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Stanford Research into the Impact of Tobacco Advertising

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JUUL Events – img35810

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Between June 4 and December 8, 2015 JUUL held at least 25 events in metro New York (8), metro Los Angeles (9), Las Vegas (5), Miami (1) and one each in Southampton, New York and Ventura, California. The attendees were young trend setters and free samples of JUUL’s devices and vapor pods were distributed in large quantities. Imagery from the Vaporized campaign was featured. At the events, a JUUL system was enclosed in a jewel box and displayed much like a precious jewel on tall LED lit pedestals.

The events were organized by BeCore, a Los Angeles firm which manages: “sampling tours, experimental marketing, brand activation.” The company explained that for the JUUL Vapor Lounge it: “designed, fabricated and managed a custom container to function as a mobile sampling lounge.” BeCore reported that 5000+ free samples were distributed per event. Boxman Studios (Charlotte, NC) modified a shipping container (a 20’ x 8’ steel box) into a: modern, inviting, and unique sampling experience for consumers.

The principal focus of these activities was to get a group of youthful influencers to accept gifts of JUUL products, to try out their various flavors, and then to popularize their products among their peers. The events were always free and featured popular bands such as CHAPMAN, illumanti AMS, Mary Kwok and others. Other events were movie nights held on rooftops. One Los Angeles event, managed by Cinespia, was an all night “slumber party” held in Hollywood’s Forever Cemetery featuring movies such as: Can't Hardly Wait, SCREAM, and Cruel Intentions.

JUUL sampling events continued well beyond its first year on the market. In 2016 and 2017, the company held sampling events in large metropolitan cities including Miami and New York city. For these events, JUUL hired young attractive women to distribute free samples of its products and later on after it admitted that the US Food and Drug Administration forbade free sampling of tobacco products, charged $1 for the samples. In 2018, JUUL sponsored a “Music in Film Summit” at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah. Celebrities such as Nicholas Cage, Elijah Wood and Dan Reynolds and Tyler Glen of rock band Imagine Dragons were photographed at the JUUL lounge. Celebrities were given the option of having their JUUL sample custom-engraved at the lounge.

Instagram – img36218

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Since its inception, JUUL as advertised heavily on multiple social media platforms. Advertising campaigns were often simultaneously posted on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. 

By heavily marketing via youth oriented sites such as Instagram, JUUL established its popularity among teens by stimulating a community of “JUULers” who post enormous volumes of favorable comments across social media channels. Enthusiasm among this group was ginned up by JUUL’s paid “influencers” – individuals with large inventories of followers on social media who serve as brand ambassadors. JUUL has used influencers to create and nurture conversations about their brand. Influencers contribute what appears to be independent user generated content which is influential, in part, due to its perceived independence from marketers’ influences. 

Hashtags are of special interest as they have been extensively used by JUUL and greatly expand the reach of the company’s social media postings. Hashtags connections used in their Instagram postings can be considered in several categories: Those created by JUUL (eg. #juul, #juulvapor, #switchtojuul, #vaporized); JUUL focused but created by customers or vendors (eg. #juulnation,#juullife); and trending topics unrelated to JUUL (eg. #mothersday, #goldenglobes, #nyc).

Comparing JUUL’s first year on the market with its third, JUUL actually ramped up its hashtag use substantially.
Under pressure from imminent FDA action, investigations by several state attorneys general, a bevy of class action lawsuits, and intense media criticism JUUL repeatedly deleted large segments of its social media history. On November 14, 2018 announced a halt to their social media advertising. While JUUL has halted its own posts, the viral peer to peer spread among teens the company initiated will live on indefinitely, or at least until the teen craze for JUUL abates.

Facebook – img36570

by

Since its inception, JUUL as advertised heavily on multiple social media platforms. Advertising campaigns were often simultaneously posted on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. 

By heavily marketing via youth oriented sites such as Instagram, JUUL established its popularity among teens by stimulating a community of “JUULers” who post enormous volumes of favorable comments across social media channels. Enthusiasm among this group was ginned up by JUUL’s paid “influencers” – individuals with large inventories of followers on social media who serve as brand ambassadors. JUUL has used influencers to create and nurture conversations about their brand. Influencers contribute what appears to be independent user generated content which is influential, in part, due to its perceived independence from marketers’ influences. 

Hashtags are of special interest as they have been extensively used by JUUL and greatly expand the reach of the company’s social media postings. Hashtags connections used in their Instagram postings can be considered in several categories: Those created by JUUL (eg. #juul, #juulvapor, #switchtojuul, #vaporized); JUUL focused but created by customers or vendors (eg. #juulnation,#juullife); and trending topics unrelated to JUUL (eg. #mothersday, #goldenglobes, #nyc).

Comparing JUUL’s first year on the market with its third, JUUL actually ramped up its hashtag use substantially.
Under pressure from imminent FDA action, investigations by several state attorneys general, a bevy of class action lawsuits, and intense media criticism JUUL repeatedly deleted large segments of its social media history. On November 14, 2018 announced a halt to their social media advertising. While JUUL has halted its own posts, the viral peer to peer spread among teens the company initiated will live on indefinitely, or at least until the teen craze for JUUL abates.

Twitter – img36804

by

Since its inception, JUUL as advertised heavily on multiple social media platforms. Advertising campaigns were often simultaneously posted on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. 

By heavily marketing via youth oriented sites such as Instagram, JUUL established its popularity among teens by stimulating a community of “JUULers” who post enormous volumes of favorable comments across social media channels. Enthusiasm among this group was ginned up by JUUL’s paid “influencers” – individuals with large inventories of followers on social media who serve as brand ambassadors. JUUL has used influencers to create and nurture conversations about their brand. Influencers contribute what appears to be independent user generated content which is influential, in part, due to its perceived independence from marketers’ influences. 

Hashtags are of special interest as they have been extensively used by JUUL and greatly expand the reach of the company’s social media postings. Hashtags connections used in their Instagram postings can be considered in several categories: Those created by JUUL (eg. #juul, #juulvapor, #switchtojuul, #vaporized); JUUL focused but created by customers or vendors (eg. #juulnation,#juullife); and trending topics unrelated to JUUL (eg. #mothersday, #goldenglobes, #nyc).

Comparing JUUL’s first year on the market with its third, JUUL actually ramped up its hashtag use substantially.
Under pressure from imminent FDA action, investigations by several state attorneys general, a bevy of class action lawsuits, and intense media criticism JUUL repeatedly deleted large segments of its social media history. On November 14, 2018 announced a halt to their social media advertising. While JUUL has halted its own posts, the viral peer to peer spread among teens the company initiated will live on indefinitely, or at least until the teen craze for JUUL abates.

Healthy – img27980

by

As the conventional tobacco industry continues to get demonized over predatory marketing practices and concern grows over the ill-effects of smoking, e-cigarette (e-cig)manufacturers have lost no opportunity in selling their products as a “safe” and “healthy” alternative. As Njoy claimed in its commercial “the most amazing thing about this cigarette is, it isn't one.”

