Why guilt-driven January messaging is backfiring

Every January, brands hit reset and roll out the same familiar script. Undo December, start again, fix yourself now. 

From fitness apps reminding you what you ‘missed’ over Christmas, to food brands framing January as damage control, the message is rarely subtle: you overindulged, you failed, and now it’s time to make amends. 

Even seemingly light-hearted streak reminders, from language-learning apps to step counters, can land as punitive in January. 

For years, this worked. January has long been treated as an open goal for marketers, a moment when people feel tired, indulgent and slightly regretful, and therefore more receptive to self-improvement messaging. But something has shifted. Audiences haven’t rejected wellness altogether; they’ve rejected being shamed into it. 

The cultural mood has changed, and guilt-driven January messaging is starting to feel less motivating and more manipulative. 

January has long been a prime month for marketers to tap into consumers' moments of regret.  

The rise and limits of the January guilt economy 

Guilt shows up in brand behaviour in predictable ways at the start of the year. Language around ‘undoing the holidays.’ Campaigns built on ‘no excuses.’ Apps pushing streaks, discipline and self-surveillance. Diet and fitness brands implying moral failure if you slip, miss a day, or eat the wrong thing. 

We’ve seen the backlash before. Peloton faced criticism in 2019 for ads that framed fitness as obligation rather than choice. Weight-loss platforms like Noom have been called out for messaging that leaned too heavily on behavioural guilt.  

Audiences are more fluent in recognising behavioural nudges and emotional pressure. 

Even seemingly light-hearted streak reminders, from language-learning apps to step counters, can land as punitive in January, when motivation is fragile. 

What’s changed isn’t just sensitivity; it’s awareness. Audiences are more fluent in recognising behavioural nudges and emotional pressure. They know when a brand is exploiting a low-confidence moment rather than supporting them through it.

Above: Noom was criticised in 2022 for guilt inducing messaging. In a more positive 2025 campaign, it introduced Rebel Wilson as its Chief Wellness Ambassador.

Social media has accelerated the backlash 

Social platforms amplify this effect. January feeds quickly fill with ‘What I eat in a day’ resets, gym transformation challenges, productivity checklists and optimisation culture, content that frames rest, softness or inconsistency as failure. 

Each January, TikTok sees renewed growth in anti-diet and anti-shame conversations. 

Alongside that surge is a visible counter-movement. Each January, TikTok sees renewed growth in anti-diet and anti-shame conversations, with creators openly critiquing toxic wellness tropes. Hashtags linked to softer wellness and slow-living trends, such as #softlife and #softliving, regularly amass millions of views on TikTok, indicating a strong audience interest in gentler approaches to wellbeing that contrasts with guilt-driven messaging.  

Reddit communities focused on anti-diet culture and realistic fitness similarly spike with posts pushing back against guilt-based narratives. 

Search behaviour tells its own story. While ‘new year, new me’ still appears, searches linked to burnout, overwhelm and broader wellbeing have grown over time, reaching higher levels by 2024 compared to previous years. People aren’t rejecting self-improvement; they’re rejecting punishment masquerading as motivation. 

Trends such as #softlife and #softliving regularly amass millions of views on TikTok, indicating a strong audience interest in gentler approaches to wellbeing. 

Why guilt no longer works 

Psychologically, guilt has always been a blunt tool. It can drive short-term compliance, but there are plenty of studies that show it rarely builds long-term trust or behaviour change. Many streak-based apps and January fitness programmes see sharp drop-off by the second or third week of the month, once the initial pressure wears off and real life resumes. 

Gen Z are quick to call out brands that rely on shame or moralising wellness language. 

More importantly, guilt fuels anxiety loops. It keeps people focused on what they haven’t done, rather than what’s achievable. In an environment already shaped by comparison culture and algorithmic pressure, that emotional load quickly becomes exhausting. 

Younger audiences, in particular, have little tolerance for it. Gen Z are quick to call out brands that rely on shame or moralising wellness language, often using stitches, duets and commentary to dismantle campaigns in real time. Once that narrative takes hold, credibility is hard to regain.