Podcast
Behind The Billboard
Hosted by Dan Dawson, Hugh Todd · EN
A podcast series behind the people, posters, and preposterous ideas that have changed the landscape of Out-of-Home advertising.
23episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Episode 108 - James Millers
1w ago01:27:17Tap to summarizeVisuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-108-james-millers Episode #108 features James Millers, newly appointed ECD at McCann London. We’ve been wanting to get James on the show for ages now and were pleased to catch him before starting his new role. James has won every major award going … 23 Cannes Lions, 9 D&AD pencils, 26 One Show and more. And many of these awards are for OOH. We started with Lucozade and a campaign showing how the drink gives you the edge in a 50/51 challenge. We thought Spurs could do with a few bottles of this ;-) Next BHF and the ‘When you least expect it’ campaign - a long copy, campaign talking to punters in high dwell time moments. A lovely tone of voice here, describing how a heart attack can happen anytime, anyplace. We went onto the beach with Surfers Against Sewage and heard how James had to dig a deep hole in the sand to make the work happen. And then the main course, McDonald’s. It’s incredible the sheer quantity and quality of work James (and ex long term partner Andrew Long) wrote and presided over during their eight years together at Leo’s, leading to McDonald’s being named "Brand of the Year" by Campaign magazine. In 2023/24 alone, McDonalds won over 100 awards. We could have featured any number of brilliant Macca’s campaigns, but James narrowed it down to three: McDelivery, Iconic stacks and the Emoji’s campaigns. All three belters with great backs stories. We closed on another banger, Kellogg’s The OG, which won awards galore and put Kellogg’s back on the creative map. Thanks James so much for coming on the show. We loved it. Good luck in your new role. Thanks also to Jon for the edit, Adrian and all the gang at Soho Radio and of course huge gratitude to all our sponsors, who make the show possible: Bauer Media Outdoor View2Fill Super Optimal GAS Music
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Episode 107 - Alice Goodrich
3w ago01:13:49Tap to summarizeVisuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-107-alice-goodrich Episode #107 features the wonderful, multi-talented Alice Goodrich from VCCP. We spent a lovely hour discussing Alice’s county-level tennis career, her time as a Dior makeup artist, her stint as an internal comms assistant for the British Army and how she served as a stand-in for Gary Barlow of Take That. And incredibly, we found time to discuss her brilliant advertising career :-) We talked at length about Cadbury’s Dairy Milk "Made to Share" campaign which is a huge favourite of ours. The campaign, which Alice wrote with Tom Lee, has won gongs galore and is currently running in your local super market. Just head for the choccy section, like Hugh did before the show, to see headlines on bars which double as mini billboards, the wrappers telling stories of everyday life where generous souls are deemed worthy of the largest share of the chocolate. At a basic level, it’s a pack shot with a few words on, but once you start reading, you get pulled in. It’s incredibly engaging, satisfying, more-ish … much like the chocolate inside. It feels redolent of the first Uncommon BA campaign (500+ executions) in that you just want to see more, being rewarded over and over with great writing. Other brands, clients and members of the public (and this podcast) have started doing their own versions of the wrappers. Once your idea has gone into modern culture, you know you’re onto a winner. Huge congratulations to all involved at VCCP, and the team at BulletProof design. We also managed to squeeze in: Bournville, Johnnie Blonde, Dua Lipa, Alice’s Dad, Tony Cullingham, Watford College, Wimbledon, Pavement art, Cannes Lions and a few tasty flapjacks. Thanks so much Alice, for so much! Thanks also to Jon for the edit, Adrian and all the gang at Soho Radio and of course huge gratitude to all our sponsors, who make the show possible: Bauer Media Outdoor View2Fill Super Optimal GAS Music
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Episode 106 - Franki Goodwin
