Better Without Billboards

Better Without Billboards presents: Gag Big Ag - Lifting the lid on factory farming and advertisingAdfree Cities and partners have recently launched the Gag Big Ag campaign, calling for an end to advertising which promotes food from factory farming. Welcome to a special series which explores some of the major themes of the campaign, with some special guests. For this first episode, to find out more about "Big Ag", or Big Animal Agriculture, Nicola spoke to Myrtle Gregory, Research and Policy Officer at Eating Better, a cross-sector alliance of over 70 organisations working on healthy and sustainable diets composed of less, and better, meat and dairy. The alliance involves partners from animal welfare, farming, health, climate, nature, conservation and food justice. Myrtle explains the complexities of defining industrial animal farming, and why it’s important that we place more emphasis on the system, rather than solely on the farm. Eating Better’s work to define “Industrial Livestock Production” (ILP) captures the value chains, supply chains and the actions of the big companies who have so much power and control in this system which is designed to produce as much meat and dairy as possible, as cheaply as possible.We discuss the inefficiencies and impacts of this system where pollution is not accounted for, and where these costs are passed on to the taxpayer. Myrtle explains that the effect on farming of this “race to the bottom” is catastrophic. Over 90% of farmers would farm more sustainably if they could - but it’s difficult for sustainable farmers to stay in business within the current system, where prices are kept so low and the drive is for production above all else.What can be done? The good news is that most people are willing to reduce their consumption of meat - but there’s only so much we can do at a community or individual level, when better options are not available to so many people. Systems change is needed by the powerful actors: government, retailers, food service and investors - so that better options are available. And major barriers need to be challenged and removed - including Big Ag adverts - so that we can support better food for all.Further links mentioned in our conversation:Share and join the Gag Big Ag campaign: https://www.gagbigag.org.uk/Eating Better's report "We need to talk about Industrial Livestock Production": https://eating-better.org/projects/industrial-livestock-production/Communities Against Factory Farming: https://www.caff.org.uk/Public Attitudes Survey from Eating Better and Food Foundation: https://www.eating-better.org/projects/public-attitudes-survey/

In this episode, Nicola and James take a look back at series 1 and 2 of the podcast, giving updates on some of our previous content. It's amazing how much progress we've seen in just the last 12 months, from fossil ad bans in The Netherlands, to planning reform in the UK, momentum is building to disrupt the influence of major polluters in our lives. We'll be taking a break after this episode but will be back before too long with more from the Adfree Cities team. Show notesCarla Denyer's amendment to the Planning Bill: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DK2ar-OpnDs/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==Chris Packham's petition: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/700024Shell and Total complaints: to the ad regulator https://adfreecities.org.uk/2025/04/ad-watchdog-double-standards-on-fossil-fuel-rulings/The Hague ad ban: https://www.worldwithoutfossilads.org/listing/world-first-the-hague-bans-fossil-adse-through-ordinance/Fran Bernhardt on the Food Foundation podcast: https://foodfoundation.org.uk/podcast/pod-bites-junk-food-advertising-gambling-childrens-healthBiteback's "Fuel Us Don't Fool Us" report: https://cdn.bitebackmedia.com/media/documents/Bite_Back_Report_Fuel_Us_Dont_Fool_Us_Advertising.pdfNorwegian alcohol ad ban study: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2210422425000395#sec0020Find out more about Adfree Cities at https:www.adfreecities.org.uk and on Bluesky and Instagram @adfreecities.Credits:Produced, edited and presented by James Ward and Nicola Wilks.Title music by mishima.With thanks to all our guests across the first 2 series who have been exceptionally generous with their time, ideas and knowledge. Thanks also to John Sheerman.

In this episode we explore the role of advertising as a flagbearer for capitalism, and the values and principles on which capitalism relies. We're joined by Simon Mair, lecturer in sustainability at the University of York to discuss growth, Growth, degrowth and post-growth, and the role that advertising does or could play in economies organised along the differing principles these ideas represent. Show notesRead Simon's article Language, Climate Change, and Cities beyond Capitalism here: https://utppublishing.com/doi/full/10.3138/jccpe-2023-0012Listen to our previous episode on advertising and values:https://shows.acast.com/better-without-billboards/episodes/advertising-cultural-values-ruth-taylorRead more about sociologist Michael Schudson's work on capitalist realism:https://webcontent.indianhills.edu/_myhills/courses/ENG105/documents/lu05_reading_2.pdfAnd Mark Fischer's book on the same: https://archive.org/details/capitalist-realism-is-there-no-alternative/page/n1/mode/2up Find out more about degrowth economics (a.k.a. wellbeing economics): https://weall.org/Find out more about Adfree Cities at https:www.adfreecities.org.uk and on Bluesky and Instagram @adfreecities.Credits:Produced, edited and presented by Nicola Wilks and James Ward.Title music by mishima.

