In this text, I want to explain why it was easier to start losing weight on January 1st than on October 13th. And why you're more likely to stick with it if you began on October 13th …
Have you ever wondered why we humans are so obsessed with new beginnings? What happens in our brains that makes us such easy targets for marketing campaigns around New Year's, the first day of school, or the anniversary of any of our achievements?
We are creatures of habit, yet we yearn for changes that feel predictable. These changes provide us with a sense of opportunity for growth and progress.
New beginnings, like the New Year, a birthday, or even the start of the week, awaken a sense of renewal and new opportunities. This phenomenon, known as the "fresh start effect," is deeply rooted in our psychology and influences our behaviors and decisions.
During new beginnings, our brain experiences heightened activity in its reward centers. The release of dopamine, the "happiness hormone," motivates us to embrace challenges and set new goals. Moreover, temporal milestones create a mental boundary between the past and the future, allowing us to leave past mistakes behind, forgive ourselves, and focus on new opportunities.
Katy Milkman and Angela Duckworth have researched how temporal milestones influence individual motivation. Their studies reveal that people are more likely to make life-improving decisions during such moments. This insight is invaluable for those of us in sales and marketing.
Milkman was the first to systematically study and empirically explain how our brains become obsessed with fresh starts due to several psychological and neurological reasons:
The decision to start the project was very easy, thanks to an analysis of the current state and the consequences to follow if the company failed to adapt to the market and consumer demands.
For nearly 15 years at FrodX, we've been selling projects and campaigns to our partners under the "Fresh start, fresh me." Over time, we've mastered leveraging these behavioral triggers, but I've never delved deeply into the science behind this phenomenon until now.
As marketing professionals, we understand why New Year's resolutions are potent motivators, why gym memberships are easier to sell in January than October, or why laptops for students fly off the shelves in September. Yet, some industries may still not recognize the opportunities the fresh start effect presents.
I believe the motivation to take out a new refinancing loan or reorganize an investment portfolio in January is far higher than during summer. However, financial institutions in our region are generally not yet marketing-savvy enough to exploit this effect—or perhaps they simply don't need to…
It's not just banks, funds, or insurance companies. Even retailers with loyalty programs and abundant customer data often fail to recognize the opportunities the fresh start effect provides. It's not just about New Year's or birthdays. Events like starting a new job, moving house, getting married, having a baby, buying a new car, or renovating an apartment can all represent fresh starts—perfect moments for emotionally charged purchases.
I hope you've picked up on my opening thesis about weight loss between the lines. If not, feel free to reach out—I know quite a bit about dieting. But I'd be even happier if our conversation revolved around our client solutions.
We sell software, but unlike others, we are also experts in consumer habits and human behavior. We believe this is the key to success in our client engagement solutions.