Behind The Billboard

Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-72-rachel-miles Episode #72 features Rachel Miles, BAFTA award-winning creative and Creative Director at Meanwhile Campaign Start-up Agency of the Year 2024. Rachel not only brought stories from behind her billboards but also some sensational pies from Great North Pie which usurped Hugh’s ‘tiny flapjacks’ as Dan calls them. Dan and Hugh discussed many things with Rachel. We covered her six year tenure at BBC Creative where, along with creative partner Michael Tsim she created many iconic campaigns, including setting a billboard on fire for the Perfect Planet series, which made the national news and won just about every award going. We also featured the wonderfully graphic OOH campaign for This is Our BBC. And a campaign of virtual billboards that appeared in the BAFTA winning Tokyo Olympics trail. Adam Peaty, Laura Kenny, Jason Kenny et al getting the Manga treatment. We even squeezed in her first OOH work of note at Meanwhile for Lifeshare - a clothing charity - that ran during fashion week just before Christmas. And we had a brief chat on the special build for TravelSupermarket featuring a heavily stacked supermarket trolley. So good. Rachel, thank you so much for coming on and being your wonderful charming talented self. We loved it (and the pies!).

Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-71-steve-hudson Podcast episode #71 features the super talented Steve Hudson. Not only is Steve one of the industry’s most awarded creatives, he’s a brilliant director and also the founder of The Power of Advertising (TPOA) platform. We covered a great deal in the hour or so together, in particular Steve’s prolific time at BBH where together with creative partner Victoria Fallon, he created iconic work for Audi, Levi’s, Polaroid, one2one, Electrolux and more. Obv we focused on the billboards and two campaigns in particular. For Levi’s the Original Wearers campaign shot by fashion photographer Nick Knight. A stunning campaign. Idea. Casting. Art direction. Photography. Lighting. Wardrobe. All faultless. And for Wallis we talked about the Dressed to Kill campaign shot by another legendary snapper Bob Carlos Clark. We heard how on a train ride to Brighton to shoot Wallis, Steve claimed advertising can be art. Bob begged to differ. Halfway through the debate Steve got a call from the V&A, telling him that one of the Levi’s posters had been accepted into the museum. You couldn’t make it up. Listen out for it. Steve tells it much better. We also discussed Audi ‘Number One’ - one of the greatest car ads of all time - how it came to be, how it was sold to the client, and how the final line of dialogue was used by yuppie bankers as reference for cocaine. It was a real pleasure having Steve on the show, not just to hear the stories behind his work, but to feel the passion and energy in the room and his positive outlook for the future of the industry. Thank you so much again Steve for coming on and good luck with the power of advertising, which we firmly believe in.

Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-70-paul-banham Can you project the two moons from Mars into the night sky? Can you sell over 1,000,000 lights in the world’s tallest building? Can you build an underwater mobile phone store to sell a waterproof phone? These are just some of the questions, answered by MullenLowe MENA CCO Paul Banham on episode #70, where we take a deep dive into life as a creative in Dubai. It’s an absolute fascinating chat and one we’ve been wanting to have for ages. We caught up Paul on a flying visit to London. So we sat down with tea and flapjacks and a microphone and off he went. It was a massive eye-opener hearing about life and all things outdoors in the Middle East. Everything is different. The weather. The budgets. The ambition. But the one thing that thankfully stays the same is the desire for ideas. And when those ideas happen, they are big. And more often these days award-winning, with the previous mentioned campaigns picking up Cannes Lions galore. Paul it was a total pleasure and we’re so pleased you managed to fit us in on your tour of the UK. Looking forward to seeing you again in the summer, possibly for a second round and certainly a couple more pints than this time. Take care and keep applying the factor 50 😎

Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-69-paul-brazier Episode #69 features Paul Brazier and his brilliant billboards. The Economist, Guinness, Think!, Aer Lingus, Wrangler, Museum of Childhood, Walkers, Cancer Research…every one of them a banger. Paul has created and presided over some of the greatest work of the past 30 years. And he’s spent the best part of these years at @amvbbdo, as Creative Director, Executive Creative Director, CCO and Chairman. During this time, Paul and his partners (@psouter and @Nick Worthington) and his creative department have amassed a mountain of awards, including an incredible 239 entries into D&AD, which must have gone some way to him becoming D&AD President in 2010. We hear Paul’s side of the ‘Industrial Secrets for Sale’ billboard for The Economist. It’s a real lesson in craft, never giving up, ending up with a jaw-dropping piece of work. Then there are the celebrity tales from the Aer Lingus campaign - Roy Keane and Vinnie Jones don’t disappoint. The Think! campaign saw Paul & Nick go on a police patrol to witness the harsh reality of how drink driving ruins lives. We also heard about Paul’s favourite posters - ‘It’s Frothy man’ and the entire portfolio of Mark Denton @mdentonesq which Paul lovingly brought to life in his own homage. Thank you Paul for your generosity in telling these amazing stories.

Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-68-dan-and-hugh Episode #68 features two titans of the industry, huge characters with oodles of charm, awards and humility. Yep, we’re talking to ourselves, finding out what’s going on in each of our worlds. We covered the following: Watch advertising in Geneva Airport Three dimensional screen mapping in Barcelona and New York The delayed launch of Hugh’s novel The billboards at the end of our streets News of upcoming guests including Rachel Miles and the billboards hidden within her brilliant BBC Olympics promo Digital ads on the subway The 280ft billboard in the Oculus NYC Flapjacks And of course Jeremy Allen White’s pants (which Dan spotted will soon be usurped by Idris Elba’s suit) We do hope this isn’t the equivalent of The Fly episode from Breaking Bad. Or worse still the finale of Beef. We’re just two blokes trying our best. Normal service will resume next week.

Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-67-matt-lever We’re back folks. Dry BtB Jan is over. And we’re starting the year with a belter in Matt Lever. Multi talented. Multi awarded. Funny. Charming. Loves a big idea. Loves a gag. And loves the in-house BtB flapjacks. We spent a leisurely hour with Matt chatting billboards, from his very first one for Macallan that he bizarrely spotted while on holiday in New York…to DOH anti-smoking, Tfl, Trident Gum, Gym Box and closing on Breast Cancer Now and the perfectly pitched topical work that ran during the Women’s World Cup. Listen out too for Matt talking about The Chat - the UK’s first drama series to play out on a messaging app group chat on WhatsApp. An audacious idea which not only garnered many awards and much PR, but more importantly has helped women cope with the disease. Matt, thanks so much again for coming in and sharing, it was a real pleasure. And for those after extra content, we’re also posting on the website Matt’s good copywriting doc, which is basically a reminder of what great work looks like.

Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-best-of-2023 Best of 2023 We’re nearly there folks. 2023 just about done. How was it for you? For us it was a year of amazing guests, incredible stories, home-made cake, some lovely beards (esp our Dan’s) and best of all, broadcasting from our new home at Soho Radio. Thank you Rachel and Adrian for putting up with us. You guys are the best. So in episode #66 @hughtodd and @mymatedan look back over the year in outdoor…any and everything ooh, billboards projections, adshels, stunts, special builds, enormous shopping bags, musical posters, massive microwaves, spider’s webs and more. This year we’ve gone for a slightly new format. Without giving anything away, it was a battle of the billboards, each of us bringing our fave campaigns to the table in an effort to find the winner(s)of 2023. It was feisty. Some strong debate, explosive cracker pulling and scoffing mince pies (off-mic) Who won? Who nearly won? Was it all UK? Or did a Global campaign win? We also launched a new award. The People’s Poster, for the work that garnered the most likes right here on Instagram. Another tight contest with quite a bit of drama ;-) Huge thanks as ever to our sponsor Talon To Soho Radio. To all our guests who gave their time so generously. And of course thank you to all our listeners. We love the feedback, the DM’s, the requests, the very faint praise and more. Keep it coming. And we are eternally grateful to the legend that is Jon Jones aka JJ. Quietly keeping us afloat as the loudmouths wang on into the microphones. And also Jordan for his endless help on design and last minute mock up favours. We hope you all have a great festive break and we’ll no doubt see you on the other side. Take care and thanks again for all your support. Hugh & Dan & JJ x

Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-65-dan-fisher Podcast episode #65 features Dan Fisher, Global ECD at Ogilvy and WPP, the man behind a vast portfolio of award-winning billboards and the owner of a classy beard. With Christmas nearly upon us, it was most apt we discussed the brilliant “I spent it on myself” Harvey Nichols campaign which on its own could’ve filled an entire episode. Listen out for how Dan had to haggle on the price of gravel to get the campaign through. A real lesson in the lengths you have to go to for great work. We also covered The Sunday Times Rich List and another great anecdote involving a dragon and a gold Lion on a yacht in Cannes. And of course we spent plenty of time on Dove and the incredible work Dan has presided over these past few years. Some of the stories behind the work are humbling and inspiring in equal measure. Thanks so much again Dan. Please come back again when you’ve snaffled a few more Grands Prix 🦁 🤓

Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-64-neil-dawson Episode #64 features Neil A Dawson. We spent a lovely couple of hours discussing his career which has featured many iconic billboards, notably the VW surprisingly ordinary prices campaign. Classic VW. Classic DDB. Every one of them a cracker with Weddings still the most awarded print ad of all time. Neil drew us a billboard live in the studio, recreating his first ever billboard for Sanyo. We also discovered what the ‘A’ stands for, if he is related to our Dan Dawson and of course Clive Pickering, Neil’s partner for many years on many amazing campaigns. Thanks again Neil. It was a total pleasure.

Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-63-guy-murphy Episode #63 features our first ever planner, which seems a bit overdue considering the best planners are often the best creatives and vice versa. And we’ve haven’t got just any old planner, but one who’s been round the block with tread to spare. Guy Murphy many things: award-winning strategist, big creative thinker, agency leader, but also someone who just loves ideas and the chat about strat and tech and how they’re all joined up. Plus he’s a footy fan. All of which makes him perfect for the pod. Guy started his career at the home of planning BMP, before moving to BBH for a successful 16 year tenure where he first met and worked with Hugh. Guy rose through the ranks to become Deputy Chairman, before heading off to Knightsbridge and the global reach of JWT. But he couldn’t shake Hugh, whom he worked with again on the Baileys pitch, winning with a strategy of lusciousness and a campaign of a thousand lips shot by @rankinarchive @rankincreative (BtB episode #17) One of Guy’s BBH high points was for Levi’s Japan, ‘The original jeans for original people’ featuring the world’s largest photocopier - so big you could lay down on it - shipped in from Korea for the shoot. A great idea that could work on any platform, but especially well for billboards. We also discussed the Audi design / jewellery campaign which was a huge change in strategy, but still resulted in award winning iconic work. We ended with Dan and Guy having a spod-off, debating AI and the future of OOH and Guy’s current position as Co-Founder of AdTech start-up OSSA. (OSSA is a self-service advertising platform using GenAI to help small business do digital advertising) Thanks so much Guy for coming on. It was a a real pleasure getting behind the strategy behind the billboard 🤓

Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-62-peter-souter Rarely have we had such a talented, humble and unanimously respected guest as Peter Souter. Our teaser earlier this week had an amazing response with many waxing lyrical about his creative talent and what a great person he is. So we’re hoping this episode lives up to the hype. We talked about any and everything. And managed to fit in some OOH along the way 🤓 The story behind the shredded ‘Industrial secrets’ poster he wrote with Paul Brazier is a belter, esp when you hear the final execution didn’t actually involve a shredder. Peter’s first ever poster is another great tale - a piece of cardboard with a hand written message he held hopefully outside the house of the great David Abbott in an effort to get a job at AMV. We won’t say anymore but it’s a pretty audacious way to apply for a job. We also chatted Guinness - both the Extra Cold posters and Surfer - and Peter recreated the moment of Surfer inception with a scarily accurate impression of Walter Campbell, quietly offering the thought ‘Good things come to those who wait’. Nelson Mandela, Richard Curtis, Paul Belford and a gold fish bowl, The Vicar of Dibley, screenplays, films, advice for Hugh’s debut novel…it was a tour de force. Thank you so much again Peter. Total pleasure.

Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-61-shish-patel Podcast episode #61 features one of the industry’s good guys, Shish Patel. Talented, funny, charming, thoughtful and extremely humble, it was a great hour with Shish, who regaled us with brilliant stories behind brilliant billboards. The baby in the marmite poster is a cracker. A story that involved another DDB creative Pete Hayes and a photo of his child never intended for a Marmite billboard, but ended up being the actual shot in the ad. There’s also the Comfort poster that appeared outside Shish’s parents shop which helped them finally understand what it was that he did for a living. There’s more Marmite involving The Love Party and The Hate Party. Iconic work for FT. And the ‘Night drive’ campaign for VW where we discussed the entire campaign - TV print billboards - which was a seminal moment in the VW oeuvre. Shish thanks so much for coming on and talking art and commerce in equal measure. And sampling Hugh’s madierra cake.

Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-60-specsavers-part-1 Podcast #60 is part 1 of our Specsavers Special, featuring the brilliant outdoor campaign from creative team Jon Morgan & Bertie Rapkin. We explore the background to the work, how the craft played a huge part in making these such a success (kudos to GSA and Lee Bofkin from episode #59) and we hear about the (equally brilliant) executions that never made it. The busker covered in billboard paper a true delight. Please get it to run! There’s also a very funny story involving Leeds Art University and one of the posters going up opposite the college shortly after a Specsavers brief. Jon & Bertie thanks so much. It was a real pleasure hearing how you work. As were the pints after. Maybe that’s a new feature for the show 🤓 Look out for part 2 later in the year when we will be talking to Graham Daldry - the man behind the original line ‘Should’ve gone to Specsavers’, and current Specsavers ECD Richard James, who is doing an amazing job continuing the legacy.

Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-59-lee-bofkin/ Murals special with Lee Bofkin If you’ve seen an amazing mural lately, there’s a pretty good chance Lee Bofkin was involved. Lee is Co Founder and CEO at Global Street Art who are the go-to agency for creating big messages on big walls. Peaky Blinders, Valentino, Oatly, Invesco, Beats, FIFA, VW, Baileys, Glenfiddich and many others have had their moment on bricks and mortar thanks to Lee and his crew at GSA. We spoke with Lee about murals. Their history. Their resurgence. The way they’re now interacting with the digital landscape. Why they’re different from any other piece of OOH. And much more, including a fascinating chat about ‘pouncing’, a technique used by Michelangelo to paint the Sistine Chapel and still in use today. We enjoyed Lee’s infectious energy and incredible knowledge of the Street Art scene. And also his wonderful orange glasses. Thanks so much for coming on Lee. It was an education and a pleasure.

Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-58-nils-leonard AI / Elderflower cordial / B&Q / Inflatable cushions / Cannes / Air conditioning / Awards It went pretty much in that order on a warm day earlier this week, where the air con and Hugh’s home brew kept us cool. Episode #58 features a fascinating chat with Nils Leonard, co-founder of Uncommon, who became our first ever returning guest. We first spoke to Nils back in Feb 2021 when we were remote, stuck in various houses and offices trying to have spontaneous conversations on Zoom. So it was wonderful to meet irl and we can report Nils is even better in the flesh 😘 The focus was mostly on B&Q, which is now into its fourth year and remains wonderfully fresh. We talked about it’s inception, how the strategy had surprisingly never been done before, sheds, masturbation, teenagers, a favourite billboard site in Glasgow, Covid, flowers, James Day, floating hammers and more. We also got into an interesting chat on AI, which seems to be on everyone’s list at the moment. And with Cannes next week, we discussed Lions and awards. And asked the key question, does a Pencil beat a Lion? Tune in and find out! Nils thanks again. Not just for this chat but this wonderful mantra: “Print the posters you wish you could steal” Let’s do it again at Christmas and have some of Dan’s mulled wine 🤓

Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-57-alex-abrantes/ Ever seen a billboard used as a music stage? Or a vodka ad invade a beer ad? Or John McEnroe of today play John McEnroe of 1979? Podcast #57 features Alex Abrantes, who epitomises the belief that if you can think it, you can do it. And if you surround yourself with the right people even the most audacious ideas are possible. We could have dedicated the entire show to the McEnroe vs McEnroe campaign alone: Alex seems to revel in ‘never seen before moments’ which we previously talked about with Graham Fink on episodes #39 and #40. Seemingly impossible stunts or uses of the outdoor never attempted before. And yet when it’s done - the latest for Budweiser using a billboard as a music stage for female artists snubbed by the Brits - it seems completely effortless, as if it was always going to happen. We spent just over an hour hearing how he and his amazing team - including writer Chloe Bayhack - bring these ideas to life. Thanks again Alex for your time and work. It was a pleasure having you on the show.

Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-56-james-day/ Podcast episode #56 features one of the sharpest snappers in the business. And one of the nicest and most charming guests we’ve had on the show. It’s James Day on Good Friday folks. Settle down with a cuppa and a hot cross bun. This is a belter. James has had his name attached to some of the most iconic billboards of the past 30 years. He’s come a long way since picking up his first camera, which was a foggy affair: “I spent quite a lot of time in the photography room at school. Well I say photography room, it was more like a smoking room. Everyone used taking photos as an excuse to smoke a sneaky cigarette.” Thank God for those sneaky fags and that dark room, because amongst all the smoke and teenage angst, a light was switched on in James mind and made him the brilliant photographer he is today. Most recent and most brilliant work has been for Uncommon for B&Q. Clean, sharp, beautifully crafted images, they’ve won plaudits and awards across the board and rightly so. The image of the mobile phone is sensational - worthy of an album cover. We discussed the formative years when James worked with JustinTindall & AdamTucker on numerous projects, including the Harvey Nichols calendar campaign which features the stuffed cat and the 31 plates of baked beans stories. But the absolute winner was behind he Guardian and how they achieved the imprint of the rattan furniture on the model’s bottom. This is honestly one of the funniest stories we’ve ever heard on the pod. We finished with XXXX Extra Cold posters and heard how the legendary Mark Reddy, Head of Art at BBH at the time, sprinkled gold dust on the idea, involving spiders and gloves and hair, taking the craft of the work to another level (we’re hoping to have Mark on the show at some point soon). Thanks again James for being so generous with your time and the stories behind the work. It was a real pleasure.

Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-55-jo-moore Episode #55 has a bit of everything. Mostly it has the charming, humble and uber talented Jo Moore, ECD at House 337, discussing her OOH work. In particular we chatted about the domestic violence campaign for Women’s Aid that ran during last year’s World Cup. “He’s coming home” was a chilling reminder of the domestic abuse suffered by women during major tournaments. The poster (and film which is equally brilliant) gained huge publicity and awareness on virtually no budget. It led us to a wider debate on how small but important clients like Women’s Aid can get their message across with great creative work. This in turn led us to discuss the spoof fashion campaign ‘Not model’s own’ for the same client, highlighting the issue of Coercive Control, executed with tact and skill - gaining column inches galore and huge awareness. Next was something completely different: Ant & Dec. And Kraftwerk. Surreal, hilarious, with a lot of red. And then we heard how Jo met Anthony Burrell and got him designing the wonderfully graphic campaign for The Corinthia Hotel. Amidst all this, after about 10 minutes, Dan had to leave the room for a phone call. Jo and Hugh carried on chatting…and chatting…and chatting…Dan never returned until the final credits. We thought he was on an important business call, but it was more important than that - it was a family emergency, which thankfully was resolved. Quite a morning. Quite the episode! Thank you Jo for coming in and taking us behind your billboards. As well as inside your VW van and outdoor swimming. A woman of many parts who barely batted an eyelid as half the Behind the Billboard team left the building ;-) And well done Dan for keeping a cool head in a difficult moment. All in a day’s work for my mate Dan.

Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-54-emma-brooke For episode #54 we spoke to Emma Brooke, Writer and Creative Director at Leo Burnett and originator of some of the very best OOH work in recent years for the BBC. We started with her campaign for Peaky Blinders which featured fan art from devotees of the show. This big bucket of UGC resulted in over a dozen brilliant pieces of outdoor that stood out from your everyday air brushed advertising image thanks to their gritty hand crafted style. Whether it was Tommy, Polly or Arthur - the image always appeared fresh and unique. The final selects ran on poster sites local to where the artist lived. So not only did they have their moment of fame, but they could go down - with their Mum if need be - and see their art writ large in the great outdoors. What’s more all the work was then exhibited in an online fan art gallery. This was followed by a brilliant set of billboards for Killing Eve, which didn’t mention the show, or the BBC or any details other than a series of personal messages and a hashtag #CRAZY4EVE Super brave work that caught the tone of the show exactly right. A private squabble played out across the most public platform. We also discussed Emma’s life before BBC, her other agencies, life in NYC and most fascinating of all, how she met the love of her life on a plane. Thanks Emma for coming on and being so open and charming with your stories. Esp that grinding billboard ;-)

Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-53-david-masterman/ Episode #53 of the podcast features the super talented ever ebullient Dave Masterman. It was a great session that encompassed Dave’s incredible collection of OOH work both as creative and CD. Many highlights: VW, Marmite, Kit Kat, Mr Kipling and esp Ben & Jerry’s - the homemade look ‘n feel still fresh today. More up to date work included the audio mnemonic led Domin-oh-hoo-hoo campaign which works surprisingly well on murals and special builds. We finished on ‘I Spy Maynard’s’ (Wine Gums) which is possibly the ultimate in outdoor campaigns and why we do the podcast. So good hearing the story behind this campaign that ended up subverting the Euros and Number 10 Downing Street among other events of last year. Thanks Dave for not only being a fun and charming guest, but for your incredibly thorough preparation for this episode. We have never had a more organised session! See you (and James McAvoy) in Waitrose in December 🤓