So we've all had the massive exhale as February begins. Back to normal.
As you know, most New Year Resolutions die in January week 3, leaving us with a few days of no money and self loathing before we go back to the routine, whatever that might be.
Because human willpower is weak, it needs a rest. It's why dieting is doomed to failure.
We all know this deep down, that's real life, the one that happens outside of focus groups and segmentations.
Yet, last month we had all the usual New Year Resolution rubbish. None of it embraced the crapness of real life people failing.
Perhaps the brand owners belief it's more commercially viable to help people lie to themselves.
Which it is of course in many cases.
Just as this famous campaign actually knows that Economist readers take in a few articles, ignore most of the writing, but feel a lot cleverer about it (the weekly equivalent to the unread pile of books on the bedside table, or the unwatched content in the Netflix playlist).
Yet you will have read the same data as I have. That claims people are but tired of being pressured to look perfect, and actually like brands to look fallible.
In fact, making an idiot of yourself makes you more likeable if you take it with good grace. It's called the pratfall effect (incidentally I've been known to spill coffee on purpose in workshops I'm running).
Imagine if someone actually set out to reach people failing in January Week 3 with a more sustainable alternative (like a 66 day guide to working within your routine) rather than against it. Imagine a campaign celebrating our collective, glorious annual failure.
Imagine someone saying wait until February, January is hard enough?
Maybe next year, or the year after that.
Anyway.
Comments