Collection: Brand Names

This theme features advertisements for electronic cigarettes (e-cigs) from brands with reassuring names. These brands seek to subliminally suggest healthfulness of the e-cig in comparison to traditional cigarettes through their brand names. Subliminal messaging is a deliberate process created by companies, whereby individuals receive and respond to information and instructions without being aware of it.

E-cig companies are well aware that intention to quit smoking combustible cigarettes motivates many individuals to try their products. As a result, many e-cig brands are named to suggest cessation effectiveness. For instance, the brand “Fin.” Fin is French for “the end.” The brand name “Nicocure” seems to imply that it is a cure for nicotine addiction. An ad for the brand says “If we can do it. You can do it. Quit smoking in 30 days or less.” The claim of cessation effectiveness is clearly misleading and a violation of FDA regulation. The attempt to mislead consumers is especially disturbing as other published promotional materials from the company make it quite clear that by vaping this brand, individuals can still get the “nicotine you crave.”

The Smokeless brand has obvious implications beyond its device making less smoke as do the brands Smoke Relief, Smokepass, and Smoke Assist. Advertising and promotional materials for Smokepass, which brands itself as the “freshest smoking experience,” highlight statement that its e-cig is free of “tar, carbon monoxide, and other chemicals found in traditional cigarettes.” The ambiguous meaning of the brand name Quitesmoke, which can be read as either quite-smoke or quit-esmoke, makes one wish they would cease trying to be so slick.