Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-110-btb-x-woo-conference

In this special episode of Behind the Billboard, we’re coming to you from the World Out of Home Organization’s 2026 Congress in London - or, as the room has it, WOO! Recorded from a makeshift studio inside the Hilton on Park Lane, this episode captures the energy, ideas and occasional chaos of a global out-of-home industry gathering in full swing.

Across a series of fast-paced conversations, Dan and Hugh welcome some of the most interesting voices in outdoor advertising, creativity, innovation and effectiveness. First up is Tim Bleakley, Chairman of the Ocean Group and board member of the World Out of Home Organization, who sets the scene for the Congress and makes a passionate case for creativity as the medium’s greatest strength.

They’re then joined by multi-award-winning creative leader Katy Hopkins, who talks about the power of simplicity, spectacle and real-world experiences, from Birds Eye fish fingers to iconic special builds. James Murphy and Matthew Straker-Taylor from New Commercial Arts discuss outdoor’s unique creative constraints, its ability to build brands with stature, and why the medium still has the power to become part of culture.

Innovation director Dino Burbidge brings the tech perspective, exploring what happens when data, location and creative ideas come together - and why the best technology in out-of-home should feel like magic, not machinery. Mel Blood of Ocean Labs and Orlando Wood of System1 dig into emotional response, deep-screen technology, brand building and how digital out-of-home can create shared meaning in the real world.

Finally, Neil Morris of Super Optimal joins the show to talk about creative effectiveness, the importance of design, and why bad outdoor ads waste real money - especially for smaller advertisers discovering the medium for the first time.

Along the way, the guests share the billboards at the end of their streets, their favourite outdoor ads of all time, and their hopes for where the industry goes next. It’s a lively, opinionated and inspiring snapshot of an industry thinking hard about creativity, technology, culture and the enduring power of being out there in the world.

Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-109-ben-billups

Episode #109 features Ben Billups, founder and CEO of Billups, the largest independent out-of-home specialist agency in the US.

We’ve wanted to get Ben on the show for a long time and finally managed to pin him down while he was in London.

Ben founded Billups back in 2003 and has since grown it into a global business spanning 23 countries and nearly 500 people. But beyond the scale, what fascinated us was hearing how someone on the media and planning side thinks about creativity, craft and the future of OOH.

We kicked off with Ben’s first billboard ever — an eBay x Hawaiian Airlines campaign — and the feeling of seeing work live out in the wild for the first time.

Then onto the big stuff.

First up, Jordan Brand’s incredible Prudential Tower Jumpman takeover in Chicago. A huge projection piece that turned the skyline into a basketball icon and showed what happens when ambition meets scale.

Next came one of our favourite campaign titles ever: e.l.f. Beauty’s “So Many Dicks, So Few Everyone Else.” Ben talked us through how the work hijacked finance bro culture with sharp copy, smart placement and brilliant timing.

We also discussed Nike’s reactive Dodgers World Series work, created in real time as LA celebrated victory - a wonderful tactical stunt that made headlines across the globe.

And then came perhaps the most topical story of the lot — Decathlon’s activation inspired by the global Microsoft outage and the infamous “Blue Screen of Death.” A perfect example of how quickly modern OOH can react to culture.

Along the way we chatted about entrepreneurship, building a company culture, why sport teaches you almost everything about leadership, and why the best out-of-home work still starts with a simple human truth.

Thanks Ben for coming on the show. We loved hearing the stories behind the scale.

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:

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Visuals: 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:

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Visuals: 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:

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Visuals: 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:

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Visuals: 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:

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Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-104-gavin-lester

Podcast #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:

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Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-103-katie-dinardo-kelley-barrett

Episode #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:

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Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-102-samira-ansari

Episode #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 entertainment

For 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:

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Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-101-behind-the-billboard-x-ad-club-of-new-york

Episode #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 York

Newsstand Studios

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