Finding opportunity in a post-paid HFSS landscape

When paid goes dark, storytelling shines

Georgie Upton, Managing Director, Wild Card

For many marketers, HFSS regulations and the end to paid online promotional activity for ‘less healthy foods’ has felt like a door closing.

Paid social campaigns paused. Media plans rewritten. Influencer budgets frozen. Performance dashboards suddenly a lot emptier.

But HFSS isn’t the end of effective marketing. It’s a genuine opportunity that puts trust, creativity and storytelling back at the centre. We predicted it last year when we headed up an event for marketing managers, helping them reframe the changes and unlock the opportunities, and we’ve since supported brands in making it possible.

This is a shift from buying attention, to earning it. It’s not a downgrade. It’s what we like to call ‘living life in full colour’ or in other words, building deeper connections and being truly authentic.

Why earned media matters more than ever

PR has always played a different game to paid advertising. It’s governed by relevance, credibility and cultural timing rather than targeting tools.

In a HFSS-restricted environment, PR-led storytelling can:

• Build awareness through trusted third-party voices, including media, creators and advocates
• Strengthen credibility via independent validation
• Shape public perception through features, reviews and thought leadership
• Create emotional connection by spotlighting purpose, provenance and people
• Deliver long-term value through SEO and organic discoverability

A more authentic influencer landscape

And while paid influencer marketing is a no-no for HFSS relevant products, influencer marketing itself hasn’t disappeared – it has evolved and organic advocacy has become even more powerful.

Creators sharing products and experiences because they genuinely value them carries a level of trust that paid placements often struggle to achieve.

For brands, this means a different approach:

• Prioritising long-term relationships over short-term campaigns
• Offering access and experiences rather than prescriptive briefs
• Allowing creators the freedom to tell stories in their own voice

The result is content that feels more natural, more credible and more aligned with how audiences consume social media today.

Refocus on what matters

So, while HFSS removes some familiar tools, but it also encourages brands to invest in what lasts: trust, relevance and emotional connection.

Food, drink and hospitality are deeply cultural categories. People care about where their food comes from, who makes it and what it represents. Those conversations haven’t gone away – they’ve simply shifted channel.

Brands that embrace earned media and organic storytelling now won’t just adapt to HFSS, they’ll build stronger foundations.

When paid goes dark, storytelling shines – credibly and with impact.