Let’s Go To The Movies

It probably won’t surprise you to read that I love films (I did PR for movies earlier in my career, the likes of Scream, Con Air, Jackie Brown, Armageddon, Good Will Hunting) and I LOVE going to the cinema. Particularly my local cinema, The Odyssey, in St Albans. So, it was more than just a ‘moment’ to go see Danny Boyle and Alex Garland’s latest 28 Years Later instalment the other night and see the ad for our new book, Trusted Advertising. It’s a very special feeling to know something you worked on is being promoted to an audience up on the big screen.

A huge thank you to our friends at Pearl & Dean for making this happen. They know a thing or two about trusted advertising – just check out their brilliant Wild Spaces initiative for a stellar example of brand partnership and, of course, the many great ads that appear before the trailers at every show. As we cover in the book, cinema is one of the many different channels offering great advertising opportunities that people can really enjoy. When the creative delivers, as our latest trust research shows, that enjoyment of an ad is a real positive boost for people’s trust in advertising.

 The film was pretty awesome too. Nia Costa’s direction has elevated the story once again, with a fantastic mix of humour and horror, all set to a soundtrack that delivers surprise after surprise. It’s arrived too late for the Bafta’s this weekend, where I’ll be rooting for the best film of 2025, Sinners! What will you be voting for? 

Our must reads:

• The eight principles for ad practitioners to use AI responsibly are explained by Mark Lund, deputy chair of the Online Advertising Taskforce and chair of ASBOF. (Campaign)
• Find out how you can double down on trust in both your brand and your advertising in my piece for WARC, featuring the findings from our new Trusted Advertising (WARC)
• ISBA has updated their advice on propriety media in their new guidance as part of their Media Services Framework. (Campaign)
• Ad Net Zero have launched the Young Leaders Guide to Building Sustainability into Everyday Business Practice to help organisations embed sustainability into their work and culture. (LBB)

Our pick of the ads:

• Our Ad in the A is AMV BBDO’s ‘The Power to Quit is in Your Hands’ to promote the NHS Quit Smoking app and Personal Quit Plan for the Department for Health and Social Care.
• Tesco has marked the Lunar New Year with a fold your own horse newspaper takeover of the Mirror, Express, Star and other titles with Reach.
• Leith have emphasised the importance of talking to your kids about the impact of misogynistic content in ‘Scottish Government Against Violence Against Women’ for the Scottish Government.
• Ogilvy PR have taken over football pitches to mark the return of the ‘Made to Share’ bars for Cadbury.

Dates for your diary:

• There is not long left of Outernet London’s Ads of the Year exhibition! Ending on Sunday, you can count down 68 of the country’s favourite ads all in one place.
• On 25 February at 11am we will co-host a webinar with the ASA to reveal the results of the latest wave of the ASA campaign. Click here to register now.
• Enter our Young Lions Competition and win the chance to represent the UK in the Global Young Lions Competition, part of Cannes Lions. Register here by 27 February to take part.
• Get your tickets now for Future of Brands on 29 April at 180 Strand. AA members can get a 30% discount by using the code AA30 or booking through this link.
• Early bird tickets are selling fast for our Media Business Course, taking place from 7-10 July. Learn about the art and craft of media planning from the best in the business. Book your place here.

And finally… registration for this year’s UK Young Lions Competition closes for entry next Friday (February 26). My colleagues, Phoebe and Suzanne, run this competition each year as a part of our role as UK reps for the festival to find 12 young UK creatives to head to the festival this summer and compete in the Global Young Lions Competition. If you’re aged 18-30, or know someone in that age range you think should be taking part, full details on how to take part are here.