AD NAUSEAM
ADLAND has always seen regulation as more of a hurdle than a shackle. The history of tobacco advertising was of how clever creatives thought they were coming up with ways to continue selling products they knew were harmful.
In October, new rules to stop the promotion of foods high in fats, salts and sugars (HFSS) come into force in the UK – and marketers are already working out how to get round them. Walkers Crisps, for example, has sent a guide to retailers called Getting Ready for HFSS, with the aim of “helping you maximise your snacking sales”.
The “solution” is for brands to update the tobacco advertising playbook for the digital age. This means inserting brands into people’s lives where they can’t be avoided, principally on social media channels, via PR stunts and in sports. Red Bull is seen as the exemplar — a test case in how to make a canned drink stuffed with sugar and caffeine synonymous with extreme sporting endeavour. Red Bull is now the third most popular soft drink in the world.