Many e-cig brand names and advertising messages contain reassuring phrases that imply no harm and sometimes even medical benefits. Examples of e-cigs with reassuring brand names include Safe-cigs, Lung Buddy, iBreathe, and E-HealthCigs. In addition ads and packages for e-cigs contains reassuring phrases such as “safe,” “healthier, “cancer cure” “vitamin rich,” “light,” “mild, ” “intelligent,” “no smoker’s cough or phlegm,” and “better stamina.” Ads in this theme run the gamut from the shock inducing Flavor Vapes ad which shows a mother blow e-cig vapor into her baby’s carriage and Ever Smoke’s “Save A Life. Save A Lung. Save a Boob” to the mundane.

Advertising of nicotine based products is coming a full circle as most of the strategies employed by the e-cig industry today has been tried by the combustible cigarette industry until it was regulated. More than 85 years ago, the Federal Trade Commission regulated the combustible tobacco industry and prohibited it from making weight loss claims, 5o years ago, the same agency prohibited it from using the images of doctors and nurses to sell its products, and 5 years ago the Food and Drug Administration prohibited the industry from using descriptors such as mild, light, ultra etc. that subliminally suggested that using such a product reduced the harm for the consumer. In April 2014, seven years after e-cigs were introduced in the United States, the Federal Drug Administration has proposed regulations that will restrict health claims made by the e-cig industry. If the regulations are approved, e-cig companies will no longer be allowed to make health claims unless approved by the regulatory agency to make “direct or indirect claims” of reduced risk.

It may follow that like the tobacco industry, while the letter of the law may be followed, the intent of regulation is often subverted.”

Quit – img29226

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In advertisements for e-cigarettes, consumers are led to believe that e-cigs are a “safer” alternative to traditional cigarettes despite the fact that they too contain nicotine, a highly addictive substance.

In ads under this theme, manufacturers market e-cigs as a “healthier” and more “eco-friendly” recreational product that consumers would be “wise” to switch to. An ad for Blu says the e-cig is the “smart choice for smokers wanting a change.” The headline of the ad reads, “Why Quit, Switch to Blu.” Another ad from an e-cig retailer has the image of a strong, well-built woman, kicking a man who is smoking a cigarette. The text of the image reads, “Smoking Hurts….Try a Electronic Cigarette.” An advertisement for Cigna mentions that “Tobacco is so passé. Get with the now,” and urges consumers to switch to e-cigs. SouthBeach Smoke asks consumers to “Make the Switch Today and Change Your Life.”

While most e-cig companies are careful not to market their product as a cessation device for fear of government regulation, some e-cig retailers do just that. An ad for Xhalers contains the image of a lit conventional cigarette on a hook. The headline reads, “Hooked on Smoking. Get unhooked with Xhalers.” An arrow on a yellow text box with the words, “Quit smoking with this,” points to an e-cig. Nicocure (which is cleverly named to sound similar to Nicorette and even comes in a blue pack similar to the nicotine cessation gum pack) makes the claim that it can help a consumer quit smoking in 30 days. The ad says “Quit Smoking in 30 days or less.” The subtext reads, “The all natural solution to quit smoking in days. We Guarantee it or Your Money Back.” These are a grossly misleading claims made by these manufacturers because the FDA has not approved e-cigs as nicotine cessation device.

The data so far on the use of e-cigs as a cessation device is also contradictory. While there is some evidence to suggest that e-cigs can help a small percentage of adult smokers quit, studies have shown that in youth it encourages dual use of conventional cigarettes and e-cigs. Leading manufacturers of traditional tobacco products may seek to encourage dual use in which the vapor product functions as a nicotine continuity product for use in places where smoking is forbidden.

Sex Sells – img23807

by

Tobacco companies know as much as anybody that “sex sells,” and they have no qualms with making use of phallic symbols or with objectifying women to sell their products.

Blu, the leading brand of electronic cigarettes (e-cigs), placed an advertisement for its product in February 2014. The ad featured the Blu logo front and center on an itsy bitsy bikini bottom of a shapely model. On the online version of the ad you could even zoom in on the picture. You don’t see the woman’s face only her belly button to her legs. Accompanying the ad was the slogan “Slim. Charged. Ready to Go.” The obvious sexual reference of the slogan is hard to miss. Blu also sponsored parties at Playboy’s top party schools that allowed partygoers to meet the Playmates. Playboy itself got into the act by creating its own Playboy e-cigs. Some of the ads for the Playboy e-cigs with the trademarked bunny symbol advertised free condoms with the purchase of the vapor device.

Phantom Smoke is a brand that in their advertising is shameless in its objectification of women. Many of the ads feature skimpily clothed women in subservient positions to men. An ad for PhatomSmoke has a woman suggestively sitting in the bathtub with the e-hookah between her teeth. Her lingerie is carelessly discarded on the rim of the bathtub. In another ad, a woman wearing racy black lingerie is on the floor holding onto an out stretched leg of a man sitting on a couch with an e-cig in his hand. An ad for Krave e-cigs has a woman dressed in a bodysuit sitting on a side of a sofa her legs slightly apart as she gazes towards the viewer.

Other tobacco ads exploit the “sex sells” market through innuendo and subliminal messaging. Many ads use phallic imagery.

Apart from online and print advertisements that exploit sex to sell the product, online videos are replete with sexual innuendo. An online video for Blu exploits sex to promote a cessation message. An ad for VIP e-cig featured a sultry-looking woman saying: “I want you to get it out. I want to see it. Feel it. Hold it. Put it in my mouth. I want to see how great it tastes.” The online and TV ad, which ran in Britain, attracted 937 complaints about its “overtly sexual” tone.

Vapor Plumes – img29010

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The plume of vapor from an electronic cigarette (e-cig) is a central element in many advertisements. The thick vapor, sometimes arranged as perfect blow rings and described in adulatory terms, glamorizes the act of vaping.

For instance, an ad for Vapestick is a close-up of sexy red lips partially clouded by e-cig vapor along with the tagline, “Vaping is the New Sexy.” Another ad by the same brand is of a glamorous woman with fishnet stockings lying down in bed blowing a thick plume of vapor. The slogan “Rock the Vape” written in bold font occupies a major portion of the ad. V2 Cigs advertises itself as “The Thickest Vapor In The Business.”

The appeal of a thick plume of vapor has led to stores and brands using the word in their name. The brand name “Ploom” conjures to mind thick clouds of vapor. Retail stores associated with the word include Plumes, The Plume Room and Plumes of Vapor.

The smaller e-cigs, which are similar to a conventional cigarette in shape and size, produce less vapor compared to the larger high-end personal vaporizers, frequently called Mods, that are designed to produce a very thick and visible vapor. In vaping lexicon, the thick big clouds of vapor produced from Mods are called “Cloud Chasing” and people who produce them are called “Cloud Chasers.” Blowing out thick plumes of vapor in a variety of designs is so appealing that some e-cig and eJuice brands even offer “cloud chasing” competitions.

It is interesting that while some e-cig brands play up the vapor plume in their advertising, some other companies go out of their way to advertise the discreteness of their product. White Cloud, which sells Invisi-Vapor E-Cigarette Cartridges, advertises the product as a way to “you to use your e cigarette in places where being discreet is important, all while delivering the same amount of nicotine and flavor.”

