17 January, 2025

For most of us, New Year has become less about forcing harsh resolutions and more about making healthy changes. 

With wellbeing in mind, some of us are going “dry”, while others are taking meat off the menu or embarking on a yoga journey. It’s all about working with what feels right for you, to make changes that could reap benefits for years to come. 

But what if we did the same for our brands? 
 
For some people, the festive holidays can spark a back-to-work slump, where being productive becomes an uphill struggle. For others (especially business owners), taking a break boosts motivation and creativity, making it tempting to rush into a new working year with big plans and even bigger goals. 
 
Either way, the fresh start provides a clean page on which to make your mark. The key is knowing how to do this in the healthiest way, channelling your energies in a meaningful direction. So, how could you start 2025?

1. Work on your core

In 2025, consumers are most likely to connect with brands that have a clear, authentic purpose (beyond profit). So, make the start of the year a time to reconnect with your core values. If you have an engaged team, this could be a chance to host a half-day workshop to regroup and gather their thoughts. 

Reflect on why your brand exists and whether your mission aligns with your audiences’ needs. If you’re feeling brave, you could even carry out a values audit – evaluating whether your brand’s actions and communications really echo your core values. If not, it’s probably time to realign. 

2. Create a healthy brand culture

In so many ways, your crew members are the collective face of your brand – even those who work behind the scenes. For this reason, it’s always a good idea to invest time and resources in enhancing employee wellbeing. By focusing on your team’s cohesion, training, and development, you can establish a foundation of trust and creativity that shines through your external communications. 

Team culture will look different to every business, depending on your ethos and values. Your small steps could be introducing paid volunteering days, walk-and-talk sessions with leaders, or dedicated training budgets. You might even distil all these things (and more) into a motivational team handbook. Above all, open dialogue with your employees and customers builds a deeper sense of community and trust.

3. Be realistic

Just as you would when setting personal goals, ask: what’s realistically doable? In the same way that you’re not actually going to run 5K a day, you’re probably not going to write 50 pages of seriously good web copy by February. Setting stressful and unachievable brand goals will only crush your team spirit. 

Instead, sit down with the right people, set out your objectives in priority order, and consider how (and when) to tackle them. For instance, if you’re looking at a rebrand later in the year, start thinking about it early-on. This will allow you to schedule the time you need, enjoy the process, and get the most out of it. If something feels like a priority, but you don’t have the time or skills in-house, accept it now and set aside budget to bring in a third party. 

4. Set yourself a challenge

Change is notoriously scary, but often embarking on a fresh challenge can be the cold-water wake-up we all need. For well-established brands, it can feel safest to stick to what you know: reprinting the same leaflet, using the same images, or even keeping the same logo. Likewise, we can be unfairly biased by past results; just because one email marketing campaign didn’t work out for you, it doesn’t mean you should never try it again. 

Challenging how you’re approaching brand could mean testing new technologies, learning something new, or breaking out of your comfort zone with a design evolution. Often, the best results we see are when bold companies break out of their sector conventions to mark a real point of difference (clients like boatfolk and Jacksons both intentionally went against the grain, and it shows). Some rules are there for a reason, but others are made to be broken. 

5. Ease into things

When it comes to your brand, it’s best not to rush. Whatever your plans, you can’t do everything at once, so knowing where to start is key. Spending time on firming up your foundations will make everything more solid in the long run.

With 12 months still to come, every New Year is an opportunity to pause and revisit what you’re doing. Maybe you’re already working to a five-year plan, or perhaps you have no idea what the next six months holds. Wherever you fall on the scale, consider beginning the year with a brand strategy regroup. This allows you to get some fresh eyes on your situation, seek advice on your direction, and pull in help where it’s needed. 

In 2025, the brands that succeed will be the ones that focus not just on profits but on their purpose and their people. If you’d like our help with an initial brand regroup, or any other plans you have, just get in touch – we’re always happy to talk.