LHF restrictions: How the OOH industry is preparing

Legislation restricting less healthy foods (LHF) advertising is fast approaching, with industry-wide voluntary compliance starting on 1 October.

A campaign, titled “Countdown to October 1”, developed by the Advertising Association, Isba, the IPA and IAB UK, seeks to provide advertisers and agencies with clarity around the upcoming restrictions. It also confirmed that brand advertising falls outside the scope of the legislation, provided no LHF products are shown.

The Media Leader understands that part of the reason for the harsher restrictions for TV, VOD and platforms such as YouTube is related to the way these channels target children. The incoming changes are driven by the government’s stated aim to tackle child obesity.

Meanwhile, OOH has voluntarily restricted advertising for products high in sugar, fat or salt (HFSS) for almost a decade. Digital OOH (DOOH) is also untouched by LHF guidelines.

In light of this, the new restrictions could present an opportunity for the medium, which is already well-versed in managing campaigns around LHF.

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Analysis: OOH steps into critical space

With many brands losing primetime TV availability and online channels facing a total ban, OOH could step up.

As Luke Willbourn, Talon’s UK managing director, said: “It [OOH] delivers the mass reach and impact traditionally associated with TV, while also offering the agility, targeting and contextual messaging they’ve relied on from digital.”

Growing awareness of OOH’s benefits is not just driving an increase in demand but dictating planning behaviour.

“Clients are committing earlier, sometimes up to a year ahead, to secure the bursts of activity they need across the year, while still retaining the flexibility to adapt,” Willbourn added.

Moreover, OOH has been highlighted as an agile medium. Tim Lumb, director of OOH industry body Outsmart, noted: “OOH offers reach, creativity and versatility to deliver across multiple marketing objectives in concert with other channels.”

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Additionally, LHF brands seeking presence through DOOH now have more opportunities to do so, with the medium increasing in availability through programmatic.

Citing an alcohol client, despite the fact that alcohol is not included in the LHF restrictions, Diu Hoang, global field marketing director at Viooh, explained how it was able to capitalise on programmatic to make real-time adjustments to its campaign. This resulted in a double-digit footfall uplift and significant boost in sales.

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Arguably, OOH is starting from a different point compared with other channels.

Since 2017, OOH has already adapted to self-regulation on HFSS products, alcohol, gambling and e-cigarettes near schools and in environments where under-16s make up more than 25% of the footfall.

This signals how OOH is able to adapt swiftly, with another example being when HFSS products were banned on the Transport for London estate in 2019.

It is understood that there is potential for local councils to expand the scope of bans on LHF advertising around schools at the point of renewal of contracts with media owners.

However, OOH is already experienced in managing restrictions. As Nicole Lonsdale, chief client officer at WPP Media OOH, explained: “Its ability to drive mental availability, reinforce physical presence and increase prominence at points of sale enables OOH to deliver a wide range of objectives even within regulatory frameworks.”

While advertisers of LHF products will need to think from an omnichannel perspective, DOOH presents an opportunity for brands to deliver responsible campaigns and achieve reach akin to TV, with programmatic DOOH able to help them target their messaging.