While the plume of smoke may appear glamorous and even safe, as it is often advertised as “pure water vapor,” this is not the case. Studies have found that e-cig vapor can lead to nicotine toxicity as well as respiratory and cardiovascular problems.

Eco-Friendly – img31005

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At a time when everyone’s mantra is to “go green,” it is no surprise to see the e-cigarette industry’s marketing machine clamor to announce that its products are environmentally conscious and much better for an individual’s health and the environment than conventional cigarette products.

First, most e-cigs companies point to the fact that since their products do not produce any smoke but only emit a vapor, it is less polluting than conventional tobacco products. For instance, Green Smoke says it “aspires to create a greener planet” by offering a cigarette that has no second-hand smoke, no ash and no risk of fire.” SouthBeach Smoke also equates the healthier, i.e. no carcinogens and no smoke aspect of e-cigs to being a more eco-friendly product.

To promote the image of being an earth-friendly product, e-cigarettes are appropriately branded with subliminal brand names such as Green Smoke, Eco-Cigs, Ever Smoke, EverGreen Vapor, Enviro, and Green Nicotine. Many of the ads for these products also use terms such as “additive-free,” “organic” and “eco-friendly” to imply that the ingredients are “pure” and not harmful to the individual or the environment. For instance, Green Nicotine e-cig manufacturer’s claim to being environmentally friendly comes from the fact that its manufacturing processes uses green techniques by restricting the use of “hazardous materials” and incorporating “pure” materials. However, it is important to note that since e-cigs are unregulated, there is no standard definition of the purity of nicotine or flavoring ingredients used in these products.

To further suggest, the green nature of the product, the packaging is plastered with green leaf symbols and shades of green predominate the advertisement and e-cig package. In a Green Smoke advertisement, a woman with apple green colored lips is seen holding an e-cigarette near her lips. The ad seems to suggest that the e-cig is as safe as a lipstick for a woman. In another ad for Green Smoke, a man is seen enjoying the freshness and pure air of a mountaintop with an e-cig between his lips. The text of the advertisement reads, “Enjoy your nicotine. No Lighter. No Fire. No Mess.” An advertisement for EverSmoke that showcases the company’s diverse products has the following text, “Healthy for You. Green for the Environment.” A Green Nicotine advertisement shows a single e-cig against the backdrop of a lush green moss lawn.

E-cig companies are also eager to make the point that since its products are mostly reusable they aren’t thrown away like traditional cigarette butts that pile up in landfills and pollute the environment. However, the eco-friendly nature of e-cigs warrants a closer investigation. E-cigs contain several plastic and metal components that need to be properly disposed. In addition to this, the nickel-cadmium or lithium batteries used in e-cigs need to be properly disposed in e-waste recycling bin instead of the general trash. While some e-cig manufacturers offer “recycling programs” to promote proper disposal of e-waste, it is unclear how many consumers take the time to invest in such programs. When e-cigs don’t get properly disposed they are as much a pollutant as traditional cigarettes.

JUUL Events – img35811

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Between June 4 and December 8, 2015 JUUL held at least 25 events in metro New York (8), metro Los Angeles (9), Las Vegas (5), Miami (1) and one each in Southampton, New York and Ventura, California. The attendees were young trend setters and free samples of JUUL’s devices and vapor pods were distributed in large quantities. Imagery from the Vaporized campaign was featured. At the events, a JUUL system was enclosed in a jewel box and displayed much like a precious jewel on tall LED lit pedestals.

The events were organized by BeCore, a Los Angeles firm which manages: “sampling tours, experimental marketing, brand activation.” The company explained that for the JUUL Vapor Lounge it: “designed, fabricated and managed a custom container to function as a mobile sampling lounge.” BeCore reported that 5000+ free samples were distributed per event. Boxman Studios (Charlotte, NC) modified a shipping container (a 20’ x 8’ steel box) into a: modern, inviting, and unique sampling experience for consumers.

The principal focus of these activities was to get a group of youthful influencers to accept gifts of JUUL products, to try out their various flavors, and then to popularize their products among their peers. The events were always free and featured popular bands such as CHAPMAN, illumanti AMS, Mary Kwok and others. Other events were movie nights held on rooftops. One Los Angeles event, managed by Cinespia, was an all night “slumber party” held in Hollywood’s Forever Cemetery featuring movies such as: Can't Hardly Wait, SCREAM, and Cruel Intentions.

JUUL sampling events continued well beyond its first year on the market. In 2016 and 2017, the company held sampling events in large metropolitan cities including Miami and New York city. For these events, JUUL hired young attractive women to distribute free samples of its products and later on after it admitted that the US Food and Drug Administration forbade free sampling of tobacco products, charged $1 for the samples. In 2018, JUUL sponsored a “Music in Film Summit” at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah. Celebrities such as Nicholas Cage, Elijah Wood and Dan Reynolds and Tyler Glen of rock band Imagine Dragons were photographed at the JUUL lounge. Celebrities were given the option of having their JUUL sample custom-engraved at the lounge.

Instagram – img36219

by

Since its inception, JUUL as advertised heavily on multiple social media platforms. Advertising campaigns were often simultaneously posted on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. 

By heavily marketing via youth oriented sites such as Instagram, JUUL established its popularity among teens by stimulating a community of “JUULers” who post enormous volumes of favorable comments across social media channels. Enthusiasm among this group was ginned up by JUUL’s paid “influencers” – individuals with large inventories of followers on social media who serve as brand ambassadors. JUUL has used influencers to create and nurture conversations about their brand. Influencers contribute what appears to be independent user generated content which is influential, in part, due to its perceived independence from marketers’ influences. 

Hashtags are of special interest as they have been extensively used by JUUL and greatly expand the reach of the company’s social media postings. Hashtags connections used in their Instagram postings can be considered in several categories: Those created by JUUL (eg. #juul, #juulvapor, #switchtojuul, #vaporized); JUUL focused but created by customers or vendors (eg. #juulnation,#juullife); and trending topics unrelated to JUUL (eg. #mothersday, #goldenglobes, #nyc).

Comparing JUUL’s first year on the market with its third, JUUL actually ramped up its hashtag use substantially.
Under pressure from imminent FDA action, investigations by several state attorneys general, a bevy of class action lawsuits, and intense media criticism JUUL repeatedly deleted large segments of its social media history. On November 14, 2018 announced a halt to their social media advertising. While JUUL has halted its own posts, the viral peer to peer spread among teens the company initiated will live on indefinitely, or at least until the teen craze for JUUL abates.

Twitter – img36386

by

Since its inception, JUUL as advertised heavily on multiple social media platforms. Advertising campaigns were often simultaneously posted on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. 

By heavily marketing via youth oriented sites such as Instagram, JUUL established its popularity among teens by stimulating a community of “JUULers” who post enormous volumes of favorable comments across social media channels. Enthusiasm among this group was ginned up by JUUL’s paid “influencers” – individuals with large inventories of followers on social media who serve as brand ambassadors. JUUL has used influencers to create and nurture conversations about their brand. Influencers contribute what appears to be independent user generated content which is influential, in part, due to its perceived independence from marketers’ influences. 

