By Elie Kauffman, head of sales, EMEA at Audion
Since the beginning of October this year, brands classified as Less Healthy Food (LHF) have faced a significantly altered landscape in how, when, and where they can advertise their products. The obligation to comply with the new legislation remains voluntary until 5 January 2026, but after that, affected brands will have to come up with markedly different media plans.
Audio is the one major channel currently immune to these new restrictions, offering LHF brands a compliant route to promote themselves to consumers.
At Audion we obviously think this is good news. However, we would caution against using audio simply because it’s a work-round for new regulation. Instead, it should be deployed because it is a highly effective way to reach the right audience, with recent figures showing that it delivers higher-than-average ROI when compared to other media.
But what is it that makes audio work so well and, in their quest to be compliant, what attributes can LHF brands look forward to?
Audio – a channel for the digital age
At its heart, the beauty of digital audio is its ability to reach the desired audience throughout the day – at home, on the commute, during leisure activities, etc. This availability is further enhanced by the personal, authentic and emotionally connected nature of audio – factors that boost trust, attention and engagement; visual and display media can struggle to achieve these markers, which are key drivers when it comes to whether people remember a brand or product and act on an ad.
The ubiquity of connected devices is helping to fuel audio’s renaissance, enabling as it does a range of listening options including live digital radio, on-demand streaming and podcasts. Meanwhile the digitalisation of audio, along with the advent of programmatic advertising allows brands to hone data-driven targeting – whether that’s demographic, behavioural, contextual or location based – while campaigns can be tailored via genre, mood and time of day. Add creative storytelling and measurement capabilities into the mix and it’s clear that audio has an increasingly big role to play in the evolving advertising landscape.
The deployment of data in today’s audio environment has also broadened the channel’s reach across the marketing funnel. Traditionally regarded as a brand building medium, its ability to facilitate precise targeting and then measure the effects brings it firmly into the realm of performance marketing. It is therefore a full funnel tool, driving brand awareness, consideration, and purchase intent. More than that, the impact of a campaign on in-store sales can be determined by comparing figures for regions that have been exposed to the advertising to those that haven’t; this is particularly important in the FMCG world (i.e. LHF brands), which often need to focus on lower-funnel marketing.
Performance is obviously key criteria, but intensified scrutiny around where ads are placed is an additional hot topic; brand safety has become a critical consideration that no advertiser can ignore. Once again, audio provides a solution, with a uniquely controlled environment so that ad placements can only occur within premium, curated content, free from the user-generated risks associated with some digital platforms. This context safeguards brand reputation, it also loops back to the concept of trust and authenticity referenced above.
Compliance – and long-term strategic advantage
Putting aside the accelerated interest in channels that are compliant with the new LHF restrictions, it’s important to note that leading advertisers have increasingly been integrating digital audio as a permanent fixture in their media mix (effective in its own right, audio also enhances the performance of wider cross-media strategies). And, exploring the advantages it offers, it’s not hard to see why. Far from being a stopgap, audio can ably demonstrate its role as a strategic growth driver capable of delivering measurable business outcomes.
The new rules governing LHF advertising certainly restrict the use of certain channels. But the affected brands that do their homework stand to gain more than merely being compliant – by embracing audio’s full potential, they pave the way for new opportunities that offer competitive advantage in an evolving marketplace.
Change can feel disruptive, but the shifts that must now be navigated underline a fundamental truth: audio is no longer a niche medium. It is an essential component of modern marketing, compliant, credible, and commercially effective.
Rather than the new legislation putting LHF brands on an unpalatable media diet, used wisely, the rules offer a route to getting in shape for a new era of advertising.
