Why New Year’s Resolution Marketing Is Shifting in 2026
Every January, brands line up to tap into the promise of a “fresh start.” For PR, marketing and corporate communications professionals, New Year’s resolution marketing has long been familiar territory. But heading into 2026, the tone is clearly shifting. While weight loss and financial goals still dominate coverage, audiences are showing signs of fatigue with big promises, quick fixes and unrealistic timelines. What is rising in their place is a sharper focus on credibility, restraint and trust that extends well beyond January.
To better understand how communicators are approaching this moment, CommPRO gathered perspectives from PR, marketing and corporate communications leaders across sectors. Their responses point to a shared conclusion: resolutions aren’t disappearing, but the way brands show up around them is changing fast.
Looking at media and brand coverage through Truescope data, one thing remains constant. Weight loss continues to dominate the New Year’s resolution conversation, creating clear opportunities for brands in fitness, nutrition and wellness. The rise of GLP-1 drugs has pushed weight-loss messaging into mainstream business and consumer coverage rather than niche health outlets. At the same time, this surge has made the space riskier. Truescope analysis shows an increase in deepfake celebrity ads, fake online pharmacies and misleading claims appearing alongside legitimate coverage. For communicators, the lesson is familiar: the more attention a topic receives, the more room there is for bad actors, making transparency and verification essential.
Financial resolutions tell a different story. There is no shortage of attention around paying down debt, saving more and building emergency funds, yet follow-through remains limited. Research consistently shows that most people abandon financial resolutions within a few months. Messaging that promises dramatic change often feels disconnected from reality. Brands that acknowledge how difficult progress can be and focus on incremental wins tend to resonate more credibly.
Home, lifestyle and preparedness themes are emerging as more grounded alternatives. Truescope data shows steady interest in stories about improving living spaces, cooking at home more often, establishing routines and preparing for uncertainty. These themes may lack spectacle, but they speak to a broader desire for stability. They also generate more sustained, less volatile coverage than trend-driven wellness narratives.
The marketing industry itself is also rethinking the resolution playbook. There is growing skepticism about rigid January-only promises and declarations that imply immediate transformation. Instead, realism and sustainability are taking precedence. Brands are beginning to look beyond personal resolutions altogether, anchoring campaigns in longer-term cultural moments and values rather than short-lived seasonal hooks.
That shift is echoed clearly in the perspectives shared by CommPRO contributors.
Jason Damata, CEO of Fabric Media, sees cultural moments as a useful entry point, but cautions against over-reliance on resolutions themselves. He notes that while milestones and seasonal moments can help brands find a timely “why now,” the resolution window is short and often lands during a period when audiences are emotionally overloaded or tuned out of traditional marketing channels. He also emphasizes that the holidays and resolution season can be emotionally difficult for many people, making it critical for brands to choose messaging with care.
Linda Descano, Global Chief Integration and Marketing Officer at HAVAS Red, agrees that resolutions still have value, but only when brands move beyond surface-level execution. She argues that resolution marketing regains credibility when it is anchored in purpose and values, focuses on outcomes a brand is structurally positioned to influence, and supports people through small, concrete steps that continue throughout the year. In her view, showing how a brand supports these micro-moments over time is what makes resolution messaging feel authentic rather than performative.
That emphasis on credibility over spectacle is reinforced by Scott Gordon, president and co-founder of CORE PR, who says resolution narratives have evolved well beyond a “New Year, new message” mentality. Gordon notes that audiences increasingly perceive resolutions as transitory unless they are grounded in context and proven performance. Overpromising, he says, has eroded trust when claims lack a foundation in established credibility. As a result, brands are shifting away from bold January declarations toward narratives that connect past achievements to what comes next. For Gordon, the most effective resolution messaging now makes past accomplishments part of the dialogue about tomorrow.
Wendy Glavin, CEO of Wendy Glavin Agency, points to the data behind resolution fatigue. Only about nine percent of people who make New Year’s resolutions successfully keep them throughout the year. Glavin believes brands should shift toward year-round anchor messaging rooted in evidence, proven outcomes and storytelling that builds trust over time rather than amplifying unrealistic expectations tied to a single moment on the calendar.
For Kristine Palmer, co-founder of OverCoffee Consulting, authenticity and proximity matter more than scale. She sees local businesses and solopreneurs as having a unique advantage heading into 2026 because audiences are returning to brands that reflect their values and show genuine care. Palmer believes real storytelling, behind-the-scenes transparency and opportunities for participation — whether in person or online — create loyalty that no January campaign can manufacture on its own.
Trust also emerged as a defining theme for 2026 in an increasingly AI-driven environment. Andy Abramson, CEO of Comunicano, frames resolution marketing through the lens of verification and credibility. He argues that AI is turning every press hit, quote and image into a “prove it” moment. Abramson urges communicators to disclose when AI is used, add authenticity signals, prepare for deepfake scenarios, track emerging metrics like AI citations and sentiment, and keep humans in the loop for facts and tone. In his view, “trust, but verify” has never been more relevant for communicators.
Michael Snell, founder of The MJS Groupe, sees resolution themes evolving into broader philosophies rather than short-term goals. He notes that the most credible resolution themes heading into 2026 are not framed as goals to achieve by February, but as ways of living and choosing — investing in quality over quantity, respecting time and craft, and reducing excess. Snell believes the strongest communicators are not telling consumers to change, but affirming the intelligence of the choices they are already making.
Angela Betancourt, founder and CEO of Betancourt Group, believes the traditional “New Year, New You” framing has run its course. She argues that the idea of complete transformation at the stroke of midnight no longer reflects how people actually live. Betancourt advocates for a more relational, human-centered approach that validates obstacles, different timelines and lived experience. She also sees cultural moments and long-term narratives replacing rigid resolution campaigns, with brands building relevance through values rather than January-only promises.
Jeremy Pepper, principal at Communimatic, echoes concerns around pressure and perfection. He observes that many people feel overwhelmed by the expectation to be “perfect” with resolutions. Messaging that leans toward aspiration, meaning and connection, rather than performance and achievement, often resonates more deeply because it reduces pressure and meets people emotionally where they are.
Taken together, these perspectives reinforce what Truescope data already suggests. New Year’s resolution marketing in 2026 is less about reinvention and more about credibility. For PR and communications leaders, the opportunity is not to abandon resolutions, but to treat them with realism, restraint and respect. Brands that meet audiences where they are, acknowledge complexity and commit to long-term trust will stand out far more than those chasing quick January wins.
