MAU soared by 2254%, and the global generation Z is pouring into BeReal, is there a new opportunity for brand marketing?

According to SensorTower data, the Gen Z social media BeReal has more than 53 million global installations since January this year, and the number of monthly active users has soared by 2,254%.

Why is this app that encourages people to "BeReal" as its name suggests, and can brands discover new marketing opportunities in it? Today's article we will discuss together.

Meet BeReal

Born in 2020, BeReal is a social media app from France. Founders Alexis Barrayet and Kevin Perreau said the premise behind creating the app was to create "the easiest photo-sharing app".

BeReal encourages users to take and share unedited photos, and there are no in-app options like photo editing and filters, and no ads.

Once a user enters BeReal, the app asks the user to set a username, turn on notifications, and enable the front and rear cameras.

After becoming a BeReal user, the app will send you a notification "Time to BeReal" at a random time each day.

Within 2 minutes of receiving the notification, the user needs to take a photo and upload it through BeReal's app.

BeReal's unique shooting mechanism is to call the front and rear cameras at the same time, so that your selfie and your environment/what's going on appear in one photo at the same time.

And BeReal stipulates that only users who upload a selfie within two minutes of "TimetoBeReal" can view photos posted by other friends on the same day. That is to say, if you want to check your friends' activities on BeReal, you can only choose to share your most authentic and unadorned state within 2 minutes. Because if you miss this time, although users can upload their own photos, they will not be able to view the sharing of their friends.

In order to increase the sense of social experience, BeReal also provides the RealMoji function, that is, the user's evaluation of others is no longer a simple like or smile, but a corresponding emoticon package that he actually took. And you can also save the RealMoji sent to you by your friends on your desktop, so that your friends' affirmation, admiration or laughter will accompany you all day long.

How is the brand BeReal?

The above are the main functions of BeReal.

• Real social circles (every friend's reaction provides a real face representation)

--Real life sharing (can't pose and add filters)

-- A social experience that doesn't involute (users won't have more fans than anyone)

All kinds of relaxed and authentic "anti-influencer" style functions make BeReal widely praised by the Gen Z crowd. At present, the age of its users is mainly concentrated in the very young range of 15-30 years old.

But BeReal’s emphasis on authenticity and immediacy of photo shoots also leaves brands scratching their heads – how to market in a tiny circle without influencers?

Chipotle, a Mexican fast-casual chain, is playing with a new twist.

The restaurant shared a string of promo codes on its BeReal account and noted in the photo that "the first 100 users who use the promo code shared on BeReal will get a free meal."

With a simple photo and an ordinary handwritten discount code, Chipotle easily completed a traffic flow and brand marketing campaign from online to offline stores among young people.

So how can other types of brands play BeReal? We recommend that you plan in the following two directions:

01 Deciphering the "behind the scenes story"

"Behind the scenes" is a marketing concept that is very in line with the platform's tonality for BeReal. This is because BeReal creatively mobilizes the front and rear cameras at the same time, which can more abundantly present the relationship between the person and the environment in a photo.

This is in line with people's desire to see the "truth" and see "behind the scenes", and it can also help brands to better integrate the tonality of the platform and mingle with the Gen Z users on the platform.

If you are a catering brand, you can share the selfies of front-line employees + food production environment on BeReal; if you are a cultural brand, you can share the behind-the-scenes footage of the filming, which is a good choice.

02 Increase authenticity and appeal with UGC content

The explosion of BeReal comes from the desire of Gen Z people for real social interaction. Therefore, brand content can also be presented more through UGC on BeReal.

Like inviting loyal users of your brand to take over your BeReal account and share photos, or use the rear camera to capture user reactions while capturing your brand with the front camera. These are all good options.

Epilogue

At present, the mainstream social media platforms we commonly use are all trying out functions similar to BeRea.

In July this year, Instagram began testing a product called Dual Camera. In August, the IG Candid Challenges feature it tested was similar to BeReal; Snapchat also launched a similar attempt; TikTok is also testing the TikTok Now feature that is basically the same as the BeReal experience...

Therefore, for brands that want to capture the trends of Gen Z users, and establish communication and connection with younger users on new social media platforms, it will be a good choice and experiment to know, try and experience BeReal.