Resolutions on a Very Blue Monday

Olivia Minoprio is a strategist at CPB London and works across leading global and national brands including The Glenlivet, GoFundMe and Marie Curie. She takes pride in producing consumer insight and research as part of The F Space, CPB's genderless community for people with an interest in and commitment to marketing to women. Olivia mentors for The Media Trust and is dedicated to improving access within the industry. Prior to CPB, Olivia spent four years at BBH on award winning accounts such as Tesco, Barclays and Samsung.

1. The swing towards seriousness

It’s the bleakest day of a year that has the potential to be markedly bleak – quite a feat post-pandemic.

Consumers are navigating a turbulent political, social and environmental landscape, most immediately grappling the cost-of-living crisis. And many brands seem to be mirroring this sorry state of affairs with a comparatively serious style of communication.

But price wars, rationality, daunting purpose messaging and joyless realism won’t be making anyone feel any lighter.

Even famously emotional brands are getting more serious. The Guardian called John Lewis’ 2022 Christmas campaign ‘the most unapologetically depressing thing in human history’.

YouTube, 2022

I won’t teach anyone to suck eggs extolling the virtues of emotion in advertising – but I will question whether seriousness is the right emotion for the year ahead.

2. In hard times who wants hard hitting comms?

The wild success of easy watching like Love Is Blind and the enduring popularity of Friends reruns (over infinite new content) implies frivolity and comfort is medicine.

I want to see more brands providing moments of joyous escapism.

Ocean Spray’s unexpected take on Thanksgiving Dinner hits this mark. And like famously fun brands Skittles and Snickers, by not striving to impart deeper meaning onto their audience, they succeeded in being both entertaining and product forward – something ‘worthiness’ leaves no room for.

YouTube, 2022

3. A happier New Year

In 2023, a solid brand resolution is to use emotion to alleviate. Using humour, absurdism, anything to make the world feel more like the expansive, exciting thing it can be.

Another is not falling into the trap of taking on the world itself. Brands shouldn’t address problems if they don’t have the right or a reason to do so. Sidestepping lofty causes in favour of a more humble goal - smiles - could paradoxically help a brand become bigger.

Hopefully these resolutions will make it feel permissible to create work that deviates from the gloomy public narrative and give licence to inject some fun into a tough year.

In turn helping brands shine, by being a little bit less blue.