What the world gave us in 2025; the IC edition

It’s that time of year again. Christmas lights, questionable jumpers, mild panic about how it’s suddenly CHRISTMAS. So for our final blog of 2025, we’re once again doing what any sensible internal comms agency would do at this time of year…

A Christmas/New Year mash-up. Deep breath, everyone, you’re in a for a festive ride…

On the first month of 2025 the world gave us:

A major new OpenAI model update, which sent the internet into a frenzy about whether AI would now be writing our holiday cards, emails - or even our wills.

January also delivered classic UK winter chaos: sideways rain, wind warnings, and weather clips circulating faster than the weather itself.

For us: it was a busy start to the year, continuing our government work inside an innovation hub solving some of the UK’s biggest challenges - work that feels so meaningful and that we truly love.

On the second month of 2025 the world gave us:

A Grammy night where Beyoncé broke yet another record, and Taylor Swift proved (again) she can release an album at breakfast and win an award by lunch. The clip everyone seemed to share was a TikTok explainer that somehow made ‘Slime Your Homeboy Day’ the most unexpected UK trend of February.

For us: half-term chaos - oh the juggle of holidays and the 9-5 - lots of work, and our February blog - AI in Internal Comms: learning from the experts - which grounded us in clarity amid the noise. 

Beyonce, of course.

On the third month of 2025 the world gave us:

The month kicked off with the Oscars, where so many movies took home awards - and we hadn’t watched any of them - and the unwatched the list remains. Then came the eclipse - a rare lunar show that had half the UK standing outside in the cold, holding up phones that absolutely failed to capture what the sky was actually doing.

For us: We also began a new project with a much-loved client to help build a pitch deck for their global Board. A last-minute request for a video added a touch of drama, but the result was brilliant - this was one of our favourite pieces of work from early 2025.

On the fourth month of 2025 the world gave us:

Another surge of cost-of-living headlines, with UK inflation ticking up to 3.5% (4.1% CPIH) - prompting the national refrain: “Sorry… how much?”

Our April blog, The neuroscience of effective internal communication (Part One), explored why some messages stick and others evaporate - the first half of a two-part series that became one of our most-read pieces of the year.

For us: We celebrated Easter by eating too much chocolate and then attempting balance by starting Couch to 5K as a team. Sophie remained deep in her tennis era. (In hindsight, the running could have used a little more enthusiasm.)

On the fifth month of 2025 the world gave us:

Eurovision in Switzerland! Europe glittered, the UK did… not win. (Not quite “nil points”, but also not a trophy-in-a-cab-home situation.)

Taylor Swift wrapped the Asian leg of the Eras Tour, and economists everywhere insisted she was still single-handedly propping up GDP.

Our blog that month - Are you leading internal comms, or just managing information? -  was a good one. It challenged the “busy = effective” mindset and explored why leadership in IC isn’t about volume, but about interpretation, clarity and influencing what people do with the messages they receive.

On the sixth month of 2025 the world gave us:

Sunshine, and heat alerts, and the perennial British question: “How good is your fan and what brand is it?” Glastonbury prep dominated for a bit, and the annual wellies-or-no-wellies debate was in full swing.

June was also IoIC Festival time. Kate and Grace spoke at the event, officially launching Co:Lab, our highly collaborative challenge-solver - and it was energising, joyful and full of brilliant people.

We also published How to stop losing the culture you worked so hard to build, a reminder that culture doesn't collapse in a day; it unravels slowly when we stop noticing the small things.

For us: Cosy Meerkat turned seven, celebrated with a garden lunch and team planning session where we each took on new strategic priorities for the year ahead. And, of course, Grace turned 40, which we honoured with appropriate enthusiasm.

On the seventh month of 2025 the world gave us:

The Oasis tour, which finally kicked having been long-awaited and long-talked about since tickets were released, sending ticketing platforms, group chats and pub debates into meltdown.

And, of course, it wouldn’t be the start of the summer holidays without a bit of travel chaos. UK airports saw the usual poorly-timed disruption - long queues, delayed flights, and the kind of terminal-wide confusion only July can deliver. A seasonal classic.

