Any marketer facing a business challenge should also look beyond their sector for the solution. Here, Leith’s Cori Schwabe draws a line between sexual wellness and food marketing ahead of ‘less healthy food’ restrictions.
With October’s HFSS (high in fat, salt, or sugar) ad restrictions looming, food and drink brands are bracing themselves for a new era of constraint.
But while the industry watches regulators, there’s a quieter threat already shaping what gets seen, and it’s coming from the platforms themselves. It’s called shadowbanning. And while it’s unlikely to hit HFSS brands with the same force, it’s already rewriting the rules of visibility for those in more precarious categories.
Take a moment to consider the restrictions a sexual wellness brand like Lovehoney faces (our new client). It operates within clear advertising guidelines, working closely with regulators to ensure compliance - but visibility is never guaranteed. The challenge isn’t just regulatory; it’s algorithmic. Lovehoney’s products don’t break the rules, but they do test comfort levels, and that’s enough to trigger platform moderation.
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This is where shadowbanning comes in: a murky, unspoken system where content isn’t formally banned, but quietly buried.
For example, Google has guidelines for sexual wellness, but they’re ambiguous and open to interpretation. Enforcement can differ hugely depending on context and tone - both of which can be governed by an individual’s perspective. That leaves brands navigating a grey area where content isn’t explicitly banned, but is quietly deprioritised or buried. It’s not always clear what triggers moderation - sometimes it’s a word, sometimes it’s a vibe. And that’s the essence of shadowbanning: not censorship by rule, but invisibility by discomfort.
Even The Drum’s coverage of Lovehoney’s latest campaign, ‘Feel the Lovehoney’, mysteriously vanished from social feeds. As did Worth Your While’s ‘Are You Packing Plastic? for Plastic Change’ campaign. And I’ve heard whispers that Mark Ritson’s first post about his Harry Styles column was shot down for the inclusion of #SexToys on the LinkedIn post.
I’d argue that ‘Feel the Lovehoney’ doesn’t sell a product; it sells a feeling. That abstraction gives room to move emotionally, visually, and sonically. In its OOH work, it used its heart-shaped logo in expressive, suggestive ways. On TV, it mimicked product effects with a vacuum cleaner and an electric toothbrush. Earlier campaigns hinted that customers “moan a lot.”
No nudity, no product shots (God forbid), just implication. And creativity.
The same happened to me when I posted it on my LinkedIn - use the word ‘dildo’ and the world stops turning!
If it’s happening to media, it’s happening to brands, and it is happening to people. Even as I write this, Lovehoney’s Instagram account is down, having violated unspecified ‘Community Standards’. The brand has previously had posts on everything from medically verified endometriosis advice to female sexual health advice flagged and taken down.
HFSS marketers may not face the same level of scrutiny, but they’re not immune. Anything that signals indulgence, excess, or sensory gratification is at risk. Getting past the regulators doesn’t mean you’re home and dry; platforms don’t play by the same rules. They don’t issue warnings; they just silence your message.
And there’s a deeper issue: gender bias in moderation. Pleasure brands focused on women’s health are disproportionately flagged, meaning that content around menopause, fertility, or intimacy vanishes into the void, even when it’s educational or empowering. That’s not just bias; it’s a business impact and is affecting people’s lives. And it’s a warning sign for any brand operating in emotionally charged or culturally loaded categories.
So what can HFSS brands learn from a company that’s been navigating this terrain for years? This is how you stay visible when the rules say you shouldn’t.
You say something without saying anything.
Innuendo, metaphor, cadence, sound effects, and idioms with a twist. Don’t mistake these as creative flourishes; they’re survival tactics. They leave space for the viewer to connect the dots, triggering a dopamine hit that’s emotionally resonant and platform-safe.
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HANX shows how to stay visible in a world that’s increasingly squeamish about pleasure. As a sexual wellness brand, it faces even stricter moderation than HFSS, but it’s found ways to thrive. Its tone is warm, witty, and never explicit, making it platform-safe without losing edge. Packaging is classy but not indulgent, reframing intimacy as self-care. Crucially, HANX wraps product messaging in bigger cultural conversations: health, consent, and empowerment, so it’s harder to flag and easier to trust.
For HFSS brands: lean into coded language, emotional storytelling, and tonal restraint. Visibility isn’t just about media spend; it’s about knowing how to whisper in a room that punishes volume.
At Leith, we treat regulation as a brief, not a barrier. We work closely with Clearcast and the ASA from the start, translating rules into creative frameworks. That fluency lets us stretch boundaries without crossing lines. We use the ASA’s 24-hour turnaround service to test copy before it goes live, which is how we know which visuals, idioms, and reviews will pass and which ones need a rethink. It’s not about playing safe. It’s about playing smart.
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Pleasure brands never had the luxury of being obvious, and the health sector is being tarred with an invisible brush wielded by digital gods. HFSS marketers are about to learn the same lesson.
The good news?
We’ve already written the playbook. And if the algorithm prefers missionary over gratuitous custard shots, we know how to make suggestions feel like seduction.
Cori Schwabe is head of business development and marketing at Leith.