Guidelines for marketing of unhealthy food products

The outdoor advertising companies welcome the intention behind the new regulation prohibiting the marketing of unhealthy food products specifically aimed at children. In this context, the outdoor industry has joined forces to develop clear guidelines for agencies and advertisers.

The guidelines are based on the Norwegian Directorate of Health’s guide, published on October 24, 2025, and aim to promote a shared and responsible practice across the industry. The goal is to make it safer and easier for advertisers to navigate the regulations, remove uncertainty, and ensure predictability in how the new rules are applied within the outdoor channel.
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Guidelines for Campaign Material Design

When assessing campaign materials, the overall impression must always be considered, ensuring that it aligns with the new ban on marketing unhealthy food products directed particularly at children and young people.

To ensure that all advertising for products covered by the ban complies with current regulations and ethical standards, the following principles should be applied when designing such materials (see product list):

• Avoid the use of language, colors, effects, animations, cartoons, or illustrated characters that strongly appeal to children. This includes humor and themes typically associated with children, such as school, play, and adventure.

• Avoid gamification, interactive games, or other interactive elements that appear engaging to children.

• Avoid involving personalities who have special appeal to children — for example, celebrities, influencers, actors, pop stars, superheroes, or well-known children’s TV hosts or social media figures who appeal to young audiences, regardless of the person’s age in the advertisement.

• Be cautious when involving children in marketing materials.

• Avoid the use of fictional characters with strong appeal to children, especially those clearly associated with products covered by the product list, and which children can easily recognize from packaging, advertising, or other contexts.

• Avoid competitions with an age limit below 18, as well as the use of prizes, coupons, games, or giveaways of toys or collectibles primarily targeted at children.

• Avoid direct purchase appeals aimed at children, or indirect appeals through parents or guardians (for example, related to school lunches, children’s birthdays, or leisure activities).

• Avoid creative concepts involving sampling, interactive activities, or other mechanisms that may particularly attract children when the product is subject to specific advertising restrictions.

• Avoid calls to action such as “like,” “share,” or “submit content,” where young people themselves become distributors of an advertising message.

A clear distinction must be made between marketing intended for adults and marketing that actually targets children. Advertising primarily directed at adults — even if it may also appeal to children — is generally not considered as being specifically aimed at children.

Many well-known individuals, influencers, or sports personalities may appeal broadly to both adults and children. To determine whether marketing is specifically directed at children, all relevant aspects of the regulation must be considered.

All three outdoor advertising companies are trained to review received materials against these criteria. In cases of doubt or when assessing borderline cases, campaigns will be escalated to our respective internal ethics committees for further evaluation — in the same way as other campaigns assessed under the Marketing Act.

Important Clarification: Ultimately, the agency or advertiser always bears full responsibility for their marketing. Therefore, we emphasize the importance of staying up to date on current case law and developments in relevant legislation. The outdoor advertising companies stand united and will work closely with advertisers and agencies to ensure correct interpretation and compliance with the regulation.

Important information

Please note that the Norwegian Directorate of Health may issue new clarifications or additional guidelines. This checklist may therefore be revised as needed to remain consistent with current interpretations and regulations.