In the quest for Gen Z’s attention this holiday season, Logitech is the latest marketer to add emerging social media platform BeReal to its docket. But beyond the seasonal push, the move represents what the brand’s vice president of global marketing Erika Priestley describes as a “transformational period” for the electronics company.
Logitech took to the platform as part of its “12 Days of Deals” holiday campaign, posting surprise deals and exclusive offers on items like keyboards, webcams, gaming headsets and microphones during the 12-day period ending Dec. 10. Each post had a holiday tie-in, with several including cameos from The Elf on The Shelf.
“The concept stemmed from thinking about an innovative way to show up this holiday season to reposition the traditional gift guide,” Priestley said to Marketing Dive via email.
BeReal ties into larger efforts by Logitech to reach consumers whenever and wherever they are, Priestley said. The platform certainly appears to present an opportunity for marketers. Coined the “anti-Instagram” app, BeReal has rapidly emerged as a popular hub for young consumers and has seen its monthly active users increase 2,254% since January, per research from Sensor Tower. A small but growing list of major players have taken to the app, including American Eagle, E.l.f. Cosmetics and Chipotle. A holiday presence on the app could help Logitech boost sales during a critical end-of-year period, which forecasts predict will see a slow down in holiday electronics purchases this year.
”Gen Z lives on BeReal,” Priestley said. “Gen Z places new value on authenticity and filterless feeds, and if we’re trying to convert this audience to Logitech fans, we’ll need to meet them where they are.”
Emerging platforms have previously been looped into Logitech’s strategy. The brand maintains an active presence on TikTok, where it boasts over 50 thousand followers. Through its presence, Logitech frequently engages with creators and personalities on the platform, including a partnership with popular creator Bretman Rock, who is challenging users to share their new, not-so-traditional holiday traditions as part of the brand’s seasonal push. Though Logitech has been active on TikTok much longer than BeReal, Priestley said conversations about how to approach each platform have shared similarities.
“We believe it’s about brand authenticity – showing up true to the platform and its features in an authentic way,” she said. “We feel we’ve achieved that.”
As it goes with any emerging platform, BeReal presents a couple of hurdles for brands looking to take part. Perhaps most obviously, the app functions by notifying users that it’s “Time to BeReal,” or spontaneously upload a photo at random parts of the day, challenging brands to be prepared for a more candid online presence. Another challenge could lie in the ability to be discovered, an aspect of BeReal that Priestley describes as tough. At least for now, BeReal doesn’t allow for ads and doesn’t view brands as a priority, giving marketers no advantage when it comes to growing an audience.
To measure success on the platform, Logitech is keeping track of the quantity of follower requests its profile receives. So far, the brand has been happy with the response, Priestley said.
“Sentiment has been positive and we’ve received feedback from users on the platform saying how happy they are to see Logitech on BeReal,” she said. “People and Logitech fans are intrigued and curious about what we’re going to do on the platform.”
And as far as future opportunities with BeReal go, they haven’t been ruled out. Logitech had an enjoyable experience with the platform for the holiday activation, Priestley said. Going forward, Logitech plans to spend some time strategizing a potential next move.
“We’re going to continue to learn more about the platform and identify platform specific opportunities so we can continue to show up in a unique way,” she said.