Hashtags are of special interest as they have been extensively used by JUUL and greatly expand the reach of the company’s social media postings. Hashtags connections used in their Instagram postings can be considered in several categories: Those created by JUUL (eg. #juul, #juulvapor, #switchtojuul, #vaporized); JUUL focused but created by customers or vendors (eg. #juulnation,#juullife); and trending topics unrelated to JUUL (eg. #mothersday, #goldenglobes, #nyc).

Comparing JUUL’s first year on the market with its third, JUUL actually ramped up its hashtag use substantially.
Under pressure from imminent FDA action, investigations by several state attorneys general, a bevy of class action lawsuits, and intense media criticism JUUL repeatedly deleted large segments of its social media history. On November 14, 2018 announced a halt to their social media advertising. While JUUL has halted its own posts, the viral peer to peer spread among teens the company initiated will live on indefinitely, or at least until the teen craze for JUUL abates.

Facebook – img36571

by

Since its inception, JUUL as advertised heavily on multiple social media platforms. Advertising campaigns were often simultaneously posted on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. 

By heavily marketing via youth oriented sites such as Instagram, JUUL established its popularity among teens by stimulating a community of “JUULers” who post enormous volumes of favorable comments across social media channels. Enthusiasm among this group was ginned up by JUUL’s paid “influencers” – individuals with large inventories of followers on social media who serve as brand ambassadors. JUUL has used influencers to create and nurture conversations about their brand. Influencers contribute what appears to be independent user generated content which is influential, in part, due to its perceived independence from marketers’ influences. 

Hashtags are of special interest as they have been extensively used by JUUL and greatly expand the reach of the company’s social media postings. Hashtags connections used in their Instagram postings can be considered in several categories: Those created by JUUL (eg. #juul, #juulvapor, #switchtojuul, #vaporized); JUUL focused but created by customers or vendors (eg. #juulnation,#juullife); and trending topics unrelated to JUUL (eg. #mothersday, #goldenglobes, #nyc).

Comparing JUUL’s first year on the market with its third, JUUL actually ramped up its hashtag use substantially.
Under pressure from imminent FDA action, investigations by several state attorneys general, a bevy of class action lawsuits, and intense media criticism JUUL repeatedly deleted large segments of its social media history. On November 14, 2018 announced a halt to their social media advertising. While JUUL has halted its own posts, the viral peer to peer spread among teens the company initiated will live on indefinitely, or at least until the teen craze for JUUL abates.

Healthy – img27981

by

As the conventional tobacco industry continues to get demonized over predatory marketing practices and concern grows over the ill-effects of smoking, e-cigarette (e-cig)manufacturers have lost no opportunity in selling their products as a “safe” and “healthy” alternative. As Njoy claimed in its commercial “the most amazing thing about this cigarette is, it isn't one.”

Many e-cig brand names and advertising messages contain reassuring phrases that imply no harm and sometimes even medical benefits. Examples of e-cigs with reassuring brand names include Safe-cigs, Lung Buddy, iBreathe, and E-HealthCigs. In addition ads and packages for e-cigs contains reassuring phrases such as “safe,” “healthier, “cancer cure” “vitamin rich,” “light,” “mild, ” “intelligent,” “no smoker’s cough or phlegm,” and “better stamina.” Ads in this theme run the gamut from the shock inducing Flavor Vapes ad which shows a mother blow e-cig vapor into her baby’s carriage and Ever Smoke’s “Save A Life. Save A Lung. Save a Boob” to the mundane.

Advertising of nicotine based products is coming a full circle as most of the strategies employed by the e-cig industry today has been tried by the combustible cigarette industry until it was regulated. More than 85 years ago, the Federal Trade Commission regulated the combustible tobacco industry and prohibited it from making weight loss claims, 5o years ago, the same agency prohibited it from using the images of doctors and nurses to sell its products, and 5 years ago the Food and Drug Administration prohibited the industry from using descriptors such as mild, light, ultra etc. that subliminally suggested that using such a product reduced the harm for the consumer. In April 2014, seven years after e-cigs were introduced in the United States, the Federal Drug Administration has proposed regulations that will restrict health claims made by the e-cig industry. If the regulations are approved, e-cig companies will no longer be allowed to make health claims unless approved by the regulatory agency to make “direct or indirect claims” of reduced risk.

It may follow that like the tobacco industry, while the letter of the law may be followed, the intent of regulation is often subverted.”

Quit – img29227

by

In advertisements for e-cigarettes, consumers are led to believe that e-cigs are a “safer” alternative to traditional cigarettes despite the fact that they too contain nicotine, a highly addictive substance.

In ads under this theme, manufacturers market e-cigs as a “healthier” and more “eco-friendly” recreational product that consumers would be “wise” to switch to. An ad for Blu says the e-cig is the “smart choice for smokers wanting a change.” The headline of the ad reads, “Why Quit, Switch to Blu.” Another ad from an e-cig retailer has the image of a strong, well-built woman, kicking a man who is smoking a cigarette. The text of the image reads, “Smoking Hurts….Try a Electronic Cigarette.” An advertisement for Cigna mentions that “Tobacco is so passé. Get with the now,” and urges consumers to switch to e-cigs. SouthBeach Smoke asks consumers to “Make the Switch Today and Change Your Life.”

While most e-cig companies are careful not to market their product as a cessation device for fear of government regulation, some e-cig retailers do just that. An ad for Xhalers contains the image of a lit conventional cigarette on a hook. The headline reads, “Hooked on Smoking. Get unhooked with Xhalers.” An arrow on a yellow text box with the words, “Quit smoking with this,” points to an e-cig. Nicocure (which is cleverly named to sound similar to Nicorette and even comes in a blue pack similar to the nicotine cessation gum pack) makes the claim that it can help a consumer quit smoking in 30 days. The ad says “Quit Smoking in 30 days or less.” The subtext reads, “The all natural solution to quit smoking in days. We Guarantee it or Your Money Back.” These are a grossly misleading claims made by these manufacturers because the FDA has not approved e-cigs as nicotine cessation device.

The data so far on the use of e-cigs as a cessation device is also contradictory. While there is some evidence to suggest that e-cigs can help a small percentage of adult smokers quit, studies have shown that in youth it encourages dual use of conventional cigarettes and e-cigs. Leading manufacturers of traditional tobacco products may seek to encourage dual use in which the vapor product functions as a nicotine continuity product for use in places where smoking is forbidden.

Sex Sells – img23808

by

Tobacco companies know as much as anybody that “sex sells,” and they have no qualms with making use of phallic symbols or with objectifying women to sell their products.

Blu, the leading brand of electronic cigarettes (e-cigs), placed an advertisement for its product in February 2014. The ad featured the Blu logo front and center on an itsy bitsy bikini bottom of a shapely model. On the online version of the ad you could even zoom in on the picture. You don’t see the woman’s face only her belly button to her legs. Accompanying the ad was the slogan “Slim. Charged. Ready to Go.” The obvious sexual reference of the slogan is hard to miss. Blu also sponsored parties at Playboy’s top party schools that allowed partygoers to meet the Playmates. Playboy itself got into the act by creating its own Playboy e-cigs. Some of the ads for the Playboy e-cigs with the trademarked bunny symbol advertised free condoms with the purchase of the vapor device.

