NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS:
3 THINGS BRANDS NEED TO DO
THE EXAM QUESTION

Last week we reported on the customer mindset around New Year Resolutions and found that, while they are very much still a thing, certain aspects have shifted. We found that…

NOBODY’S READY ON JAN 1ST
IT’S NOT ALL ABOUT HEALTH & WELLBEING
LESS PRESSURE, MORE ZEN WANTED

So, what are the 3 key things brands need to do to align with this mindset?

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THE ANSWER

People have been conditioned to expect brands and retailers to get involved in their new year resolutions. Their assumption is that the vast majority will focus on diet and fitness, that advice and guidance will be aimed at ‘pushing’ them (to make big, unsustainable shifts or set unachievable targets), and that support will disappear by the end of January.

Help in planning and achieving their new year plans and intentions is wanted but there’s a desire for it to better reflect a) the subject matter of their resolutions and b) their new-found realism when it comes to making changes. They would also appreciate brands taking a longer-term approach: with less focus on spending big in January as well as inspiration which lasts the course of their resolutions. Specifically, there are three key things brands can do to better align with the way people are now approaching new year plans:

THINK BROADLY

TAKE A FRESH LOOK AT DATES

HELP MANAGE THE PRESSURE

THE APPROACH

We asked 40 of our FastQual ready respondents (a broad mix from above to below average affluence) to tell us all about how they feel towards new year resolutions, whether they’re making any this year, their hopes & fears for the year ahead, and what they want from brands and retailers in 2023.

SO WHAT?

Next week in the final installment of our January FastQual series…

NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS:
3 WAYS TO SURVIVE ON THE HIGH STREET

Think broadly

People now think broadly when it comes to their New Year Resolutions: plans and aspirations span life-care (health & wellbeing in its broadest sense, space/time/financial management), acquiring new skills and home & garden projects. By reflecting this broad scope in their marketing, brands can maximise sales and demonstrate empathy with customers.

  • ALL-ENCOMPASSING PRODUCT OFFERS
    Offers and promotions on healthy food, exercise products and gym packages are expected but needs are far wider and with relevance for most brands and retailers.
  • INCLUSIVE INSPIRATION & GUIDANCE
    People are almost overwhelmed by the volume of diet and fitness advice in January but would love more content and support relating to space, time and financial management, acquiring new skills (e.g. languages, photography, cookery) and home and garden projects.
  • PROVIDE THINGS TO LOOK FORWARD TO
    Help customers create diary highlights in the year ahead – reward their successes, get events & experiences into their diaries, and engage with their holiday/short break/day out planning.
MAX
There were loads of Black Friday deals on language courses but none in January, and yet it seems to be an increasingly common new year resolution.
CAMILLE
Apps help, with ideas, reminders and motivation. There are plenty of health related ones and Monzo is great, but I’d love something on time management or to help my husband cook.
DERICK
I like to spend some time in the new year thinking about planning things to look forward to, so tell me about exciting events or experiences you’ve got coming up.

Take a fresh look at dates

We saw last week that people simply aren’t ready to start resolutions on January 1st but that there are multiple opportunities in the new year, and indeed through-out the year, for brands to provide inspiration, support and relevant products. With the right approach brands can engage with new year plans over an extended time frame.

  • BECOME CRUCIAL TO  JANUARY PLANNING
    January is more often for planning (while recuperating) and February is for taking action. Treat January as a time to fuel customer ideas and enthusiasm but the start of February as the moment to convert purchases, drive new product trials, form new shopping habits, or to sign customers up to plans and subscriptions.
  • OWN FRESH STARTS
    Be the brand your customers (and prospects) associate with their annual fresh starts: February when they finally emerge from their post Christmas slumber; Spring when energy levels are high and longer days return; September for back to school and clean slates.
  • THINK LONGER TERM
    People expect brands and retailers to inundate them with new year resolution inspiration and offers in January (when they’re not ready for big spending) but know that it’s later on when they really need support and encouragement. Find ways to hook them in for the year ahead and to spread both the cost and the help and rewards provided.
GISELLA
I like the healthy eating ideas in January, they get me thinking the right way. But really it’s in February that I need help with it and it’s all vanished by then.
DAVE
I am thinking through plans and targets but to be honest I’ll be ready to start in the Spring, so that’s when I’ll need the ideas and offers.
SUZANNE
We don’t want to spend a huge amount we can’t afford in January on things we’ll end up not using. We want longer term, drip feed help.

Help manage the pressure

People are learning to go a little easier on themselves, to be more realistic about what they can achieve and to celebrate small successes. Brands who provide gentle support and positivity will feel most in tune with their customers.

  • SUPPORTIVE TONE OF VOICE
    Mainstream brands who stick with a more traditionally pushy, challenging or extreme tone to their communications risk jarring with the evolving customer mindset. Think gentle, positive, uplifting.
  • PROMOTE MARGINAL GAINS
    People are rejecting the ‘boom or bust’ approach and want brands and retailers to help them in their quest for manageable change. They want inspiration for small changes and new habits, they want to know how to build up gradually, and they want to be rewarded for little successes.
  • HELP SIFT & SIMPLIFY
    Information overload and overwhelming choice can work against resolution achievement. There’s an opportunity for brands to win favour and engage customers by presenting guidance and inspiration in a more manageable way.
WILLOW
They’re still a bit ‘go to the gym, eat better’ shouty. It would be great if brands could be a little gentler and more positive and supportive. If they could help you maintain things.
STEVE
Brands tend to go a bit heavy on that ‘new year, new you’ thing and it’s too much pressure. Help us build on what we’ve already achieved and set realistic targets, or smaller, achievable changes.
STUART
There’s so much information available in January, it takes a lot of time to sort through and it can actually be a bit of a fragmented overload, it can be paralysing. I’d love someone to make it simpler.