The start of a new year often prompts brands to pause and reflect, although that pause is usually brief and quickly replaced by activity, planning cycles and renewed energy around growth and direction. Strategy sessions are revisited, priorities are reassessed and ambitions are reframed under pressure to move forward.

Some of this momentum is necessary, particularly for organisations navigating change or uncertainty. However, progress rarely comes from motion alone. Without clarity and alignment, activity risks becoming performative rather than productive.

At True Story, we see brand progress through clarity and focus, rather tha scale alone. The brands that move forward with confidence are rarely the ones doing the most. They are the ones making clearer choices, aligning brand and business decisions more closely, and committing to fewer priorities with greater intent.

If brands were to set meaningful New Year’s resolutions, these are the ones that would genuinely support long-term growth.

What brands should leave behind

Performative behaviour disguised as progress

Sustainability, purpose and values have become central to brand narratives, but their widespread adoption has also led to a growing gap between what brands claim and what they are able to support through their actions. Greenwashing is one of the most visible symptoms of this, but it sits within a broader pattern of performative behaviour that prioritises appearance over substance.

Audiences are increasingly adept at spotting vague commitments and selective storytelling, and trust is easily undermined when external messaging feels disconnected from internal reality. This is particularly noticeable when values are celebrated publicly but inconsistently applied when decisions become difficult.

Talking about sustainability or purpose is not the issue. Doing so without clarity, evidence and internal alignment is. Credibility is built through specificity, honesty and follow-through, not through polished statements that exist independently of the business itself.

Faking culture instead of understanding it

Culture is often treated as something that can be packaged and presented, rather than something that emerges through behaviour, structure and shared experience. When the lived experience of employees does not align with the story being told, the disconnect is felt quickly and often extends beyond the organisation through customer interactions and reputation.

Culture has a habit of leaking, particularly when it is ignored or oversimplified. What happens internally inevitably shapes how a brand is perceived externally, whether that is intentional or not.

Gen Z has made this more visible. Their expectations around transparency, inclusion and purpose tend to expose gaps between stated culture and daily reality at speed. What is sometimes framed as resistance is more accurately a demand for coherence, and brands willing to listen often benefit from sharper thinking and more resilient cultures as a result.

Rather than attempting to manufacture culture, brands are better served by understanding what already exists and shaping it with intention.

Losing focus through distraction

The pressure to remain relevant has led many brands into a cycle of reaction, where trends, platforms and technologies are adopted without sufficient consideration of whether they align with brand strategy or customer needs. Chasing every new idea can create activity, but it rarely creates clarity.

The same applies to technology, particularly AI. While it offers genuine opportunities for efficiency and insight, it can also distract when tools are prioritised over principles. Strong brand building still depends on clear positioning, meaningful differentiation and a deep understanding of customers, regardless of how advanced the technology becomes.

Not every trend deserves a response, and not every innovation needs immediate adoption. Relevance is built through purpose and consistency, not constant reinvention.

What brands should commit to

Treating brand strategy as business strategy

One of the most persistent misconceptions within organisations is that brand sits downstream of business decisions, becoming relevant only once strategy has been set and plans are ready to be communicated. When brand is treated purely as a marketing function, its influence is limited to expression rather than direction.

In reality, brand strategy and business strategy are intrinsically linked. Decisions about growth, innovation, pricing, partnerships and culture all shape the brand, whether they are labelled that way or not. When these decisions are made without brand thinking at the table, misalignment often surfaces later as confusion in the market or internally.

Bringing brand into the boardroom allows it to act as a tool for clarity, helping leadership teams articulate what the business stands for, where it is heading and what it is prepared to prioritise. Over time, this alignment reduces friction and supports more coherent decision making.

Doing fewer things, better

Many brands struggle not because they lack ambition, but because their efforts are spread across too many initiatives, messages and platforms. An excess of activity can dilute meaning, making it harder for audiences to understand what the brand truly represents.

Focusing on fewer priorities allows for greater depth, consistency and learning, all of which contribute to stronger long-term performance. This approach requires restraint and confidence, particularly in environments where momentum is often mistaken for progress.

Brands that are willing to simplify tend to build recognition and trust more effectively over time.

Thinking big with smaller budgets

Budget constraints have a way of sharpening focus, forcing brands to make clearer decisions about where to invest time, energy and attention. Big thinking is not defined by scale alone, but by the strength of the idea and the confidence to commit to it.

Brands with limited resources often perform best when they concentrate on a clear point of view rather than attempting to replicate competitors with greater reach. Clarity remains one of the most valuable strategic advantages a brand can have, regardless of budget size.

Finding the next opportunity while staying true to brand truth

Growth often requires evolution, whether through new audiences, new offers or new markets. The challenge lies in moving forward without losing the essence of what made the brand meaningful in the first place.

Effective pivots build on existing strengths rather than abandoning them, ensuring that change feels intentional rather than reactive. When brands move too far from their core, they risk weakening recognition and eroding trust.

A clear understanding of brand truth provides both stability and flexibility, allowing organisations to explore new opportunities while remaining grounded in who they are.

Building meaningful partnerships

Partnerships can be a powerful way to extend reach and relevance when they are rooted in genuine alignment rather than visibility alone. The most effective collaborations are built on shared values, complementary strengths and a clear reason for existing.

When chosen carefully, partnerships can unlock new audiences, build trust and add depth to a brand story without requiring it to speak louder. When chosen poorly, they can feel opportunistic and confusing, diluting rather than strengthening brand equity.

Meaningful partnerships move beyond exposure by focusing on alignment, where audiences, ideas and values come together naturally.

Committing to long-term brand building

Brand building is often approached as a series of short-term initiatives designed to deliver immediate results, but the strongest brands are shaped through ongoing refinement rather than constant reinvention.

Taking a long-term view allows brands to build recognition, trust and relevance gradually, while still adapting to change in a considered way. Consistency, when paired with strategic intent, remains one of the most powerful drivers of brand value.

True Story’s perspective

If brands were to make one resolution that genuinely matters, it would be to focus on alignment across every aspect of the business. Alignment between brand and business strategy. Alignment between internal culture and external expression. Alignment between ambition and action.

The brands that endure are not necessarily the most visible or the most reactive, but the ones that are clear about who they are, disciplined in how they evolve and honest in how they show up over time. That clarity creates trust, supports sustainable growth and allows brands to move forward with confidence rather than noise.

At True Story, we help brands shape their strategy for the long term, working closely with teams to clarify who they are, integrate brand thinking into business strategy, build values-led narratives and create emotionally resonant customer experiences that feel relevant today and enduring over time.

This is where your True Story begins.

FAQ

A brand New Year’s resolution is a strategic commitment focused on long-term clarity, alignment and growth, rather than short-term visibility or campaign activity.
Brand strategy shapes how a business competes, behaves and creates value. When it is separated from business strategy, decision making often becomes fragmented and inconsistent.
By grounding decisions in brand truth and customer understanding, and engaging selectively with trends that genuinely support long-term strategy.
Meaningful partnerships are built on shared values and complementary strengths, with a clear reason for existing beyond exposure or short-term attention.
By anchoring change in a clear understanding of brand truth, allowing brands to explore new opportunities while remaining recognisable and trusted.

Brand New Year’s Resolutions: What Brands Should Leave Behind and What They Should Commit To

What brands should leave behind

Performative behaviour disguised as progress