In this episode, Nicola speaks to narrative strategist Ruth Taylor of the Common Cause Foundation about the ways in which adverts shape our priorities and attitudes to social and environmental issues through appealing to certain cultural values. Ruth offers her take on adverts from Pepsi, Volvo and Apple which seem to appeal to intrinsic values like social unity or caring for nature, but may actually end up undermining these values. Finally, Ruth shares her thoughts on how the advertising industry needs to change in order to genuinely play a positive role.Show notesThanks to Ruth for joining us on this episode. You can read more from Ruth by signing up to her Substack newsletter, Culture Soup: https://valuesnarrativesculture.substack.com/Here's that Pepsi advert and the criticism it received: https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/pepsi-advert-pulled-kendall-jenner-protest-video-cancelled-removed-a7668986.htmlThe Volvo SUV advert: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQX-QXxwGvAHere’s Apple giving their status report to Mother Nature: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNv9PRDIhes Read more about the work of Common Cause Foundation: https://commoncausefoundation.org/Read our blog about this episode: https://adfreecities.org.uk/2025/04/selling-love-how-ads-undermine-intrinsic-cultural-values/Find out more about Adfree Cities at https:www.adfreecities.org.uk and on Bluesky and Instagram @adfreecities.Credits:Produced, edited and presented by Nicola Wilks and James Ward.Title music by mishima.

In this episode we step behind the veil of secrecy that hides the ad industry from accountability. As the climate crisis worsens daily, why do we continue to see ads for climate-damaging products everywhere? The answer lies in the long, cosy relationship between the ad industry and polluting industries like fossil fuels, cars and plastics. A new action from Adfree Cities and the New Weather Institute aims to bring accountability to ad land for their role in promoting pollution. We hear from Adfree's Veronica Wignall about this involves, and from Clean Creatives' Tolmeia Gregory on why the ad industry is resistant to change, and whether a bit of good old-fashioned reputation damage might bring about the changes we need.Show notesThanks to Tolmeia Gregory for joining us on this episode: https://www.tolmeiagregory.com/ Find out more about our landmark case against WPP here: https://www.badverts.org/wppFind Clean Creatives here: https://cleancreatives.org/And their annual F-List awards: https://cleancreatives.org/f-listRead more about B-Corps here: https://bcorporation.uk/ Tolly mentioned this DeSmog investigation into ad agency greenwash: https://www.desmog.com/2025/02/10/ad-firms-make-oil-companies-look-green-heres-six-ways-they-greenwash-themselves/Adfree Cities got these Shell ads banned in 2024: https://adfreecities.org.uk/2023/06/shell-adverts-banned-for-greenwashing/Find out more about Adfree Cities at https:www.adfreecities.org.uk and on Bluesky and Instagram @adfreecities.Credits:Produced, edited and presented by James Ward.Title music by mishima.

In this episode Nicola and James discuss the rise of sports utility vehicles (SUVs). Having started life as military vehicles, you might wonder how massive, bulky, SUVs could become not only the most popular vehicle type on UK roads, but one that is increasingly associated with safety. But as we hear, the identity of SUVs has been remoulded by advertising that presents them as cool, modern, family-friendly cars, whilst conveniently forgetting to mention the outsized risk they pose to other road users. To begin tackling the problem of SUVs, we need to first challenge their promotion in advertising. Show notesWatch the ad for the Volvo EX90 herehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQX-QXxwGvARead Badvertising's research on SUV advertising here: https://www.badverts.org/s/Advertising-and-demand-for-SUVs_Kasser-et-alBadvertising-2021.pdfCheck out the SUV Alliance and manifesto here: https://www.suv-alliance.org.uk Key stats and sources eg 8x more likelyRead the 2020 Land Rover Defender review in the Irish Times here: https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/motors/land-rover-defender-a-reboot-that-lives-up-to-the-hype-1.4295456Watch the 2019 Range Rover Evoque ad here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHYb-nUEgcc Find out more about Adfree Cities at https:www.adfreecities.org.uk and on Bluesky and Instagram @adfreecities.Credits:Produced, edited and presented by James Ward and Nicola Wilks.Title music by mishima.Featuring music from "Minimal Documentary" by Penguinmusic, via Pixabay.