The Lionesses lifted the nation with their EURO 2025 qualifier win over the Republic of Ireland -  a performance that had the country dreaming big again.

For us: Kate sailed through Scotland; Sophie swapped drizzle for Spanish sunshine - both making the most of Cosy Meerkat’s flexibility and doing brilliant work wherever they happened to be.

Euro 2025 - Lionesses qualifier win

On the eighth month of 2025 the world gave us:

Peak British summertime chaos - more airports functioning as escape rooms, motorways full of flip-flops and roof boxes, and beaches doing their best impression of wind tunnels. 

London brought the colour: as usual, Notting Hill Carnival lit up the bank holiday weekend, with music, movement and the kind of energy that reminds you why the UK’s biggest street festival matters so much. 

For us: Grace took some much-earned time off towards the end of the month, enjoying proper family time (finally). And in the Pentony household, the real headline was Alma’s arrival - a beautiful fox-red Lab who we’ve all fallen madly in love with.

On the ninth month of 2025 the world gave us:

A beautiful lunar eclipse, with people across the UK standing in gardens and on doorsteps once again to watch the Earth’s shadow sweep across the Moon. 

It was also the month we shared our blog, The neuroscience of habit: how small IC tweaks can drive big behaviour change - a piece that got great traction across our community on LinkedIn and a reminder that real change rarely comes from big statements, but from the small, consistent moments that shape how people behave.

For us: September was a proper reset. Back to school, back to work, and we officially all began using our new co-working space at The Village in central Farnham. It felt brilliant to be back together after a summer spent scattered across maps, time zones and weather systems. We also kicked off a couple of hefty new government projects, while continuing the retainer work we love with long-standing clients.

On the tenth month of 2025 the world gave us:

A really powerful soundtrack for the month. The UK Singles Chart was pure gold: Taylor Swift’s The Fate of Ophelia reclaiming Number 1 in mid-October, Alex Warren’s Ordinary still holding its place as the biggest song of the year, and Olivia Dean’s Man I Need plus Huntr/x’s Golden making everything feel like a montage. A strong month for music lovers.

For us: It was a big month too. We hit a billing milestone, which felt quietly (and loudly) brilliant - proof of a year of hard work, partnerships we love, and clients who trust us. Our Triple Take newsletter also hit an all-time high in opens and engagement, which made our little comms hearts very happy.

It was a blustery, brilliant and busy month!

K-Pop Demon Hunters, we love you too!

On the eleventh month of 2025 the world gave us:

Disney’s Zootopia 2 (Zootropolis 2) - finally, and Wicked: For Good too, bringing big Broadway energy and even bigger vocals to cinemas. 

Collins Dictionary revealed its Word of the Year for 2025: “vibe coding” - a phrase capturing how we’re blending instinct, pattern and digital intuition in our everyday language. That feels about right for a year where tone and context matter more than ever.

For us: Sophie tried her hand at darts for the first time at an early Christmas party - and was remarkably good, though her unique technique (aiming with one hand, throwing with the other) was, quite frankly, hilarious… but undeniably effective.

And finally, on the twelfth month of 2025 the world gave us:

The Christmas advert season! Dawn French returned once again as the voice of Sainsbury’s festive campaign - a familiar, comforting signal that the holidays were officially underway. And Keira Knightley fronted Waitrose’s glossy, cinematic Christmas ad, sparking the usual national debate: heartwarming magic, or wildly unrealistic kitchen cleanliness? (We’re saying both.)

For us: it’s been a crazy busy month, building up for a huge Deepfake Detection Challenge Live26 event in January, supporting another client to rebrand, finalising a culture and inclusion project, kicking off a Discovery for a new client and so much more. 

We welcomed clients and friends to drinks in our Farnham office, the food and wine was divine, and the company even better.

And we have enjoyed other festive frolics with clients for which we’re super grateful. 

And so we finish 2025…

With gratitude, relief, a mince pie, and a glass of something bubbly. Thank you to all the brilliant people we’ve worked with, talked to, or bumped into at events this year.

Here’s to 2026, a year we’re convinced will be full of good work, good people, and good energy.

Merry Christmas from the Cosy Meerkat team.