What can an Ox, a Monkey, a Pig and a Dog teach us about doing business in the Year of the Snake?
Happy New Year of the Snake.
Today, it's tough...for everyone.
The advertising and communications industries - service providers and clients alike - are facing major upheavals across the world.? In 2024 we lost some of the world's oldest and most famous names in advertising. Holding companies are consolidating at a fast pace leaving the small and medium sized agencies struggling to get noticed.? People are getting laid off and there's a huge pressure on people still in jobs to over-deliver.? Financial transparency is a hot topic with company offices getting raided and whistleblowers going public with unconfirmed allegations.? Clients are taking much, much longer to make decisions on who to work with and every job is now a pitch, which both increases costs for agencies, slows down cash-flow and slows down sales growth for the brands too. ?C-level management are getting more involved in makings marketing-related, slowing everything down as they focus on cost-cutting while pushing for more bang for their buck.
New technologies such as generative AI are changing the way companies make stuff, companies advertise stuff, companies sell stuff and how people buy stuff. Change is happening every 6 months, faster than a snake can shed its skin.? The demand - both push and pull - for sustainability and zero-carbon products and services is putting more pressure on everyone and challenging even the most iconic brands to change: think the Electric Vehicle car category and the recent Jaguar rebranding.
And there are the 'new' trends we've been addressing for the past few years: political tensions, mental wellbeing, circular economies, digital transformation, more customer-focus, personalisation, new social platforms, the impending death of COOKIES, yet another iPhone and even the increase in B2B-eCommerce.
So what does 2025 - the Year of the Wood Snake - hold in store for us?
The Chinese New Year is a time for families - and businesses - to gather together, catch up, eat and reflect on what's past and look forward to what is coming.? Most people know that the Chinese zodiac plays a big role at this time of year as people turn to fortune tellers and the like to see if the Year of the Snake bodes well for them.?
I have spent some time researching how the Year of the Snake can inspire us all as we kick off what is going to be a challenging year for all businesses - and especially the service industries like the advertising and communications agencies.
2025 welcomes the Year of the Snake - the Wood Snake - a combination that occurs once every 60 years.
Words commonly associated with the Snake include wisdom, intelligence, transformation, energy, change, resilience, self-reliance, insightfulness, leadership.
Wood adds elements of creativity, stability, collaboration and growth.
The independent yet charismatic Snake is seen as highly intelligent, very wise and passionate.? Snake is a self-reliant leader who inspires others and prefers to think before they act. The ambitious Snake sets high goals (think KPIs) and works hard to achieve them. Snake is resourceful, combining a high degree of creativity with flexibility, making it easier for them to find innovative solutions to the most difficult of challenges...and they hate to fail, but if they do they bounce back fast and move swiftly on.
Good matches for Snake include Ox, Monkey and Rooster. One of the least desirable matches is Pig.
It is common for each of the other 11 signs of the Chinese zodiac to have different opportunities and challenges thrown at them each year based on the combination of the animal zodiac sign of the year of their birth and the Year that is been celebrated.? Myself, for example, as a Sheep can expect Snake to be a better year than 2024 based on combining the innovative thinking of Sheep with the creativity and hard work ethic of Snake.
What help is this to businesses looking to grow, succeed or just survive 2025??
I took a slightly different look at the whole zodiac thing.? I worked out how old four countries are and then researched how, based on their zodiac year, these countries may fare in the Year of the Snake, with the aim of offering some inspiration or new insights to our business communities as we move forward in to the Snake.
BEST MATCH #1 - OX: The People's Republic of China AND The Republic of Ireland were both born in the year of the OX (1949) and both turn 76 years old in 2025.?
The People's Republic of China was founded on October 1st 1949 and the Republic of Ireland on December 6th 1949 and if your born in 1949 then you are an Ox or Bull.
OX: cooperative, reliable, attentive, meticulous, patient, enthusiastic, inspiring...quick-tempered at times.
The Ox is acknowledged as being patient and inspiring, giving confidence to others.? Ox tends to be good company and is quite easy going, but may be quick to anger.? Ox is a beast of few words and although seldom speaks, is quite eloquent when they do. Ox is mentally and physically alert and others will be looking to Ox for insights and inspiration.
The good news is Ox is one of the best matches for Snake. Ox and Snake make great partners.