Phantom Smoke is a brand that in their advertising is shameless in its objectification of women. Many of the ads feature skimpily clothed women in subservient positions to men. An ad for PhatomSmoke has a woman suggestively sitting in the bathtub with the e-hookah between her teeth. Her lingerie is carelessly discarded on the rim of the bathtub. In another ad, a woman wearing racy black lingerie is on the floor holding onto an out stretched leg of a man sitting on a couch with an e-cig in his hand. An ad for Krave e-cigs has a woman dressed in a bodysuit sitting on a side of a sofa her legs slightly apart as she gazes towards the viewer.

Other tobacco ads exploit the “sex sells” market through innuendo and subliminal messaging. Many ads use phallic imagery.

Apart from online and print advertisements that exploit sex to sell the product, online videos are replete with sexual innuendo. An online video for Blu exploits sex to promote a cessation message. An ad for VIP e-cig featured a sultry-looking woman saying: “I want you to get it out. I want to see it. Feel it. Hold it. Put it in my mouth. I want to see how great it tastes.” The online and TV ad, which ran in Britain, attracted 937 complaints about its “overtly sexual” tone.

Vapor Plumes – img29011

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The plume of vapor from an electronic cigarette (e-cig) is a central element in many advertisements. The thick vapor, sometimes arranged as perfect blow rings and described in adulatory terms, glamorizes the act of vaping.

For instance, an ad for Vapestick is a close-up of sexy red lips partially clouded by e-cig vapor along with the tagline, “Vaping is the New Sexy.” Another ad by the same brand is of a glamorous woman with fishnet stockings lying down in bed blowing a thick plume of vapor. The slogan “Rock the Vape” written in bold font occupies a major portion of the ad. V2 Cigs advertises itself as “The Thickest Vapor In The Business.”

The appeal of a thick plume of vapor has led to stores and brands using the word in their name. The brand name “Ploom” conjures to mind thick clouds of vapor. Retail stores associated with the word include Plumes, The Plume Room and Plumes of Vapor.

The smaller e-cigs, which are similar to a conventional cigarette in shape and size, produce less vapor compared to the larger high-end personal vaporizers, frequently called Mods, that are designed to produce a very thick and visible vapor. In vaping lexicon, the thick big clouds of vapor produced from Mods are called “Cloud Chasing” and people who produce them are called “Cloud Chasers.” Blowing out thick plumes of vapor in a variety of designs is so appealing that some e-cig and eJuice brands even offer “cloud chasing” competitions.

It is interesting that while some e-cig brands play up the vapor plume in their advertising, some other companies go out of their way to advertise the discreteness of their product. White Cloud, which sells Invisi-Vapor E-Cigarette Cartridges, advertises the product as a way to “you to use your e cigarette in places where being discreet is important, all while delivering the same amount of nicotine and flavor.”

While the plume of smoke may appear glamorous and even safe, as it is often advertised as “pure water vapor,” this is not the case. Studies have found that e-cig vapor can lead to nicotine toxicity as well as respiratory and cardiovascular problems.

Eco-Friendly – img31006

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At a time when everyone’s mantra is to “go green,” it is no surprise to see the e-cigarette industry’s marketing machine clamor to announce that its products are environmentally conscious and much better for an individual’s health and the environment than conventional cigarette products.

First, most e-cigs companies point to the fact that since their products do not produce any smoke but only emit a vapor, it is less polluting than conventional tobacco products. For instance, Green Smoke says it “aspires to create a greener planet” by offering a cigarette that has no second-hand smoke, no ash and no risk of fire.” SouthBeach Smoke also equates the healthier, i.e. no carcinogens and no smoke aspect of e-cigs to being a more eco-friendly product.

To promote the image of being an earth-friendly product, e-cigarettes are appropriately branded with subliminal brand names such as Green Smoke, Eco-Cigs, Ever Smoke, EverGreen Vapor, Enviro, and Green Nicotine. Many of the ads for these products also use terms such as “additive-free,” “organic” and “eco-friendly” to imply that the ingredients are “pure” and not harmful to the individual or the environment. For instance, Green Nicotine e-cig manufacturer’s claim to being environmentally friendly comes from the fact that its manufacturing processes uses green techniques by restricting the use of “hazardous materials” and incorporating “pure” materials. However, it is important to note that since e-cigs are unregulated, there is no standard definition of the purity of nicotine or flavoring ingredients used in these products.

To further suggest, the green nature of the product, the packaging is plastered with green leaf symbols and shades of green predominate the advertisement and e-cig package. In a Green Smoke advertisement, a woman with apple green colored lips is seen holding an e-cigarette near her lips. The ad seems to suggest that the e-cig is as safe as a lipstick for a woman. In another ad for Green Smoke, a man is seen enjoying the freshness and pure air of a mountaintop with an e-cig between his lips. The text of the advertisement reads, “Enjoy your nicotine. No Lighter. No Fire. No Mess.” An advertisement for EverSmoke that showcases the company’s diverse products has the following text, “Healthy for You. Green for the Environment.” A Green Nicotine advertisement shows a single e-cig against the backdrop of a lush green moss lawn.

E-cig companies are also eager to make the point that since its products are mostly reusable they aren’t thrown away like traditional cigarette butts that pile up in landfills and pollute the environment. However, the eco-friendly nature of e-cigs warrants a closer investigation. E-cigs contain several plastic and metal components that need to be properly disposed. In addition to this, the nickel-cadmium or lithium batteries used in e-cigs need to be properly disposed in e-waste recycling bin instead of the general trash. While some e-cig manufacturers offer “recycling programs” to promote proper disposal of e-waste, it is unclear how many consumers take the time to invest in such programs. When e-cigs don’t get properly disposed they are as much a pollutant as traditional cigarettes.

JUUL Events – img35812

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Between June 4 and December 8, 2015 JUUL held at least 25 events in metro New York (8), metro Los Angeles (9), Las Vegas (5), Miami (1) and one each in Southampton, New York and Ventura, California. The attendees were young trend setters and free samples of JUUL’s devices and vapor pods were distributed in large quantities. Imagery from the Vaporized campaign was featured. At the events, a JUUL system was enclosed in a jewel box and displayed much like a precious jewel on tall LED lit pedestals.

The events were organized by BeCore, a Los Angeles firm which manages: “sampling tours, experimental marketing, brand activation.” The company explained that for the JUUL Vapor Lounge it: “designed, fabricated and managed a custom container to function as a mobile sampling lounge.” BeCore reported that 5000+ free samples were distributed per event. Boxman Studios (Charlotte, NC) modified a shipping container (a 20’ x 8’ steel box) into a: modern, inviting, and unique sampling experience for consumers.

The principal focus of these activities was to get a group of youthful influencers to accept gifts of JUUL products, to try out their various flavors, and then to popularize their products among their peers. The events were always free and featured popular bands such as CHAPMAN, illumanti AMS, Mary Kwok and others. Other events were movie nights held on rooftops. One Los Angeles event, managed by Cinespia, was an all night “slumber party” held in Hollywood’s Forever Cemetery featuring movies such as: Can't Hardly Wait, SCREAM, and Cruel Intentions.

