Collection: Vaporized

JUUL is an electronic vaping device that resembles a USB memory stick. Since its introduction in June 2015, it has become hugely popular among American youth, especially high school and middle school students. Part of its success is its stealth – if left on a teen’s bedside table a parent may not recognize it as a vaping device. It also comes in a variety of youth-appealing flavors such as mango, creme brulee, fruit medley, and cool cucumber.

JUUL’s popularity, especially among teenagers, was initiated in part by the launch campaign designated “Vaporized.” This campaign used casually dressed 20-year-old models being cool, smiling, joyously jumping, and kissing while vaping their JUUL. While the models were young adults, in many of the advertisements their activity was more typical of teenagers.

JUUL engaged creative director Steven Baillie along with Grit (“Grit delivers strategic yet creative solutions, up-to-the-minute intel and intuition, unearthing what is and will be buzzing in culture”) and Cult Collective (“Cult Collective is devoted to giving brands a cult-like following”). Although the company professes it only targets “adult smokers,” it is more than a bit ironic that JUUL has achieved cult-like popularity among youth in part due to its launch campaign.

Vaporized advertisements were displayed in a brightly colored, multistory, video billboard in New York’s Time Square which flashed animated images. Vaporized ads were also widely distributed on JUUL’s website, via email, across its social media network, as well as in in-store promotions. These advertisements resonated with a younger demographic, school-age teens, who seek to emulate the cool and trendy look of playful twenty-something models.