Mar 2701:17:29Tap to summarizeVisuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-106-franki-goodwin Episode #106 features the brilliant Franki Goodwin, Chief Creative Officer of Saatchi & Saatchi, London. And is hands down one of our favourite episodes yet. Hugely talented, humble, funny, smart, generous, collaborative and many other things, Franki was ace. We started with British Heart Foundation and discovered how the footy murals campaign came about, which in itself is a great story, esp the casting for the huge wall paintings, which had to come from photos from the families and then brought to life in sensitive but photo realistic fashion by Global Street Art. Then there was ‘Benches’ the follow up campaign, which came from a placement team who went on to see their idea come to life across the country in the form of 65 benches to commemorate those still living, thanks to BHF. The work earned the team their first job at Saacthi’s. Congratulations Lucy Norie & Hannah Underwood. That is an amazing achievement. Nothing is impossible indeed. We found out who really has got the biggest (meat) balls on Oxford St. We discovered that Franki loves pumping tonnes of magenta paint all over buildings in Germany for T-Mobile. We also talked about Western Edge Pictures - Franki’s film production company and how hard it is to make movie posters with no budget. And what it’s like to work for Mike Figgis in Venice making a live website, while hanging out with Salma Hayek. Thank you Franki, so much for coming on and brightening our day, sorry for the croaky voice. Please come back on again soon. Thanks also to Adrian at Soho Radio, Jon for the edit and our regular sponsors, who make the show possible: Bauer Media Outdoor View2Fill Super Optimal GAS Music
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Episode 105 - Yohan Daver
Mar 601:09:13Tap to summarizeVisuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-105-yohan-daver This Friday sees the last in our New York specials and we’re finishing with a cracker, Yohan Daver, ECD at at BBH, USA Yohan started his career in India, at BBDO and then BBH, before continuing his journey with the black sheep to LA and now BBH New York. Yohan’s work has been recognised at every major awards show, winning big at Cannes, D&AD, The One Show, and the Clios. We discussed some of his very best campaigns, starting with Netflix’s Squid Game: The Challenge, a genuinely intriguing, funny and superbly on-brand campaign that questioned the morals of New Yorkers and what they would do for money. Next we covered the ‘Black-owned Friday Every Day’ initiative for Google in partnership with the U.S. Black Chambers, Inc. to reframe the busiest shopping day of the year as a celebration of Black-owned businesses. We did a quick bit of Heineken, before finishing on Dunkin’ at Home which we’ve loved ever since we saw it last year. It is the epitome of great OOH, fantastic idea, brilliantly executed. Yohan gave us the story behind the idea which is not to be missed. Then we chatted about the beautifully crafted execution. It deservedly won our International Poster of the year and we imagine it will clean up in the awards shows later this year. Thanks again Yohan for coming on. A great end to a fun week. Huge thanks once again to Joe at Rockefeller Center's Newsstand Studios for making us sound (semi)professional. Thanks also to our all our guests both in the studio and at AdFest, you were all amazing. Kudos as ever to Jon for the edits. Gas for the music. And the good people of New York who made us feel so welcome. V much hoping to return. BTB ❤️ NYC And as ever, huge thanks to all our sponsors, who make the show possible: Bauer Media Outdoor View2Fill Super Optimal GAS Music
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Episode 104 - Gavin Lester
Feb 2001:14:47Tap to summarizeVisuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-104-gavin-lesterPodcast #104 features the funny and super talented Gavin Lester, partner and CCO at Zambezi advertising.Gavin is the fourth in our series of America specials and brought not just great stories, but as the episode progressed, we realised he and Dan had been to school together which was hilarious. What’s more, he and Hugh knew each other from BBH days in London when Gavin and Ant (his partner at the time) were running through walls with Jonathan Glazer for Levi’s.The bulk of our chat was around Liquid I.V. and the Times Square takeover - one of the most audacious stunts ever attempted in this iconic space. Every digital billboard was synced to displayed an ‘error’ message to mimic a dehydration ‘glitch’. And then at exactly 4:00 p.m.—rebranded as ‘I.V. O’Clock’ —the screens refreshed to a vibrant brand display while 50 Kiwibot robots distributed samples to the crowd.We also discussed the Traeger Wood Fired Grills campaign, which turned a billboard into a ‘Grillboard’, (vegetarians may want to skip this bit) Each day, an animal disappeared from the farm below the billboard and showed up in all its delicious glory on the ‘Grillboard.’ Amplified on social media and with tonnes of pr, this single Grillboard pulled nearly every marketing lever and won a shit ton of awards.We talked about Gavin’s art too, which is f***ing cool. Highly conceptual, witty, provocative - much like the man himself - we hope one day to own ‘A Lester’. For now we managed a selfie with the artist, adman and lovable chap.Thanks so much Gav for coming on, it was a blast. Look us up next time you’re over.And as ever, huge thanks to all our sponsors, who make the show possible:Bauer Media OutdoorView2FillSuper OptimalGAS Music
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Episode 103 - Katie DiNardo & Kelley Barrett
