In his latest MAD//Insight column, CMO and Global Head of Condiments for Unilever, Pete Harbour, explores the quirky shift in marketing and human behavior—from December indulgence to January's call for abstinence.

Lovely isn’t it. Christmas, betwixmess and the new year break. A sort of two week long staycation where you can eat, drink, and pretend you will do that thing ‘’over Christmas’’ that you never got round to in 2024. For what it’s worth, I achieved 2 of the 5 things on my list. My stocking was also full of clever things that were based on smart day-to-day insights that I never realised I needed:

1. Elasticated white shoelaces that I don’t have to do up. Time saved: 30s a day

2. Lid holders for pans that go on the inside of the cooking pan draw to prevent Pan tetris at washing up time (actually genius). Time saved: 60s a day

3. Extension plugs that are a cube so you can actually fit all Christmas tree light plugs in the same socket avoiding a sort of plug jigsaw puzzle. Time saved: 5 minutes

4. iPad pencil holder stuck to Ipad – you need to see it to realise how clever it is! Money saved: 90 euros every 3 months…

But, it is at this time of year that ‘’hope marketing’’ kicks in.

We have just had 2 months being told we must have biscuits, chocolate, cake, wine, all the trimmings - I was a marketer’s dream in this respect and filled the house with biscuit boxes. Then, suddenly, we decide we must now have none of these things. What a strange thing January 1st is; human nature kicks in and for some reason we decide we must use this as the key date to go without for as long as we can sustain.

How many of you are going dry this month??

We choose the darkest, coldest, wettest month of the year coming after the cheeriest moment of the year. We decide this is the most sensible time to get up (in the darkness), go to the gym (in the rain and the darkness), and return (still in the darkness) to then begin work, often STILL in the darkness. Is it human nature that encourages us to start anew? Or, is this the cleverest marketing time of the year? ‘’It’s a new year, everyone is doing something, so you should too?’’….. I am not quite sure.

Here is a list of just some of the various diets, dad-bod fixes, skills and new regime change suggestions I have been bombarded with in just a few days through various emails and feeds:

1.        ‘’Play the piano like a pro in just a month. Isn’t it about time you committed to that new thing?’’

2.        ‘’the 3 x 30min weights a week regime – lose 3 kilos by Easter”

3.        ‘’Lock in bro we start on jan 6th – 10 weeks, 3 workouts a week, and 2 dumbbells. No excuses. You joining us?’’… maybe, but unlikely…

4.        ‘’Chair workouts – the easy way to be a ‘’Dad Rambo’’’’.. this does seem attractive if the chair in question can be my sofa?

5.        ‘’He saw your text, he had time to answer, he didn’t.. take it as a sign that it is time to walk away. You deserve better’’… I am not in the market for an app that will help me through a break up, but if this was a laser targeted app to support Dads dealing with lazy 14 year old sons? Could be useful...

There have been many others, although a home gym that looks like furniture sounds like it could be good… at least I can use it as furniture by January 10th.

So, inundated by influencers, apps and companies marketing hard to claim the space in my head, I suggest an alternative. To zig when everyone else is zagging. Why not aim for, lets say, the new UK tax year? Bombard me with chair workouts on April 6th. I will be ready. The clocks will have gone forward, the sun may be out, my bedroom will not be a fridge at 6am and nobody else will be asking me to start anew. You will be the only one, and I will be ready and willing. For now, I will begin my semi dry January…

Pete will be writing a regular column for MAD//Insight throughout the year, and will be speaking at MAD//Fest London this July.