There's a trend of brands moving away from overly stylized, heavily filtered content to portray a more organic feel.
The DL: Over recent years, social media has been criticized for promoting perfection and an unrealistic image of life. Recognizing this, Instagram is testing out a feature called Candid Stories that sends a daily notification at a random time to users and they have two minutes to capture an in-the-moment snapshot of what they are doing. The front and back camera on the user’s phone will open simultaneously and take a photo from each view, quite similar to the app BeReal.
In line with these shifting ideals, consumers are increasingly appreciating and even favoring brands that put authenticity at their forefront. Brands should take advantage of this opportunity to infuse authenticity and relatability into their brand’s Instagram, as it is starkly different from the typical curated and edited content on Instagram. Showing the faces and day-to-day workings behind the company can make a brand feel more reachable, friendly, and trustworthy. Some other crucial ways to do so are including a diverse array of people in your marketing, keeping a consistent image and voice across all marketing for your brand, and taking advantage of any data to personalize consumer experiences and make them feel more valued.
