Student Workshop

BRIEF #1

HFSS and the Return of the Brand

This might not have crossed your radar, but HFSS ads are about to have a parental lock. HFSS. Full name High Fat Salt Sugar. AKA “Junk food”

The oldest, most populist, biggest brands are facing a new set of media restrictions. KFC, Coke, McDonalds, Walkers. You could reel another 80 off the top of your head right now.

This Guardian article sums it up neatly.

The new rules, which were announced on Thursday and come into force from the end of next year, will ban adverts for products deemed to be high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) before the 9pm watershed. Paid-for ads on sites including Facebook and Google by big brands will also be banned.

Controversially, brand-only advertising online and on TV will continue to be allowed, so companies associated with junk food products can market themselves as long as those products that fall foul of the rules do not appear.

That last paragraph though.

‘Brand only advertising.’

Where the products that fall foul of the rules do not appear. Blimey.

That’s Silk Cut.

That’s Cadbury’s Gorilla.

So how can you convey the true tone of the brand without using its products? To still make you care, to sign up to the brand?

The Brief

• Choose any brand or product that falls under the new HFSS rules.
• How should they tell their brand story, with no products, but with the tone of everything that brand wants to stand for?
• You can tell the story however it needs to be told.
• Social or Film or Experiential or Digital or whatever.
• Just make it feel big for the brand, and significant for its audience, while never showing any actual product.

How to submit your idea

• Slides – no more than 5. OR A film. No more than 2 mins. OR Photos of the bits of paper you have drawn your ideas on. No more than 5.

Please check your Junk folder for confirmation of submission and response.