Moody’s Marketing Round Up January 2026

Now that the wrapping paper has settled and everyone’s resolutions are firmly forgotten, it’s time to put our marketing lenses back on and start taking stock of some of the marketing trends that are defining the start of our year! It’s Moody’s Marketing Round Up for January 2026! 

Let’s start at the local level!

It’s Getting Hot In Here

The local NDP hopped on two bandwagons this month, focusing on the public frustrations about the cost of home heating and the smash hit Heated Rivalry. Gotta say, we’re impressed! We also hope the party keeps going with these clever, timely posts, because we could all use a little humour in the midst of this never-ending news cycle. 

The Gift That Kept on Giving

One of the best gifts we got just before the holidays hit was a social media trend that had us gagging Every. Single. Time. We saw it. Women giving other women rocks from the backyard, while excitedly rambling about the hundreds and even thousands of dollars they spent on those rocks from Anthropologie. The joy was in the varied reactions of confused and angry husbands and fathers looking on or even railing against this “latest home decor trend.”

Trust me when I say there are at least a few men in our lives who would have fallen face first into this prank. The only thing better than a $500 (ON SALE!) rock is how the typically-serious retailer handled having their names attached. 

What’s incredible (and admirable) is Anthropologie didn’t complain it was being dragged into this trend. Instead they got right on the bandwagon - a risk, especially for a brand that’s known to be slightly more conservative. The company set up store displays of rocks and added price tags, helping some women make the joke right in retail locations. They also released an on-theme advent calendar on their social media. Good on ya Anthropologie, for playing along. But it paid off as women all over Instagram cackled through the holiday season. 

The Party of a Lifetime

This isn’t a new company, but it’s the first time we’ve heard of them and so we’re applauding their whimsy and their conviction that no industry is too serious to have a little fun. The name of Australia’s-own The Last Hurrah Funerals will make most people either cringe or chuckle. But digging deeper, it’s a really authentic way for the company to show off its values right there in the name. The Last Hurrah offers reasonably-priced, authentic funeral experiences that celebrate the lives of loved ones who have passed. Founding partners Nastassia Jones and Kimba Griffith started the business with the belief that funerals should represent the people who have passed, whether that’s secular or atheist ceremonies, no fuss or extravagant celebrations, or whatever the deceased would have wanted. 

All this is obvious in the name, which is why we always remind clients to think long and hard before taking the most obvious route when picking a business name. 

A Sign of The Times

As AI art becomes an industry standard in marketing, you’re going to start seeing a lot more anti-design. This is a trend we’re watching closely because it could affect your marketing in the near term - especially if you’re taking a stance against the polished, if slightly unhinged, look of AI design.  Anti-design is the trend of using childlike linework, layered compositions like you’d see in collage, and complexity in the form of wobbly lines and hand-written, imperfect text. Designers are effectively making the imperfections the focal point. The idea is the streamlined, perfected work created by AI will become recognizable as slop. 

Death to Stock has certainly been talking about those trends if you’d like to follow along on Instagram and learn a little more about the marketing and design approach. 

Junk Food Rules

In astonishing marketing news, you’re not going to be able to advertise for junk food anymore in the UK. This ban will stop advertisements of products high in fat, salt and sugar before 9pm on TV or anytime online. 

Companies will be allowed to market themselves – McDonald’s can advertise as a restaurant for example – but not specific products, such as a Big Mac. 

Of course this type of “awareness marketing” will make advertising more complicated and less effective for smaller businesses, but failure to comply risks action by the British Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

We’ll be keeping an eye on this one! 

A Penguin’s Legacy

Finally, sneaking this item from last year just under the wire. Last year, Penguin Books celebrated its 90th anniversary. 

Of course the evolution of the logo is remarkable, but so is this piece from Creative Boom, which explains how Penguin created and standardized a typographic rhythm that makes today’s books infinitely more readable, regardless of who is publishing them! The idea that good design should remove friction and not just add flourish shouldn’t have been revolutionary, but it was! Have a read and discover this delicious dip into history! 

“That belief – that typography is fundamentally about human connection – underpins every era of Penguin's output, from the humanist geometry of Gill Sans to the crisp modernism of Helvetica, to the expressive post-modern shifts that arrived with cultural change in the late 20th Century.”

Wrapping Up Moody’s Marketing Wrap Up!

OK this was a long one, but this month has also felt like 273 days. As always, if you spot some stunning, surprising, or stupendous marketing news, send it along. And if you want to hash out your next marketing strategy, let’s chat!