JUUL sampling events continued well beyond its first year on the market. In 2016 and 2017, the company held sampling events in large metropolitan cities including Miami and New York city. For these events, JUUL hired young attractive women to distribute free samples of its products and later on after it admitted that the US Food and Drug Administration forbade free sampling of tobacco products, charged $1 for the samples. In 2018, JUUL sponsored a “Music in Film Summit” at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah. Celebrities such as Nicholas Cage, Elijah Wood and Dan Reynolds and Tyler Glen of rock band Imagine Dragons were photographed at the JUUL lounge. Celebrities were given the option of having their JUUL sample custom-engraved at the lounge.

Instagram – img36220

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Since its inception, JUUL as advertised heavily on multiple social media platforms. Advertising campaigns were often simultaneously posted on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. 

By heavily marketing via youth oriented sites such as Instagram, JUUL established its popularity among teens by stimulating a community of “JUULers” who post enormous volumes of favorable comments across social media channels. Enthusiasm among this group was ginned up by JUUL’s paid “influencers” – individuals with large inventories of followers on social media who serve as brand ambassadors. JUUL has used influencers to create and nurture conversations about their brand. Influencers contribute what appears to be independent user generated content which is influential, in part, due to its perceived independence from marketers’ influences. 

Hashtags are of special interest as they have been extensively used by JUUL and greatly expand the reach of the company’s social media postings. Hashtags connections used in their Instagram postings can be considered in several categories: Those created by JUUL (eg. #juul, #juulvapor, #switchtojuul, #vaporized); JUUL focused but created by customers or vendors (eg. #juulnation,#juullife); and trending topics unrelated to JUUL (eg. #mothersday, #goldenglobes, #nyc).

Comparing JUUL’s first year on the market with its third, JUUL actually ramped up its hashtag use substantially.
Under pressure from imminent FDA action, investigations by several state attorneys general, a bevy of class action lawsuits, and intense media criticism JUUL repeatedly deleted large segments of its social media history. On November 14, 2018 announced a halt to their social media advertising. While JUUL has halted its own posts, the viral peer to peer spread among teens the company initiated will live on indefinitely, or at least until the teen craze for JUUL abates.

Twitter – img36387

by

Since its inception, JUUL as advertised heavily on multiple social media platforms. Advertising campaigns were often simultaneously posted on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. 

By heavily marketing via youth oriented sites such as Instagram, JUUL established its popularity among teens by stimulating a community of “JUULers” who post enormous volumes of favorable comments across social media channels. Enthusiasm among this group was ginned up by JUUL’s paid “influencers” – individuals with large inventories of followers on social media who serve as brand ambassadors. JUUL has used influencers to create and nurture conversations about their brand. Influencers contribute what appears to be independent user generated content which is influential, in part, due to its perceived independence from marketers’ influences. 

Hashtags are of special interest as they have been extensively used by JUUL and greatly expand the reach of the company’s social media postings. Hashtags connections used in their Instagram postings can be considered in several categories: Those created by JUUL (eg. #juul, #juulvapor, #switchtojuul, #vaporized); JUUL focused but created by customers or vendors (eg. #juulnation,#juullife); and trending topics unrelated to JUUL (eg. #mothersday, #goldenglobes, #nyc).

Comparing JUUL’s first year on the market with its third, JUUL actually ramped up its hashtag use substantially.
Under pressure from imminent FDA action, investigations by several state attorneys general, a bevy of class action lawsuits, and intense media criticism JUUL repeatedly deleted large segments of its social media history. On November 14, 2018 announced a halt to their social media advertising. While JUUL has halted its own posts, the viral peer to peer spread among teens the company initiated will live on indefinitely, or at least until the teen craze for JUUL abates.

Facebook – img36572

by

Since its inception, JUUL as advertised heavily on multiple social media platforms. Advertising campaigns were often simultaneously posted on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. 

By heavily marketing via youth oriented sites such as Instagram, JUUL established its popularity among teens by stimulating a community of “JUULers” who post enormous volumes of favorable comments across social media channels. Enthusiasm among this group was ginned up by JUUL’s paid “influencers” – individuals with large inventories of followers on social media who serve as brand ambassadors. JUUL has used influencers to create and nurture conversations about their brand. Influencers contribute what appears to be independent user generated content which is influential, in part, due to its perceived independence from marketers’ influences. 

Hashtags are of special interest as they have been extensively used by JUUL and greatly expand the reach of the company’s social media postings. Hashtags connections used in their Instagram postings can be considered in several categories: Those created by JUUL (eg. #juul, #juulvapor, #switchtojuul, #vaporized); JUUL focused but created by customers or vendors (eg. #juulnation,#juullife); and trending topics unrelated to JUUL (eg. #mothersday, #goldenglobes, #nyc).

Comparing JUUL’s first year on the market with its third, JUUL actually ramped up its hashtag use substantially.
Under pressure from imminent FDA action, investigations by several state attorneys general, a bevy of class action lawsuits, and intense media criticism JUUL repeatedly deleted large segments of its social media history. On November 14, 2018 announced a halt to their social media advertising. While JUUL has halted its own posts, the viral peer to peer spread among teens the company initiated will live on indefinitely, or at least until the teen craze for JUUL abates.

Healthy – img27982

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As the conventional tobacco industry continues to get demonized over predatory marketing practices and concern grows over the ill-effects of smoking, e-cigarette (e-cig)manufacturers have lost no opportunity in selling their products as a “safe” and “healthy” alternative. As Njoy claimed in its commercial “the most amazing thing about this cigarette is, it isn't one.”

Many e-cig brand names and advertising messages contain reassuring phrases that imply no harm and sometimes even medical benefits. Examples of e-cigs with reassuring brand names include Safe-cigs, Lung Buddy, iBreathe, and E-HealthCigs. In addition ads and packages for e-cigs contains reassuring phrases such as “safe,” “healthier, “cancer cure” “vitamin rich,” “light,” “mild, ” “intelligent,” “no smoker’s cough or phlegm,” and “better stamina.” Ads in this theme run the gamut from the shock inducing Flavor Vapes ad which shows a mother blow e-cig vapor into her baby’s carriage and Ever Smoke’s “Save A Life. Save A Lung. Save a Boob” to the mundane.

Advertising of nicotine based products is coming a full circle as most of the strategies employed by the e-cig industry today has been tried by the combustible cigarette industry until it was regulated. More than 85 years ago, the Federal Trade Commission regulated the combustible tobacco industry and prohibited it from making weight loss claims, 5o years ago, the same agency prohibited it from using the images of doctors and nurses to sell its products, and 5 years ago the Food and Drug Administration prohibited the industry from using descriptors such as mild, light, ultra etc. that subliminally suggested that using such a product reduced the harm for the consumer. In April 2014, seven years after e-cigs were introduced in the United States, the Federal Drug Administration has proposed regulations that will restrict health claims made by the e-cig industry. If the regulations are approved, e-cig companies will no longer be allowed to make health claims unless approved by the regulatory agency to make “direct or indirect claims” of reduced risk.

