HFSS Is Here. Now What?

The UK’s HFSS food advertising ban is live.

If you sell burgers, pizzas, desserts or sugary drinks, you can’t run paid online ads promoting them.

No boosted posts.

No paid product-led influencer content.

No performance campaigns pushing HFSS food.

For some hospitality brands, that feels like a disaster.

It isn’t.

HFSS hasn’t killed marketing.

It’s killed lazy marketing.

What You Can Still Do

You can still:

• Post organically

• Run PR campaigns

• Create events and experiences

• Encourage customer content

• Build brand awareness

The opportunity hasn’t disappeared.

The approach just has to change.

What Smart Hospitality Brands Are Doing

1. Going Organic-First

Organic social is now the main event.

The brands winning are building:

• Personality

• Community

• Consistency

• Cultural relevance

Think Blank Street. Think Dishoom. The ritual and atmosphere are the story, not just the plate.

2. Selling the Experience, Not the Dish

HFSS limits paid product promotion.

It doesn’t limit storytelling.

The shift is simple:

From: “Look at this burger.”

To: “This is what it feels like to be here.”

Atmosphere. Energy. People. Belonging.

That’s what drives footfall.

3. Taking the Product to the Customer

If you can’t push food into feeds, put it into hands.

Sampling and experiential are back in a big way:

• Pop-ups

• Collaborations

• Festival activations

• Community events

Joe & The Juice didn’t grow quietly online. Their physical presence became the marketing.

Real-world experiences drive real-world demand.

4. Creating Something Media Want to Talk About

If paid reach shrinks, earned reach matters more.

That means:

• Bold product drops

• Cultural collaborations

• Newsworthy moments

• Data-led stunts

Greggs has mastered this. Constantly relevant. Constantly shareable.

PR is no longer a support act. It’s a growth channel.

The Bigger Shift

HFSS raises the bar.

The brands that relied heavily on paid ads will struggle.

The brands that invest in:

• Organic-first strategy

• Experiential marketing

• PR-led growth

• Strong brand identity

…will build something more resilient.

And more valuable.

Not Sure Where You Stand?

If your growth relied on paid ads or gifting influencers, it’s time to reassess.

HFSS is a constraint.

But constraints often create better marketing.

If you want to talk strategy, get in touch.