New year, new brand campaigns: who’s getting it right this year?
If you’re looking for some January marketing inspiration, look no further.
Data stories
The people love data! Spotify’s ‘Wrapped’ has inspired hordes of brands to dig out their own data and find creative new hooks for their ‘end of year’ / ‘start of the new year’ campaigns. The more personalised, specific and unusual, the better!
Year in Monzo
‘The nation’s favourite spending summary’ returned again for 2024. We’re not saying anything new when we say that Monzo’s tone of voice really sets itself apart from its ‘stuffy’ competitors in the banking sphere. And it’s particularly evident in its 2024 Year in Review campaign, with lines like ‘You wanna guess who had a Brat summer?’ and ‘Liverpool lived it larger than anyone’ featuring as part of its campaign landing page.
‘Your year in trains’ - Trainline
Trainline has used its travel data for good. Your Year in Trains celebrates the carbon savings users have made thanks to travelling by rail, prioritising these stats on its campaign landing page. To add a sprinkle of personalised ‘fun’, users were sorted into different categories including the ‘Platform Ninja’ and ‘Free Spirit’. What are you?
Side note: if you ever wonder where our Creative Director Jon – our resident ‘Platform Ninja - is, you can usually find him at Beverley Train Station…
January trends
It’s time to get fit, stop eating processed food and meditate. Or is it? Brands are jumping on ‘new year’ trends in innovative new ways this year. And we’re here for it!
‘Pack Our Pubs’ initiative by Walkers
More than 400 pubs permanently shut their doors in 2024 and Dry January’s rise in popularity is threatening even more pubs. So, in a bid to save our boozers Walkers is offering free pints of crisps to anyone buying an alcohol-free beverage during January at 200 participating pubs across the UK. The campaign is backed by Danny Dyer and the ad is absolutely brilliant.
Dove’s #NewYearsUnresolution
1 in 2 women’s New Year’s resolutions are driven by body dissatisfaction. Flipping this negative statistic on its head, Dove is encouraging women to break free from limiting beauty standards with its #NewYearsUnresolution campaign. The campaign encourages women to rip up an unrealistic beauty standard and commit to loving their bodies in 2025 – and beyond. We love the UGC nature of the launch video.
Pop culture
Yorkshire Tea: ‘where everything’s done proper’ – including January campaigns
Can Yorkshire Tea do no wrong? Yorkshire Tea has enlisted the help of Sarah Lancashire’s iconic Happy Valley character Catherine Cawood for its latest ad. The case of the missing biscuits is no match for Catherine. It hits the right comedic tone and really celebrates all that’s great about the brand – and Yorkshire.
Rightmove is selling Sunderland
Move over Selling Sunset, Rightmove is ‘Selling Sunderland’ – with a little help from Geordie Shore’s Charlotte Crosby. As a Sunderland native, Charlotte is the ideal host for this parody ad. It’s certainly effective at selling Sunderland – with the town’s beautiful beaches being a particular standout feature – but we’d say more could have been made of Rightmove’s tools and features. But as a fun, new year video – we’re sold!
