Back in the game

Tinder and a history of togetherness, a previously unreleased David Bowie demo, a softer side to the army and the new and improved Captain Birdseye.

Januari. Janerio. January. We feel your pain.

But just when you thought all hope was lost, enter: le cinéma. For nothing can wash away those mid-winter blues like sitting in a darkened room with a mass of complete strangers. The best new movies to see this month.

If there was anything that needed sexing up this year, it was fish fingers. Why, ahoy there Captain.

Since the dawn of time, humans have been yearning for a connection. At least, that’s the premise of Tinder’s latest ad, created in collaboration with production company, Spot. The 75 second film looks to reposition the app as a tool for romance and deeper connections – moving away from casual hook-ups.

Beautifully animated and divinely detailed for an indisputable swipe right.

As animation continues to thrive in ad land, Lecture in Progress take you behind the scenes of London-based Animade. Set up by childhood friends and co-founders, Tom Judd and James Chambers in 2011, the team invites you to explore their relaxed studio culture and enlightens us all on their commitment to nurturing talent.

Speaking of which, meet marketing’s rising stars.

‘Media agencies still have a decent cup run left in them’ says Blue 449 chief executive, Simon Davis of the industry shift. Laying out what he describes as ‘the watershed moment’, he tells campaign more.

Diversity in UK advertising; improving - but slowly. The IPA’s annual Diversity Survey reveals an encouraging picture in our great isle’s agencies, but we’ve still got a way to go before the industry reaches the targets it has set itself.

Greed. Corruption. Business. The new-age three amigos that are here to quite possibly destroy us all. The latest eye-opening documentary series courtesy of Netflix deals with the dastardly trio in the aptly named Dirty Money. Look out for the six-parter on your tellyboxes from January 26^th.

Good things happening in China. The country aims to plant new forests this year, an area roughly the size of Ireland, in efforts to improve the environment. Which begs the question, how polluted is your street?

IKEA’s marketing strategy really has gone down the pan.

Meanwhile, Diet Coke hopes a sleek rebrand and a plethora of new flavours can stop it fizzling out altogether.

News UK have been doing some digging. Conducting a programmatic blackout test for two hours in December, the company found 2.9 million bids per hour were made on fake inventory purporting to be New UK’s The Sun and The Times of London newspaper brands. In money talk, that’s $1 million a month lost in revenue.

Can I be gay in the army? What if I get emotional in the army? Just a few of the questions the UK Army’s new recruitment campaign looks to answer.

Already sparking debate before its release this weekend, the films’ softer messaging has been accused of neglecting those most likely to join up. Is this the right new direction for a new generation?

The phrase ‘Well, don’t you look just good enough to eat?’ just got sinister.

Places to go, people to see. 2018 is a whole new year for exploration; here’s your escapism starter kit.

Music. Celebrating what would have been David Bowie’s 71^st birthday this week, treat your earholes to a previously unreleased demo of the 1983 hit, Let’s Dance featuring the chart-topping Nile Rogers.

Dry January? The road is long. Luckily, David Schneider is here to help. Sort of.

Quit alcohol. Eat vegetables. Write emails. Open spreadsheets.Cry. Exercise. Cry again. To summarise, Hookworms’ latest music video.

Until next week, stay strong.