It may follow that like the tobacco industry, while the letter of the law may be followed, the intent of regulation is often subverted.”

Quit – img29228

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In advertisements for e-cigarettes, consumers are led to believe that e-cigs are a “safer” alternative to traditional cigarettes despite the fact that they too contain nicotine, a highly addictive substance.

In ads under this theme, manufacturers market e-cigs as a “healthier” and more “eco-friendly” recreational product that consumers would be “wise” to switch to. An ad for Blu says the e-cig is the “smart choice for smokers wanting a change.” The headline of the ad reads, “Why Quit, Switch to Blu.” Another ad from an e-cig retailer has the image of a strong, well-built woman, kicking a man who is smoking a cigarette. The text of the image reads, “Smoking Hurts….Try a Electronic Cigarette.” An advertisement for Cigna mentions that “Tobacco is so passé. Get with the now,” and urges consumers to switch to e-cigs. SouthBeach Smoke asks consumers to “Make the Switch Today and Change Your Life.”

While most e-cig companies are careful not to market their product as a cessation device for fear of government regulation, some e-cig retailers do just that. An ad for Xhalers contains the image of a lit conventional cigarette on a hook. The headline reads, “Hooked on Smoking. Get unhooked with Xhalers.” An arrow on a yellow text box with the words, “Quit smoking with this,” points to an e-cig. Nicocure (which is cleverly named to sound similar to Nicorette and even comes in a blue pack similar to the nicotine cessation gum pack) makes the claim that it can help a consumer quit smoking in 30 days. The ad says “Quit Smoking in 30 days or less.” The subtext reads, “The all natural solution to quit smoking in days. We Guarantee it or Your Money Back.” These are a grossly misleading claims made by these manufacturers because the FDA has not approved e-cigs as nicotine cessation device.

The data so far on the use of e-cigs as a cessation device is also contradictory. While there is some evidence to suggest that e-cigs can help a small percentage of adult smokers quit, studies have shown that in youth it encourages dual use of conventional cigarettes and e-cigs. Leading manufacturers of traditional tobacco products may seek to encourage dual use in which the vapor product functions as a nicotine continuity product for use in places where smoking is forbidden.

Sex Sells – img23809

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Tobacco companies know as much as anybody that “sex sells,” and they have no qualms with making use of phallic symbols or with objectifying women to sell their products.

Blu, the leading brand of electronic cigarettes (e-cigs), placed an advertisement for its product in February 2014. The ad featured the Blu logo front and center on an itsy bitsy bikini bottom of a shapely model. On the online version of the ad you could even zoom in on the picture. You don’t see the woman’s face only her belly button to her legs. Accompanying the ad was the slogan “Slim. Charged. Ready to Go.” The obvious sexual reference of the slogan is hard to miss. Blu also sponsored parties at Playboy’s top party schools that allowed partygoers to meet the Playmates. Playboy itself got into the act by creating its own Playboy e-cigs. Some of the ads for the Playboy e-cigs with the trademarked bunny symbol advertised free condoms with the purchase of the vapor device.

Phantom Smoke is a brand that in their advertising is shameless in its objectification of women. Many of the ads feature skimpily clothed women in subservient positions to men. An ad for PhatomSmoke has a woman suggestively sitting in the bathtub with the e-hookah between her teeth. Her lingerie is carelessly discarded on the rim of the bathtub. In another ad, a woman wearing racy black lingerie is on the floor holding onto an out stretched leg of a man sitting on a couch with an e-cig in his hand. An ad for Krave e-cigs has a woman dressed in a bodysuit sitting on a side of a sofa her legs slightly apart as she gazes towards the viewer.

Other tobacco ads exploit the “sex sells” market through innuendo and subliminal messaging. Many ads use phallic imagery.

Apart from online and print advertisements that exploit sex to sell the product, online videos are replete with sexual innuendo. An online video for Blu exploits sex to promote a cessation message. An ad for VIP e-cig featured a sultry-looking woman saying: “I want you to get it out. I want to see it. Feel it. Hold it. Put it in my mouth. I want to see how great it tastes.” The online and TV ad, which ran in Britain, attracted 937 complaints about its “overtly sexual” tone.

Vapor Plumes – img29012

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The plume of vapor from an electronic cigarette (e-cig) is a central element in many advertisements. The thick vapor, sometimes arranged as perfect blow rings and described in adulatory terms, glamorizes the act of vaping.

For instance, an ad for Vapestick is a close-up of sexy red lips partially clouded by e-cig vapor along with the tagline, “Vaping is the New Sexy.” Another ad by the same brand is of a glamorous woman with fishnet stockings lying down in bed blowing a thick plume of vapor. The slogan “Rock the Vape” written in bold font occupies a major portion of the ad. V2 Cigs advertises itself as “The Thickest Vapor In The Business.”

The appeal of a thick plume of vapor has led to stores and brands using the word in their name. The brand name “Ploom” conjures to mind thick clouds of vapor. Retail stores associated with the word include Plumes, The Plume Room and Plumes of Vapor.

The smaller e-cigs, which are similar to a conventional cigarette in shape and size, produce less vapor compared to the larger high-end personal vaporizers, frequently called Mods, that are designed to produce a very thick and visible vapor. In vaping lexicon, the thick big clouds of vapor produced from Mods are called “Cloud Chasing” and people who produce them are called “Cloud Chasers.” Blowing out thick plumes of vapor in a variety of designs is so appealing that some e-cig and eJuice brands even offer “cloud chasing” competitions.

It is interesting that while some e-cig brands play up the vapor plume in their advertising, some other companies go out of their way to advertise the discreteness of their product. White Cloud, which sells Invisi-Vapor E-Cigarette Cartridges, advertises the product as a way to “you to use your e cigarette in places where being discreet is important, all while delivering the same amount of nicotine and flavor.”

While the plume of smoke may appear glamorous and even safe, as it is often advertised as “pure water vapor,” this is not the case. Studies have found that e-cig vapor can lead to nicotine toxicity as well as respiratory and cardiovascular problems.

Eco-Friendly – img31007

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At a time when everyone’s mantra is to “go green,” it is no surprise to see the e-cigarette industry’s marketing machine clamor to announce that its products are environmentally conscious and much better for an individual’s health and the environment than conventional cigarette products.

First, most e-cigs companies point to the fact that since their products do not produce any smoke but only emit a vapor, it is less polluting than conventional tobacco products. For instance, Green Smoke says it “aspires to create a greener planet” by offering a cigarette that has no second-hand smoke, no ash and no risk of fire.” SouthBeach Smoke also equates the healthier, i.e. no carcinogens and no smoke aspect of e-cigs to being a more eco-friendly product.

To promote the image of being an earth-friendly product, e-cigarettes are appropriately branded with subliminal brand names such as Green Smoke, Eco-Cigs, Ever Smoke, EverGreen Vapor, Enviro, and Green Nicotine. Many of the ads for these products also use terms such as “additive-free,” “organic” and “eco-friendly” to imply that the ingredients are “pure” and not harmful to the individual or the environment. For instance, Green Nicotine e-cig manufacturer’s claim to being environmentally friendly comes from the fact that its manufacturing processes uses green techniques by restricting the use of “hazardous materials” and incorporating “pure” materials. However, it is important to note that since e-cigs are unregulated, there is no standard definition of the purity of nicotine or flavoring ingredients used in these products.