Feb 600:48:51Tap to summarizeVisuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-103-katie-dinardo-kelley-barrettEpisode #103 features Katie DiNardo & Kelley Barrett, creative directors at Uncommon New York.Katie & Kelley are a brilliant and prolific team. They started their career at Leo Burnett, Chicago creating the anti-gun violence campaign “The Lost Class" which won a Titanium Lion, one of the most revered accolades in the industry. Their rise to fame has continued at pace ever since, being included in both AdAge's "Creatives to Watch " and Adweek's "Creative 100" lists from 2025.We started our chat with British Airways, which was most apt as we flew out on BA, and for the week were Englishmen in New York. We love the BA campaign, and it was great to see previously unseen executions, ‘A city that sleeps’ is a cracker.Next we talked pain. The retail kind. A social experiment in SoHo, New York, during Fashion Week, featuring a claw machine containing a single, un-winnable Hermès Birkin bag worth $10,000. A provocative and brilliant use of OOH. Prior to installation, ads across the city were asking "Want pain?" or proclaiming "One priceless handbag you have zero chance of winning," to build intrigue. For those who came along, consolation prizes of t-shirts and keychains eased the pain, extending the ironic message beyond physical the stunt itself.Although not pure OOH, we also chatted a bit about The Lost Class, just because it was a big moment and an incredibly important campaign.We finished on DePop with witty fashion billboards. People sharing their clothes. The buyer and seller together inside the same jumper together. Much like K&K themselves.Thank you so much Katie & Kelley. It was great to have you on the show and best of luck with the wedding plans 👰 💍 👰And as ever, huge thanks to all our sponsors, who make the show possible:Bauer Media OutdoorView2FillSuper OptimalGAS Music
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Episode 102 - Samira Ansari
Feb 200:59:32Tap to summarizeVisuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-102-samira-ansariEpisode #102 continues our USA series with Samira Ansari, CCO at Ogilvy, New York. Samira’s career has spanned roles in Melbourne, Paris, and now NYC.We began with a D&AD award winning campaign from the start of Samira’s career at Cummins & Partners, an announcement ad for Virgin Blue flying in Rockhampton. With a small sticker strategically placed on airport windows the campaign literally took off. A wonderfully simple idea which we reckon could have been the inspiration for BA Look up ;-)Next the ground-breaking Michelob Ultra McEnroe vs. McEnroe virtual tennis match which won a Sports Emmy and a Gold Lion. We’ve previously spoken to Alex Abrantes (episode #57) on this, but it was nice to hear Samira’s point of view on a campaign that garnered $20m earned media, 3bn impressions and became a piece of global entertainmentFor Coke, we talked about the ReCycle me campaign. A brilliantly simple idea, which won a ton of awards, including a Grand Prix at Cannes. We chatted about how the idea came to life, the brief (it’s on the side of the can: RECYCLE ME) the global reach of the work and how each ‘re-cycled’ headline was crafted and chosen.Last but not least we went behind the trifle, at the top of the fridge, to find a Stella and the story behind the ‘Hiders Keepers’ campaign. The shots from legendary photographer @aleburset (hopefully coming on the show this Spring) are amazing - a sort of boozy Where’s Wally?Thank you Samira so much for coming on the show and sharing your work and we hope your knee is feeling better 🤕Special thanks also to Joe at Rockefeller Studios, @Newsstandstudios2 our home for the week in New York where he made us incredibly welcome in his cosy studio 🎙️ 🤩And as ever, huge thanks to all our sponsors, who make the show possible: Bauer Media OutdoorView2FillSuper OptimalGAS Music
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Episode 101 - Behind the Billboard x Ad Club of New York
Jan 901:38:06Tap to summarizeVisuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-101-behind-the-billboard-x-ad-club-of-new-yorkEpisode #101 takes us to America and the first of our New York Specials, which was a collaboration with the Ad Club of New York at their annual Breakfast Briefing “OOH NOW” in Tribeca, downtown Manhattan. It was a great event, a room full of the smartest (and loudest!) in the industry. Elicia Greenberg & Tara Claesgens were our wonderful hosts who made us feel incredibly welcome. The theme was ‘OOH NOW - the last real thing’ a poignant topic which resonated with all guests. On the day we had 10 mins each with key speakers and attendees, discovering how things work stateside and what OOH has to look forward to in 2026. Jim Norton from Outfront Media discussed how internal creative teams help clients without agencies make the most of OOH creative. Jim talked about one of the key BtB sponsors, SuperOptimal, and how their tools are helping shape OOH renewals on their ‘perm' bookings. Jim’s favourite billboard is for