Let’s ‘BeReal’ about how to build brand awareness and attract talent
By Account Director on the Financial Services team, Louise Veitch.
Depending on which side of the millennium you were born on, it is possible you will have had a different reaction to BeReal. But no matter the lap around the sun, you will at least know of the new viral app, and if you are a digital marketeer or business owner, age is just a number and BeReal is to be embraced.
The app which shares a notification with all users at a different time each day, asks you to take a photo (an automatic selfie and the view through your main phone camera) within two minutes of opening the social media platform. It’s designed to celebrate the mundane and everyday – but importantly – it peels away another layer into the personal lives of those you do and don’t know, and for whatever reason, we can’t get enough. Although the anti-instagram app launched in 2020, it has only gone viral in the last four weeks. Some will say the success can be attributed to their Series A funding last year, others that social media users have become tired of heavily edited snaps showcasing holidays or weddings all Summer. But maybe, just like Bebo, MySpace and Facebook before it, Instagram as a social media platform, is entering the winter of its popularity.
And while the premise to encourage users to ‘be real’ seems authentic for now, the app has all the foundations for being a legitimate digital marketing channel for businesses. Yes, it currently prohibits product promotion, which does limit scope. But even if this doesn’t become more flexible in the future, BeReal still has the potential to drive brand awareness for businesses or key spokespeople and recruit the next generation of talent. Brands have the opportunity to build their personality and online presence by posting behind the scenes shots of the inner workings of the business. This is key, because as a population, we are obsessed with celebrities and CEOs. And while Instagram gave us access to the curated images on their camera role, BeReal offers us an even deeper insight into the day to day lives of the people we don’t know, but really want to.
The non-believers out there are saying it’s a fad – so don’t dismiss your social media influencers just yet. However, do consider the benefits of building a profile on this app now, so you’re not showing up to the party much later – like you almost certainly did with tiktok.
