The mantra “New Year, New You” is a powerful motivating factor every January, sending people to gyms, libraries and the dental hygiene aisle at the drugstore.
But for fashion brands, it’s a marketing opportunity. Activewear and luxury brands alike used New Year’s resolutions in campaigns during late December and early January, capitalizing on the desire to refresh wardrobes and establish new active habits.
Luxury sportswear brand Losano, for example, ran an email campaign titled “New Year, New You” for the past two weeks. The emails highlight a matching set of leggings and a sports bra, along with images of celebrity ambassadors such as Jordin Sparks and Maria Menounos wearing styles. On the website of activewear brand and retailer Bandier, the home page has a big “It’s your age, it’s your fitness” message.
Similarly luxury activewear brand Forme took advantage of the New Year by focusing on its clothing’s purported ability to help correct posture. For the post on Instagram, where Forme has more than 20,000 followers, the brand collected a number of tweets and Instagram posts from users complaining about their bad posture, linking them to a 20% discount across the site and an incentive to make the change in your life in the new year.
“New Year’s resolutions provide a great opportunity for everyday people to set goals for the better,” said Forma co-founder and COO Seiji Liu. “It’s time to lay the right foundation for your health and well-being.”
Forme has been around since 2018, doubling revenue every year since then, and typically makes New Year’s resolutions part of its marketing strategy in December and January. It uses Instagram posts and paid ads, as well as customer emails.
But not all New Year’s campaigns are focused on fitness or wellness. Ivy Cove, an accessory brand, presents itself as the perfect tool for a different solution: being better for the environment.
Ivy Cove’s New Year email campaign focused on product sustainability, the renewable aspect of materials and the certifications that every part of the supply chain has. “If one of your New Year’s resolutions is to buy sustainable brands (you’re also a kind person!), we’ve got you covered,” the ad text reads. The same message was used in the brand’s Instagram marketing, both paid and organic, in January.
According to a brand representative, email open rates for the New Year email campaign were up compared to December emails, although they could not share exact numbers.
And while some brands have ditched New Year’s resolution marketing this year, Ivy Moliver, founder of Ivy Cove, said it can still be a powerful marketing tool. For her, it’s a way to frame her brand’s products as aspirational, life-changing tools and to capitalize on the brand’s strengths.
“For us, it’s about education and awareness,” she said. “It’s a great opportunity for ordinary people to set goals to improve themselves and be better for the planet, and it works perfectly for us.”