Celebrating the pure power of posters: Tom Horton’s year in review

Every year, StopPress catches up with a group of talented professionals from across the local industry to talk about the year that was. From their biggest challenges to their biggest inspiration, their favourite campaigns and favourite snacks, they give us a little insight into 2024 as well as what is to come in 2025.

Tom Horton is Marketing Manager at Phantom Billstickers.

Sum up 2024 in three words.

Not. Enough. Surfing.

Tell me about your three favourite memories at Phantom Billstickers this year.

 Three separate memories is hard, but overall, some of my favourites have been the custom campaigns we’ve put together. Auckland FC, Lord of the Rings and Moana were all real highlights. I’m stoked on anything that incorporates hand painted and large-scale custom pieces.

A real stand out memory was watching/documenting Ahsin Ahsin (sick artist) bring together a live exhibition at Glover Park in Wellington, using our frames as canvases for his Turbo Croc series (seriously good).

I also have another favourite that’s going to be epic, but it hasn’t been launched yet, so I gotta keep zipped about it.

When society is becoming increasingly digital, tell me about street posters and larger than life activations like the ginger giant and Auckland FC shirts – why is this so important in the world of out of home in 2024?

Not to get deep, but human beings seek to be delighted, to be shocked, wowed, overcome with genuine emotion. While digital absolutely has its place, you can’t overlook the fact that there’s a lot that digital can’t do.

It’s extremely rare when I think about the digital ad space that I’m left amazed or speechless. More often than not I’m frustrated as my nightly viewing of ‘camping in the snow ASMR’ is interrupted with a digital ad.

Our Custom Shop activations (Mac’s, LOTR, Auckland FC etc) explode into the cultural fabric of cities and towns, blending in and standing out at the same time. They’re completely unpredictable and more often than not, these campaigns are one of a kind, bespoke and never before seen. In a world where everything feels increasingly familiar, this is the cutting edge of OOH, and is the difference between a good campaign, and an epic one.

Did you use AI this year? If so, what and how did you use it and how did it impact your work?

I’ve dabbled in bits and bobs, like we all have. For work, I like to use it to reverse engineer ideas or thoughts I have, or to make sense of the creative noise in my brain. I recently used it for some voice over narration in a video, it was terrible and I went ahead and chopped and changed most of it in other software anyway. It’s super helpful at times to streamline thoughts, that being said, I’m not too concerned about it taking my job.

What office item/tool could you not work without?

Noise cancelling headphones.

To say our office environment is vibrant is an understatement. Amidst the punching bass of rap music in the office space, the avant garde jazz in the print room and the general ramble of creative humans about the place, it can be hard to get a moment of clarity when working on something that requires full attention.

Shout out to my noise cancelling headphones, love you.

What was Phantom Billsticker’s biggest challenge in 2024?

It’s not an isolated 2024 challenge, more an ongoing effort to educate the market and the wider public of the pure power and impact of the street poster medium, and how it fits into modern marketing strategies.

The industry has become so focussed on digital marketing, that at times traditional approaches can be overlooked, especially in New Zealand. You only need to look at brands like Tiffanys, Burberry & Supreme overseas in cities like Paris and New York to get an understanding of just how important street posters can be. The cut through is nuts, but educating people takes time, as all good things do.

What was your favourite social, marketing or advertising trend?

I’m not sure if it’s a trend as much as it is just commonplace now, but UGC is something that’s really sick to see. Phantom Billstickers goes all in on the ‘feel and experience the real’ of the poster format, and it’s amazing to see audiences engaging with this.

Earlier this year we ran a Billie Eilish campaign, and it went NUTS. There were heaps of people all over NZ on scouting missions in the dead of night, on lime and flamingo scooters and bicycles clocking 20/30 kilometers seeking out posters and grabbing pictures with them.

As a result, the poster campaign then went turbo on social media and beyond.

What helped you stay motivated this year?

In my personal and professional life, surfing gives me clarity and removes a lot of the background noise, which in turn allows me to stay motivated for the things that matter. For my whole life I’ve managed to balance surfing with work, which is hard to do as you ‘grow up and get a real job’ but without it I’d be a nightmare (ask my partner what I’m like after a few weeks with no waves). Aside from my love affair with the ocean, keeping it real keeps me motivated, removing all the fluffy unnecessary stuff and just working towards some real life good things.

If you could wave a magic wand over your industry, what would be the first thing you changed and why?

The overhype of the same old big players.

Don’t get me wrong, the world needs it, sort of, but take a look through any ‘best campaigns of 2024, or best ads’ category on media sites and it’s all the same big names doing very similar things to their competitors.

The one thing I love about Phantom Billstickers is our dedication to campaigns and clients of all sizes and budgets.

It would be great to see more of the OOH industry being accessible to those with smaller budgets. It’s something Phantom has done from day one and continues to do day in day out, but the rest of the industry isn’t as accessible as it could be and is at times too big and shiny for its own good.

Also, most importantly, the industry’s stance on environmentally positive practice. The industry is way behind on this. We see you.

Quick fire 10

1. Most memorable local campaign?

Trash species of Aotearoa.

2. Best international campaign?

Oatly’s campaign in Paris.

3. A campaign you wish you worked on?

The re-do of the Tui ‘Yeah Right’ campaign (my sarcasm would’ve really shined here).

4. A news story that got too much attention in 2024?

Keeping it real, anything to do with Donald Trump or Elon Musk.

5. Biggest flop of 2024?

Grimace.

6. The best movie you saw at the cinema?

I’ve had cinema tickets on my shelf for nearly a full year, I’ll let you know when I go.

7. The best thing about your industry?

You can’t doom scroll past it.

8. How do you relax?

The ocean, books & sunshine.

9. Three things you’d take to a desert island?

Surfboard. My Mrs & my cat, Tarzan.

10. Your favourite snack?

Jalapeno hummus and warm pita is GOATed.

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