Brandwatch Bulletin #181: The End of New Year’s Resolutions?

Let’s see what people are prioritizing.

10 January 2025

Research shows that by now 23% of us have abandoned our New Year’s goals. In fact, today is known as Quitter’s Day – a day dedicated to marking a notable drop-off in resolution keeping.

That said, you may not see much chatter about Quitters Day in 2025. Looking at the social data during this year’s resolutions cycle, we’ve found that fewer people have been talking about resolutions – or even making them at all.

What’s causing this apparent move away from resolutions? And what can brands do to tailor their messaging with this in mind?

Let’s find out.

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Resolutions are declining – or so it seems

We used Brandwatch Consumer Research to track online mentions of New Year’s resolutions over time. And mentions have seen a significant drop.

There have been almost 50% fewer mentions about New Year’s resolutions this year compared to the same period last year (when looking at December 27, 2024, to January 4, 2025).

A few factors might have contributed to this drop off. Firstly, perhaps the mid-week New Year’s has diluted the number of people setting resolutions – instead waiting until the following Monday to get going (it always feels better to start on a Monday).

Another key factor is the prevalence of people prioritizing self-care. As we’ll touch on later, more and more people are putting slow and sustainable goals first.

Growing social media fatigue might also be a cause. As we discussed in our Digital Marketing Trends report, people are opting for a more mindful approach to social media – so maybe people are keeping their resolutions to themselves this year.

Meanwhile, some people simply didn’t make them because they knew they wouldn’t follow through.

Whatever the reason for the reduction, people aren’t as vocal about their resolution setting – and brands might benefit from keeping this in mind.

If you’re running a New Year’s resolution-based campaign or tailoring your marketing to an audience of self-improvers, consider tweaking your approach this year. Emphasize flexibility and achievable goals rather than focusing on January motivation, or you might find that people are less receptive to your campaigns.

The most popular resolutions

While mentions are down, diving into the most popular resolutions can help us better understand what people are prioritizing in 2025. Let’s take a look.

Learning something new has remained at the top of the list of most-mentioned online resolutions. Whether it’s learning a new language, trying a new sport, or even taking up crochet, people are continuing to strive to invest in themselves.

Saving money has taken a jump up too – sitting at the second most prevalent goal for the year. After a few years of economic uncertainty, people are deciding to take steps towards being more frugal with their spending.

Exercise also remained high on the list of most-mentioned resolutions in 2025, alongside losing weight and reducing smoking. It seems the theme of self-care is a priority for many this year.

Reducing drinking is also on the list. While it’s being spoken about less in a resolution context around the New Year, we’ve found that interest in going alcohol-free is growing year-round.

We used Brandwatch Consumer Research to discover how many people are talking about alcohol-free drinks, going sober, and reducing their drinking. And it’s been consistently trending upwards.

The frequent spikes in popularity can be attributed to Dry January – a month dedicated to not drinking. Dry January has continued to gain traction over the last few years and, while it’s too soon to see what this month’s mentions for Dry January look like, we can certainly see a yearly trend of more people talking about it online.

As well as looking after their health physically, people are focusing on mental health improvements too. Keeping growing social media fatigue in mind, people are increasingly focusing on reducing their screen time. Reddit communities like r/nosurf and r/digitalminimalism are seeing plenty of activity as people look to others for advice on how to escape the addictive nature of screens.

It’s a self-care kind of year

People are always looking to better themselves in the new year, and 2025 is no exception. In fact, recent online trends are proving that more and more people are putting their mental and physical health first.

The recent “winter arc” trend is a perfect example of current attitudes towards self-care – and its popularity in late 2024 may have foretold the lacklustre New Year’s resolution conversation.

A winter arc is a time of goal setting, habit development, and discipline for self-improvement. The trend gained popularity online back in October, as people aimed to set positive habits in the lead up to the new year.

The trend indicates that people are leaning towards a low and slow approach to goal setting, rather than quick and fast results. And the reduction in resolution setting this year might be a part of this attitude shift.

What this means for brands

Brands need to be smart with their messaging this year. The reduction in resolution-setting and the added prioritization of self-care in 2025 means that people are looking for a softer approach to goal-setting.

So, rather than hitting the ground running with direct, assertive new year campaigns focused on big changes and strong motivation, perhaps leaning into a softer, self-care orientated approach might better relate to your customers.

Dove’s recent campaign is a perfect example. The brand unveiled its first body confidence program for women this New Year period, aiming to combat low self-worth.

The Dove Self-Esteem Project for Women offers videos, an activity workbook, and tips for women – and even asks them to shun resolutions as part of a #NewYearsUnresolution social media push.

Like Dove, brands that keep self-care in mind are set to thrive in 2025.

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See you next time,

The Brandwatch Bulletin team

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