With new HFSS (High Fat, Salt and Sugar) advertising restrictions coming into force in January, food and drink brands are facing one of the most significant creative and strategic shifts the sector has seen in years, according to PRS IN VIVO, the global brand and shopper insight agency.
For decades, product-centric creative – from close-ups of melting cheese to indulgent chocolate shots – has been a cornerstone of food marketing. However, tighter controls on how and where HFSS products can be advertised, particularly across TV and digital channels, will increasingly limit the effectiveness and legality of this approach.
“As we move into next year, brands will need to rethink how they build desire when they can’t rely on explicit product imagery,” said Patrick Young, Managing Director at PRS IN VIVO. “The result will be a creative pivot away from showing the food itself, and toward emotional cues, behavioural signals, and brand storytelling that operates more subtly.”
From Product to Feeling
PRS IN VIVO predicts that 2026 will see a rise in campaigns focused on identity, lifestyle, and context, designed to trigger emotional responses without directly featuring restricted products. Rather than showing what the product looks like, brands will increasingly focus on how it fits into people’s lives – the moments, moods, and shared experiences it represents.
This shift will place renewed pressure on packaging and point-of-sale as primary brand assets. With fewer opportunities to advertise freely, packaging will need to work harder as a standalone communication tool, conveying appeal, distinctiveness, and brand recognition at the shelf.
Behavioural Shortcuts Over Visual Indulgence
One example cited by PRS IN VIVO is McDonald’s #RaiseYourArches campaign. By avoiding food imagery altogether and instead using the simple, universal gesture of raised eyebrows (a behavioural nod to the brand’s iconic golden arches) McDonald’s demonstrated how brands can remain culturally visible while staying fully compliant with advertising restrictions.
“It’s a masterclass in behavioural shorthand,” added Patrick Young. “The campaign taps into shared understanding and emotion rather than appetite cues, proving that powerful brand recognition doesn’t always require showing the product.”
What Will Separate Winners from Losers
According to PRS IN VIVO, the brands most likely to succeed under HFSS restrictions next year will be those that:
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Invest in distinctive brand assets that work without product visuals
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Build emotional resonance beyond taste and indulgence
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Reimagine how desire can be sparked through indirect but powerful cues
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Design packaging and in-store experiences that carry more of the brand’s storytelling weight
“HFSS restrictions don’t mean the end of effective food marketing,” said Patrick Young. “But they do mark the end of lazy product-led creativity. The future belongs to brands that understand how people think, feel, and decide – not just what they crave.”