his brother’s lawn mower company in Boston: ‘Say no to weeds’ Ryan Laul from Talon was in the hot seat next. Ryan is an Ad Club board member and chatted about how these legendary breakfast briefings have changed over the years. We also heard how the Talon Tech Stack is targeting audiences on the go. Grace Teng from Zambezi talked about her agency’s successful integrated approach to work, thanks to bringing media back into the building alongside creative. More on this on an upcoming episode, when we chat with CCO Gavin Lester about an incredible Times Square takeover for Liquid IV. Jackie Lyons from Havas discussed the scale of working in the States and the challenges of creating a truly ‘national’ OOH campaign … leaning on her experience of cross-board planning for Diageo in Europe. Rhianna Jones from MediaHub talked about the benefits of a business born out of a need for disruption, using OOH as an opportunity for experience. While Mendi Robinson from Lamar chatted about the challenges of supporting clients creatively with many shapes and sizes of screen and units across just their own estate.Huge thanks:Advertising Club of New YorkNewsstand StudiosBauer Media OutdoorView2FillSuper OptimalGAS Music
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Episode 100 - Sir John Hegarty
Dec 1901:37:24Tap to summarizeVisuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/btb-100Yes folks it’s here. Episode #100!! It’s been an incredible time, 100 episodes over six years. Thank you so much to all our amazing guests and listeners for being with us on this journey. It’s been rewarding, inspiring and many other things. And it feels like we’re just getting started. 2026 is going to be full of great guests and more adventures. But for now sit back with a tipple of your choice and enjoy Sir John Hegarty counting down the greatest billboards of all time, as chosen by the people that write them. Our guests comprise conservatively over 2000 years of experience in the industry so in our humble opinion look nowhere else for your top 100.BBH features many times, so we took the opportunity to discuss BBH past and present with Sir John. Levi’s was obviously prominent with the black sheep billboard at number 20. We got behind the story of when the world zigs, zag. Plus a funny bonus story told about the Richard Avedon campaign and how the scrawled headlines came about after Heg told art director Martin Galton his original typography was ‘fucking shit’. Martin left the review in a fit of rage and returned minutes later with three hand written headlines and slung them onto Heg’s desk. And the rest is history.We did the no logo debate, discussing whether brands have gone too far in reductive executions.We chatted about how originating a campaign is like launching a rocket - it’s the first 6 seconds that count. We went over long running campaigns such as Silk Cut, Economist and Specsavers and pondered why there’s a lack of these any more.And of course Sir John revealed the winner.It’s an immense collection of work and one sure to fuel debate. Feel free to agree / whoop from the sidelines / add heart emojis. Or rage at what isn’t in there / or what was actually a press ad / or what actually ran or not?! It’s a brilliant way to sign off the year.A few final thanks to Jon Jones for being a starDitto Rob. And of course huge appreciation for our sponsors:Bauer Media OutdoorView2FillSuper OptimalGAS Music
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Episode 99 - Best of 2025
Dec 501:05:47Tap to summarizeVisuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-99-best-of-2025Here we go folks. It’s the end of year list you’ve been waiting for. Behind the Billboard’s ‘Best of 2025’ with mince pies and dodgy crackers thrown in for good measure.In our humble opinion it’s been another great year for outdoor. Some brilliant work from the usual suspects, plus nice surprises from new agencies. Hopefully you’ll agree with our choices but if not, feel free to comment or drop us a note.The big questions: Will BBOOH retain their Agency of the year crown? Will a billboard without a logo win? And will Hugh wear his Christmas cracker hat throughout the show?Categories include Poster of the year, Campaign of the year, Agency of the year, and Client of the year.A huge thanks to all our guests for coming in and sharing the stories behind their billboards. It’s been a total pleasure chatting in the booth. And an even bigger thanks to you our listeners - without you guys we honestly wouldn’t be doing it. Please keep sending us your work or work you’ve seen and think should be included. And of course keep liking and subscribing and spreading the good vibes.Thanks to our sponsorsBauer Media OutdoorView2FillSuper OptimalGAS MusicAnd the legends Rach, Adrian, Nick and all the gang at Soho RadioAnd of course thanks to superstar Jon Jones.Merry Christmas one and all. Enjoy this special time of year wherever and whoever you’re with. See you on the other side. x
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