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It's a wonder this furniture store hasn't featured a puppy called Little Barker in any of its ad campaigns before - especially considering it's been trading with Barker in its name for 80 years. Still, Barker & Stonehouse has now introduced us to the four-legged star of its autumn campaign. We're not sure exactly which breed he is, but a whippet/lurcher type is likely - and very sweet he is.

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Foster's lager is back on TV with echoes of a long-running campaign as the brand continues its long-running association with comedy. This is not an easy thing to achieve given all the constraints placed on alcohol advertising by the regulators who seem to want us to think there's nothing funny about drinking beer. Foster's have always begged to differ, and they seem to have landed an absolute corker.

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If you are going to use a weary advertising trope then you had better inject it with some adrenaline, and that's exactly what has happened in this marvellous Australian ad for P&N Bank. It centres on a 'big bank boss' having a road to Damascus moment as he watches the advertised financial institution's staff interacting with customers, lamenting in song the way his bank lost touch after closing its last branch.

Trailer

There's a very interesting running order in the telling of this story, and it's hard to know whether it was in the script from the start or it was a decision taken once it had been filmed... whichever it is, it is the making of the film. Because of it, the explanation for the strangeness of what we are witnessing is withheld until the viewer is fully invested in the drama.

New Signing

Somesuch has signed writer-director Naqqash Khalid to its roster. Khalid arrives with a body of work led by 'In Camera', his restless debut feature about a British-Pakistani actor trapped in a cycle of auditions and compromises. The move follows two 2026 shorts: the fiction film 'Flint' and the Riz Ahmed-led Hamlet documentary 'The Name of Action'.

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This Kia ad makes us want to throw our laptop off a Swedish mountain and escape into the woods with only a tent and dog.

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The most important contribution made to this ad by husband-and-wife directing team Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold is their names. Their flair, charisma and skill were surplus to requirements for an idea that doesn't really get beyond 'some rich, stylish people move up through a building in a lift'. To be fair, that makes it par for the course in the realm of very expensive fashion-based accessories, such as Patek Philippe watches.

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This gloriously bonkers fever dream of an ad makes us wish the protagonist had actually made it to the gig - especially if she'd rocked up on the bus with the woman holding the fish. Completing her journey would, of course, eliminate the need for the very brand the ad is for - fan-to-fan ticket resale platform Tixel. Alas. Still, we're grateful Tixel allowed the creative team at Pork Store Productions to indulge in some of their most surreal ideas.

New Signing

Electric Theatre Collective has hired art director and 3D artist Flora Macleod to join its expanding design operation. She will work alongside creative director Will Denning and strategy director James Britton, bringing experience across CG animation, immersive installations, and research-led visual work after a spell at Optical Arts.

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What’s the must-have Christmas toy for 2026? Hydra Haaland, of course! Before anyone makes a complete arse of themselves down Smyths, Hamleys, or The Entertainer, Hydra Haaland only exists in a Nike commercial directed by Will Norman, who nails the look and sound of a 90s toy ad. Based on Norway and Manchester City* striker Erling Haaland, the action figure is activated by water instead of a whistle.

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Inspired by a photograph of the graduation ceremony for a group of newly qualified doctors outside the ruins of a Gazan hospital, this commercial hits hard. In 2023, the medics stood defiantly for the photo despite the Al-Sharif Hospital behind them having been destroyed by bombs. It was an arresting image. Now, UK charity Medical Aid for Palestinians has paid profound tribute by reconstructing the event.

New Signing

Henry has added Jonathan Steuer to its roster, with the French writer-director and stage director now represented commercially across France and Europe. Steuer moves between advertising, music videos, short films, and live performance, with choreography central to much of his output. That approach has carried him from experimental dance projects into increasingly narrative work.

New Signing

Pulse Films has signed South London writer-director Thea Gajic for commercials and music videos. She arrives after taking her first feature, 'Surviving Earth', from its SXSW world premiere to a UK and Irish cinema release, while also moving further into advertising with a new campaign for Transport for London.

Promo

Irish comedian Anna Clifford plays The Woman Who Laughs in a bloody promo for Gurriers' 'Waiting for Fisher', terrorising performers at a dire open mic night.

Ranked

Quality in Kim Gehrig's work is rarely ornamental. Her command of choreography, performance, music and editing repeatedly gives an idea physical form, whether the subject is personal freedom, social prejudice or product design. This countdown favours films where that craft meets cultural significance, revealing a director adept at making commercial communication feel immediate, humane and alive.

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In a new campaign for Kwik-Fit, the public is encouraged to use the time they spend waiting at the motoring repair outlet to have a Kwik Chat as part of an initiative designed to improve mental well-being. This is not a brand that obviously lends itself to an idea like this, and there would have been a temptation to compensate for this by adopting a very conventional approach for the marketing of it.