2025 looks like it will be a good, stable and prosperous year for a positive-minded Ox.? The opportunities are there for an inspired Ox to welcome innovation, grab the bull by the horns and succeed.
BEST MATCH #2 - MONKEY: The USA - born on the 4th July 1776 - the Year of the Monkey
Monkey, along with Ox, is one of the best matched signs with Snake.
MONKEY: charming, intelligent, well-rounded, witty, achievers, great influencers, humble, helpful, enthusiastic, quick learners with excellent memories.
But of course this is the USA and so it's not just any old Monkey - it's a FIRE MONKEY, the kind who likes to know everything that is going on around them, can be very dominant, self-assured and forceful and who can be totally argumentative and very, very stubborn when angered.
Monkey is a clever decision maker and a great risk taker but may lack trust and may lose their temper quickly.
2025 offers to be a great year for Monkey offering financial stability and growth through great networking and tapping in to new opportunities. ?Open communication is key for Monkey in '25.? Hard work, intelligent & strategic thinking, strengthening bonds with partners and more collaboration should result in better business results.? Meeting new people and getting involved in new business and social circles will pay off.?
Monkey has the potential for good business results meaning that the possible returns could be more than just peanuts.
WORST MATCH: PIG: The United Kingdom was, in 1707, born in the Year of the Pig
Taking the date 1st May 1707, when the final ratification of the Acts of Union established the United Kingdom, this puts the UK at turning 318 years old and as a PIG.
PIG: honest, kind, peaceful, optimistic, creative, stable, popular, considerate, collaborative, genuine, caring, social, balance and harmony.
Pig is seen as one of the least lucky signs to pair with Snake.? But it's not all bad news.
2025 for Pig is all about embracing creativity and finding balance.
The Snake promises Pig progress, stability and growth and will offer good opportunities for relationship building.? In order to enjoy success Pig is encouraged to remain optimistic and play-up to their caring nature. Pigs can also work their social skills and grow their circles of influence.? Despite the fact Snake demands hard work, Pigs enjoy a good work-life balance that includes adequate rest and ridding their lives of negativity.
2025 will be a very creative year for Pig.?
The combination of Pig's creativity, caring aspect and social skills will definitely help them bring home the bacon.
And a final note on Ireland
Ireland celebrates a second birthday - the 6th December, 1922 with the ratification of the Anglo-Irish treaty establishing the Irish Free State - meaning Ireland also turns 103 in 2025 and as such is a DOG (as is France: 1958)....so
DOG: honest, reliable, friendly, protective, encouraging, deeply loyal, leaders, stubborn, erratic...maybe sharp tongued.
2025 will be a good year for Dog where we can expect stability and new opportunities for growth, but it will be hard work and stressful at times. We will face challenges but - if we trust our instincts and stay true to our values of loyalty and honesty - we will be able to overcome many of them.? Dog should focus on long-term financial security and not waste money and should invest wisely and pay more attention to mental wellbeing.
Dog should remain resilient, work hard, communicate and co-operate with partners more to make sure that when it comes to finding the best opportunities, Dog is not barking up the wrong tree.
The Year of the Snake threatens to be a challenging one for everyone but there are positives:? Snake is wise and open to change, Ox is collaborative and inspiring,? Dog resilient and hard-working, Monkey intelligent with influence while Pig is creative and? social.
2025 will celebrate those who chose creativity, embrace change and plan for growth. This is the year when we need to be smart Snake Smart I call it - #SnakeSmart - and focus on using our brains more: do more research, understand customers more, analyse more data, set better KPIs, work hard to a long-term plan and not just focus on short term sales. Maybe this year is the year to embrace new tech and new platforms.? Now is the time to really understand how best to use AI in your business planning (research tools, data analytics), communications (creativity, content) and processes (data tracking, streamlining logistics etc).? Don't be afraid of what's coming.? Be like the Snake: wait, think, plan, act...and bounce back.
Snake is looking like it can be a good year for Ox (China & Ireland), there's positives for Dog (Ireland),? good news for Monkey (the USA) and there are some great pointers there for Pig (The U.K.)
Snake is the year to dust off your brains, embrace a growth mindset, get talking to more people, get creative, work hard and find a new balance.
Hit me up for more insights to motivate and inspire businesses in 2025.
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