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Make 2025 Your Best Year Yet: A Fresh Start Awaits

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As the clock ticks closer to 2025, it's the perfect moment to look ahead and dream big. Here’s the advice I’m giving myself for the upcoming year. Perhaps some of it will apply to you too.

1. Master One New Skill

Lifelong learning is the key to growth and fulfilment. But let’s face it, it’s easy to get distracted. Often, we start too many things and finish none. Instead, pick one skill and dive in wholeheartedly. It could be creative, practical, or just plain fun. What matters is that it excites you.

For me, 2025 is the year I’ll finally conquer Italian. After years of dabbling, I’m ready to commit and aim for fluency. What will you choose to master this year?

2. Do Less to Do More

Life’s not just about what you do. It’s about what you don’t do. Take a hard look at the activities that drain your time and energy. Are they worth it?

This year, I’m learning to say "no" more often. My mantra will be to remove tasks, let go of perfectionism, and focus on what truly matters. When you eliminate the noise, you make space for what’s meaningful.

3. Prioritise Your Physical Health

Your body is the foundation of your confidence and resilience. Feeling good physically makes it easier to take on life’s challenges.

In 2025, I’m committing to better nutrition, an exercise routine I enjoy, and a little more care. You don’t have to be perfect, just consistent. What small changes could boost your health and energy this year?

4. Build a Routine You Can Rely On

Dreams don’t come true without action, and action doesn’t happen without structure. A good routine is the secret to turning goals into reality.

In 2025 I’m focusing on creating habits that support my ambitions. Daily rituals that make progress feel effortless. Remember, consistency beats intensity every time.

5. Focus on What You Can Control

One of my favourite reminders is the wisdom of the Serenity Prayer:
"Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference."

Life throws curveballs. Instead of stressing over what you can’t control, channel your energy into what you can. Your mindset, your actions, and your responses.

6. Invest in Meaningful Relationships

The people in your life are your greatest treasure. Make time for the ones who matter most: your family, close friends, and those who lift your spirits.

In 2025, I’m prioritising quality over quantity. Deeper connections, more laughter, and shared moments with loved ones will be at the heart of my year. Who will you make more time for?

7. Effort Over Outcomes

It’s easy to get lost chasing results, but real growth comes from focusing on the journey. Commit to the process, give it your all, and trust that the results will follow.

This year, I’m celebrating the effort. I’m measuring success not by what I achieve, but by the passion and perseverance I put into the work.

Your 2025 Starts Now

For me, January is an exciting month. With family birthdays to celebrate (including my own) and a blank slate ahead, it feels like anything is possible.

This time, don’t write a list of resolutions. Decide who you want to become. Start building that person, one step at a time. Let’s make 2025 a year to remember - your best one yet. 🚀

Can We Fall in Love With Brands?

Can We Fall in Love With Brands?

A few years ago, the concept of brand love or ‘lovemarks’ was very much in vogue. This was the idea that consumers could develop a relationship with a brand beyond simply being happy with their purchase. That they could feel such a strong, emotional connection with a brand that it’s akin to love. Advertising agency folk can be very persuasive. Brand managers lapped it up.

Product Strategy. Four Questions to Ask Yourself

Product Strategy. Four Questions to Ask Yourself

Marketers spend much of their time focused on Promotion, the communication dimension of their job. Often we take for granted the most important of the 4Ps - Product. You can create the best advertising campaign in the world, but you'll still fail if your product isn’t up to scratch.

Don’t neglect your Product Strategy. To help shape it, here are the four questions you need to ask yourself.

Is the Jingle Ready For a Comeback?

Is the Jingle Ready For a Comeback?

Looking Back

Growing up, I recall that every popular brand had a jingle that drilled its way into your head. ‘Try a Taste of Martini,’ ‘Just One Cornetto’, ‘Do the Shake and Vac.’

Decades later, I can still hum along. They worked, clearly, and they linger as fond memories. Everyone has their favourites. Yet the jingle has largely vanished from today’s advertising landscape. What happened, and could the jingle ever see a revival?

Marketing Lessons From The Horror Movie Genre

Marketing Lessons From The Horror Movie Genre

The horror movie industry continues to grow in importance. Since 1995 the horror genre has more than doubled its market share in the US and Canada, and it's still growing. It remains Hollywood's most reliable money maker. In an interesting change in direction, Hugh Grant is starring in his first horror movie - ‘Heretic’. It's receiving rave reviews.

I Love the New Burberry Campaign

I Love the New Burberry Campaign

It’s no secret that Burberry has had a difficult time recently. Burberry's sales have been falling, especially in China, one of its core markets. As a result, the CEO was replaced in July 2024. Indeed the whole of the luxury brand sector is suffering. This month, even the giant conglomerate LVMH reported a 3% decline in sales.

In October, Burberry launched a new outdoor wear campaign under the banner, ‘It’s Always Burberry Weather’ and I love it.

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Forget Blue Sky Thinking

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Forget Blue Sky Thinking

I’ve spent years running ‘blue sky thinking’ workshops. Where anything goes. Where every idea is a good idea. I now realise that this is a waste of time. Firstly, people find it difficult to come up with ideas when there are no boundaries. Secondly, in the post-workshop review, the ideas are impossible to implement. No wonder ‘brainstorming’ workshops have got a bad reputation.

Instead, I would recommend the opposite. I like to call it ‘black sky’ thinking. It involves setting up the workshop completely differently. Here’s what to focus on.

Understanding a Workshop Brief

Understanding a Workshop Brief

The key to a great workshop is great planning. The first and most important task is to get to the heart of the workshop brief.

To help you do this, here’s a discussion guide to help you understand the real workshop brief. I’ve also developed a checklist, to ensure you’ve considered everything. As a rule of thumb, spend at least as much time planning the workshop as you do running it. The more you plan, the more successful your workshop will be.

Make Your Workshops Funny

Make Your Workshops Funny

When I look back on past workshops, the moments that stick out for me are the funny ones. I remember when someone brought their dog to the session and everyone played with it. Or when someone presented their ideas by taping a flipchart to their body. Once, we gave a prize to the most negative participant in the room. Something you’re never supposed to do - especially as he was the most senior person at the session. He played along with it, which was great.

Avoiding Workshop Groupthink

Avoiding Workshop Groupthink

One of the risks of running a workshop designed to generate new ideas is ‘Groupthink’. People will always seek consensus in a group setting and the facilitator encourages this. As a consequence, dissenting voices or challenging thinking will be squeezed out.

So how can you avoid Groupthink if you are facilitating a workshop? How can you ensure that individual voices and challenging ideas are seen and heard?

Here are a few suggestions.

Making the Most of 'In Real Life' Workshops

Making the Most of 'In Real Life' Workshops

Nowadays, online workshops have become the norm. So there has to be a great reason to bring people together for a real-life event. Expectations will be high. It has to be worth it. What you don’t want people to say afterwards is: ‘we could have done this online’.

So, how do you ensure that real-life workshops feel special? How can you ensure they’re worth the time, effort and money? Here are a few suggestions.