of BeReal? Do you think the owners will be able to resist that ad revenue? If you’re interested in all things social media marketing follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, or get in touch to discuss your social strategy.
