Peach may be a fad (but messaging networks are not)

January 12, 2015: If you logged onto the internet this weekend, you probably heard about the newest app to explode in popularity: Peach. Peach is a hybrid messenger/social media network combining the direct conversation of Facebook Messenger/WhatsApp with a “stream” with updates from other networks.

Peach amalgamates many “fan favorites” in the social media world: media sharing, direct messaging between friends, and a simple interface. It even takes it up a notch by integrating “magic words” that let you use some of your phone’s tools to create updates. For example, typing “song” commands Peach to “listen” to what you’re playing and paste the song title/artist into a new status update. Peach can also post what the weather is like where you are, use your location to share the place at which you currently are, and even share the percentage of battery life your phone has. My Peach feed has mostly been GIFs that I found through the app or created myself (the app introduces an in-house GIF-maker that is really fun and easy to use).

Peach is quirky, cool, and allows users to share as much or as little as they want, which may be the key to its success. We’ve covered the “rise” of the private messaging app, and this year has been exemplary in proving the popularity of direct messaging. “Generation Z” has embraced anonymity and intimate networks as opposed to the “share all, brag about it” community model we’re used to online. Peach is a Frankenstein-network comprised of gems from both aspects: I can share the number of steps I took that given day, but only my close network will see it.

Peach doesn’t integrate social graphs from any larger networks. Like internet-darling Snapchat, you can only really add contacts from your phone, unless you know the direct handle of a user you want to follow.  This prompt to interact in real life before becoming “connected” online is definitely refreshing, especially when there’s no more pressure to have “X” number of connections/followers/likes, RTs, etc. It’s about organic conversation (which is what has some marketers quaking in their boots).

While Peach may just be a fly-by-night internet fad, its advent marks the importance of privacy among the next generations of users. While Twitter — the epitome of “oversharing” —  struggles to make everyone (including Wall Street) happy, direct message networks like Snapchat and Facebook Messenger continue to expand.

It’s hard to imagine what social media marketing will become with the rise of these networks, but it will most certainly come down to users opting in to receive your posts regularly. Brands that use social media to hammer promotions and sales into their followers constantly will not survive. Not every brand fits on every network, so it’s important to talk to an expert before attempting to plan your social media strategy.