New Year, New Me(ans of Understanding Consumers)

We all know the feeling. The New Year dawns and along with it comes the conviction that we will shortly transform into a better version of ourselves, even if the ability to do so has eluded us in previous months and years. We make resolutions: drink less alcohol, take up running, write that novel, learn German. Half way through January, things aren’t going too badly; alcohol-free beer doesn’t taste that bad after all, you enjoy the feeling you get from the twice-weekly runs, you can count up to ten in German and a couple of pages of Word have been completed. By the end of March, a run to the supermarket for a bottle of wine counts as exercise, the novel has stalled after chapter 1 and the resolution to learn German is well and truly kaput.

We know the feeling, and we know how it goes. So why do we bother? Perhaps we should just skip making resolutions next year. But broken resolutions aside, the fact they are made at all indicates something hugely important about us humans: we are always wanting to make a change for the better. And behind those resolutions are motivations that say a lot about who we are as individuals and what we want out of life.

This month, Tapestry conducted research into New Year’s resolutions, exploring why people made them and what happened to them over time. We found that the motivations behind resolutions provide a mine of information for brands. They reveal which areas of self-improvement are most important to people, and which brand messages or consumer involvement initiatives will speak to them most powerfully. For example, drinking less might represent a desire for lowering anxiety and enjoying everyday moments rather than trying to escape them; learning German challenges the brain and increases knowledge; writing a novel brings a sense of purpose and the joy of creativity. Tapping into these motivations enables brands to inspire and fulfil people in the way they most need right now.

Download our report using the form to the right to learn about the seven key motivations that underpin New Year’s resolutions – and make it your own resolution to inspire and fulfil consumer needs by tapping into what drives theirs.