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Electronic cigarette and e-cigarette liquid marketing

Electronic cigarettes are marketed to smoking and non-smoking men, women, and children as being safer than cigarettes.[1] In the 2010s, large tobacco businesses accelerated their marketing spending on vape products,[2][3] similar to the strategies traditional cigarette companies used in the 1950s and 1960s.[4]

E-cigarette advertisements have had marketing messages containing pseudoscientific health claims.[5] Contrary to some advertisements, e-cigarette aerosol is not just water vapor and is not risk-free for nearby bystanders.[6][7] E-cigarette packages and advertisements require health warnings under US law, stating "WARNING: This product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical."[8] E-cigarettes are marketing, among other things, as a tool to get around smoke-free policies by allowing users to "smoke anywhere."[4]

Celebrity endorsements are used to encourage e-cigarette use.[9] E-cigarette products have appeared in movies, talk shows,[10] and music videos.[11] Sponsoring sporting events such as football, motor racing, golf, powerboat, and superbike racing are used as promotional tools for e-cigarettes.[12] Most vape shops mainly use social media marketing.[13] E-cigarette marketing tactics have the possibility to glamorize smoking and enticing children and never smokers, even when such outcomes are unintended.[14] E-cigarette marketing with themes of health and lifestyle may encourage youth who do not smoke to try e-cigarettes, as they may believe that e-cigarettes are less harmful and more socially acceptable.[15] This belief may decrease one's concerns relating to nicotine addiction.[15] E-cigarette advertising approaches have successfully spread to young adults and youth.[16] The money spent in e-cigarette marketing has been accompanied with a rise in vaping in young adults and youth.[17]

Containers for e-liquids (the liquid used in vape products) can seem tempting to children of all ages for many reasons.[18] For example, some e-liquids may have labeling or advertising that misleads youth into thinking the products are things they would eat or drink –like a juice box, piece of candy, or cookie.[18] In the US and many other countries, e-cigarettes are not subject to the same marketing and promotion restrictions that apply to traditional cigarettes and therefore can advertise on television and the internet.[19] Assertions of effectiveness as a quitting smoking tool have been seen in e-cigarette advertisements in the US, UK, and China, despite such assertions had not been supported by regulatory bodies.[20]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference CrottyVyas2015 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference WasowiczFeleszko2015 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference ShieldsBerman2017 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Grana2014 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Keller2018 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ WHO 2014, p. 5.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference HeydariAhmady2017 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference EnglandAagaard2017 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Bauld 2014, p. 11.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference York2012 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference HuangKornfield2016 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ CRUK 2013, p. 48.
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference SussmanBarker2017 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ WHO 2014, p. 9.
  15. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference GranaLing2014 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ Cite error: The named reference CTFK2018 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  17. ^ Cite error: The named reference Bach2018 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  18. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference FDA-Children-2018 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  19. ^ Cite error: The named reference GlantzBareham2018 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  20. ^ Cite error: The named reference Kalkhoran2016 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).