report

Commentary

It's 2011: Ready, Set, Go!

Welcome to a new decade and to January, the namesake month of Janus, the Roman god of beginnings and endings who is depicted as having two heads: one head looks back at the past, the other looks forward to the future -- a fitting symbol, as New Year's is the traditional time for people to reflect on changes they want to make for the coming year.

But as we're not big fans on looking backwards, we put our predictive, leading-indicator engagement and loyalty metrics to work to identify the Top 10, authentic resolutions for 2011. These measure NOT what people say they're going to do, but what they will do -- just like in brand research, where consumers saying something and actually doing something are two very, very different things.

People who actually make resolutions are 10 times more likely to change than those with the same goals who don't actively make a resolution. This year's list -- and predicted outcome as rated in a recent Brand Keys survey -- looks like this:

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1. Get yourself organized (89%)

2. Do things that make you happy (85%)

3. Learn something new (74%)

4. Exercise more (63%)

5. Watch your diet (58%)

6. Find a new job (50%)

7. Better manage your finances (45%)

8. Spend more time with your family (43%)

9. Quit smoking (30%)

10. Quit drinking (18%)

Yes, resolutions are more easily made than kept, but people are able to maintain their resolve pretty well. More than 75% maintain their resolutions past the first week, 64% are still going strong after a month, and nearly half the people who have made a resolution are able to maintain it for more than six months. It's a sign that people can successfully change their behavior -- a lesson for us all.

Of course, a new year is neither an end or a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us. We look forward to joining you!

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