In this episode, Nicola speaks to Caitlin Smith of the Changing Markets Foundation about the power and influence of Big Meat and Dairy. Caitlin explains why we need to worry about methane, and tells us how the meat industry uses tactics of distract, delay and derail, to get away with taking little meaningful action. Meanwhile, the government continues to back campaigns to promote meat and dairy, despite the well-evidenced need to reduce meat consumption for the planet as well as our own health. And adverts deliberately target ethically-minded young people to convert them back to meat and dairy. We also discuss what can be done to reduce the power and influence of this industry, and Nicola explains why we need an end to meat advertising.Show notesHere’s the report Caitlin talks about, The New Merchants of Doubt: how Big Meat and Dairy Avoid Climate Action: https://changingmarkets.org/report/the-new-merchants-of-doubt-how-big-meat-and-dairy-avoid-climate-action/You can sign this petition from Changing Markets Foundation (CMF) for a healthy, sustainable food system https://action.wemove.eu/sign/2024-07-big-meat-petition-EN/Here’s a briefing from CMF on Big Meat & Dairy narratives: Myths and Misinformation https://changingmarkets.org/report/big-meat-and-dairy/Here’s more from CMF on the lack of policies and commitments to genuinely tackle the climate impact of meat and dairy: Big Emissions, Empty Promises: https://changingmarkets.org/report/big-emissions-empty-promises/Read more from Adfree Cities on the tactics of meat advertising, and why we need to end it: https://adfreecities.org.uk/explore-harmful-advertising/end-meat-advertising/Find out more about Adfree Cities at https:www.adfreecities.org.uk and on Bluesky and Instagram @adfreecities.Credits:Produced, edited and presented by James Ward and Nicola Wilks. Music by mishima.

In this episode, Nicola speaks to Alice Ferguson from Playing Out and Charlotte Gage from Adfree Cities about how our planning system fails children and leads to cities unable to meet young people's needs. The conversation ranges from planning to housing to public health, and of course advertising, to build the case that children are routinely overlooked as a group with needs of their own with generational consequences. In the end, building child-friendly cities would benefit not only the youngest in society but all of us.Show notes:Find out more about Playing Out: https://playingout.net/Alice mentions a project in Hartcliffe, Bristol: https://playingout.net/inspiration/creative-projects/hartcliffe-safer-streets-films-event/Adfree Cities' report Consuming Childhood can be read here: http://adfreecities.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Adfree-Cities-Report-Consuming-Childhood_-How-Advertising-Impacts-Children-and-Young-People-Oct-20241.pdfGAP's work on surveillance advertising: https://www.globalactionplan.org.uk/online-climate/end-surveillance-advertising-to-kids/stopFind out more about Adfree Cities at https:www.adfreecities.org.uk and on Bluesky and Instagram @adfreecities.Credits:Produced by Nicola Round and James Ward.Edited by James Ward.Presented by Nicola Round.Music by mishima.Thanks to John Sheerman.

In this episode, James explores the systems in place to prevent harmful advertising from being shown in the UK. Ad regulation can work, but it's piecemeal and slow, as the current failure to keep pace with emerging greenwash advertising from fossil fuels companies makes clear. James later speaks to Will Prochaska from the Coalition to End Gambling Ads about how regulation fails to protect us from ads that promote one of the UK's most harmful industries.Show notes: Read more about the ASA's handling of environmental complaints: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ebd0080238e863d04911b51/t/650ac854c72c3b5dd5ad67a0/1695205492271/Toothless+-+ASA+Report+-+Sep+2023.pdfCheck out some of Adfree Cities's engagement with the ASA: https://adfreecities.org.uk/category/asa-complaints/Find out more about CEGA: https://cega.org.uk/Find out more about Adfree Cities at https:www.adfreecities.org.uk and on Bluesky and Instagram @adfreecities.Credits:Produced by Nicola Round and James Ward.Edited by James Ward.Presented by Nicola Round and James Ward.Music by mishima.Thanks to John Sheerman.