To further suggest, the green nature of the product, the packaging is plastered with green leaf symbols and shades of green predominate the advertisement and e-cig package. In a Green Smoke advertisement, a woman with apple green colored lips is seen holding an e-cigarette near her lips. The ad seems to suggest that the e-cig is as safe as a lipstick for a woman. In another ad for Green Smoke, a man is seen enjoying the freshness and pure air of a mountaintop with an e-cig between his lips. The text of the advertisement reads, “Enjoy your nicotine. No Lighter. No Fire. No Mess.” An advertisement for EverSmoke that showcases the company’s diverse products has the following text, “Healthy for You. Green for the Environment.” A Green Nicotine advertisement shows a single e-cig against the backdrop of a lush green moss lawn.

E-cig companies are also eager to make the point that since its products are mostly reusable they aren’t thrown away like traditional cigarette butts that pile up in landfills and pollute the environment. However, the eco-friendly nature of e-cigs warrants a closer investigation. E-cigs contain several plastic and metal components that need to be properly disposed. In addition to this, the nickel-cadmium or lithium batteries used in e-cigs need to be properly disposed in e-waste recycling bin instead of the general trash. While some e-cig manufacturers offer “recycling programs” to promote proper disposal of e-waste, it is unclear how many consumers take the time to invest in such programs. When e-cigs don’t get properly disposed they are as much a pollutant as traditional cigarettes.

JUUL Events – img35813

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Between June 4 and December 8, 2015 JUUL held at least 25 events in metro New York (8), metro Los Angeles (9), Las Vegas (5), Miami (1) and one each in Southampton, New York and Ventura, California. The attendees were young trend setters and free samples of JUUL’s devices and vapor pods were distributed in large quantities. Imagery from the Vaporized campaign was featured. At the events, a JUUL system was enclosed in a jewel box and displayed much like a precious jewel on tall LED lit pedestals.

The events were organized by BeCore, a Los Angeles firm which manages: “sampling tours, experimental marketing, brand activation.” The company explained that for the JUUL Vapor Lounge it: “designed, fabricated and managed a custom container to function as a mobile sampling lounge.” BeCore reported that 5000+ free samples were distributed per event. Boxman Studios (Charlotte, NC) modified a shipping container (a 20’ x 8’ steel box) into a: modern, inviting, and unique sampling experience for consumers.

The principal focus of these activities was to get a group of youthful influencers to accept gifts of JUUL products, to try out their various flavors, and then to popularize their products among their peers. The events were always free and featured popular bands such as CHAPMAN, illumanti AMS, Mary Kwok and others. Other events were movie nights held on rooftops. One Los Angeles event, managed by Cinespia, was an all night “slumber party” held in Hollywood’s Forever Cemetery featuring movies such as: Can't Hardly Wait, SCREAM, and Cruel Intentions.

JUUL sampling events continued well beyond its first year on the market. In 2016 and 2017, the company held sampling events in large metropolitan cities including Miami and New York city. For these events, JUUL hired young attractive women to distribute free samples of its products and later on after it admitted that the US Food and Drug Administration forbade free sampling of tobacco products, charged $1 for the samples. In 2018, JUUL sponsored a “Music in Film Summit” at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah. Celebrities such as Nicholas Cage, Elijah Wood and Dan Reynolds and Tyler Glen of rock band Imagine Dragons were photographed at the JUUL lounge. Celebrities were given the option of having their JUUL sample custom-engraved at the lounge.

Instagram – img36221

by

Since its inception, JUUL as advertised heavily on multiple social media platforms. Advertising campaigns were often simultaneously posted on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. 

By heavily marketing via youth oriented sites such as Instagram, JUUL established its popularity among teens by stimulating a community of “JUULers” who post enormous volumes of favorable comments across social media channels. Enthusiasm among this group was ginned up by JUUL’s paid “influencers” – individuals with large inventories of followers on social media who serve as brand ambassadors. JUUL has used influencers to create and nurture conversations about their brand. Influencers contribute what appears to be independent user generated content which is influential, in part, due to its perceived independence from marketers’ influences. 

Hashtags are of special interest as they have been extensively used by JUUL and greatly expand the reach of the company’s social media postings. Hashtags connections used in their Instagram postings can be considered in several categories: Those created by JUUL (eg. #juul, #juulvapor, #switchtojuul, #vaporized); JUUL focused but created by customers or vendors (eg. #juulnation,#juullife); and trending topics unrelated to JUUL (eg. #mothersday, #goldenglobes, #nyc).

Comparing JUUL’s first year on the market with its third, JUUL actually ramped up its hashtag use substantially.
Under pressure from imminent FDA action, investigations by several state attorneys general, a bevy of class action lawsuits, and intense media criticism JUUL repeatedly deleted large segments of its social media history. On November 14, 2018 announced a halt to their social media advertising. While JUUL has halted its own posts, the viral peer to peer spread among teens the company initiated will live on indefinitely, or at least until the teen craze for JUUL abates.

Twitter – img36388

by

Since its inception, JUUL as advertised heavily on multiple social media platforms. Advertising campaigns were often simultaneously posted on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. 

By heavily marketing via youth oriented sites such as Instagram, JUUL established its popularity among teens by stimulating a community of “JUULers” who post enormous volumes of favorable comments across social media channels. Enthusiasm among this group was ginned up by JUUL’s paid “influencers” – individuals with large inventories of followers on social media who serve as brand ambassadors. JUUL has used influencers to create and nurture conversations about their brand. Influencers contribute what appears to be independent user generated content which is influential, in part, due to its perceived independence from marketers’ influences. 

Hashtags are of special interest as they have been extensively used by JUUL and greatly expand the reach of the company’s social media postings. Hashtags connections used in their Instagram postings can be considered in several categories: Those created by JUUL (eg. #juul, #juulvapor, #switchtojuul, #vaporized); JUUL focused but created by customers or vendors (eg. #juulnation,#juullife); and trending topics unrelated to JUUL (eg. #mothersday, #goldenglobes, #nyc).

Comparing JUUL’s first year on the market with its third, JUUL actually ramped up its hashtag use substantially.
Under pressure from imminent FDA action, investigations by several state attorneys general, a bevy of class action lawsuits, and intense media criticism JUUL repeatedly deleted large segments of its social media history. On November 14, 2018 announced a halt to their social media advertising. While JUUL has halted its own posts, the viral peer to peer spread among teens the company initiated will live on indefinitely, or at least until the teen craze for JUUL abates.

Facebook – img36573

by

Since its inception, JUUL as advertised heavily on multiple social media platforms. Advertising campaigns were often simultaneously posted on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. 

By heavily marketing via youth oriented sites such as Instagram, JUUL established its popularity among teens by stimulating a community of “JUULers” who post enormous volumes of favorable comments across social media channels. Enthusiasm among this group was ginned up by JUUL’s paid “influencers” – individuals with large inventories of followers on social media who serve as brand ambassadors. JUUL has used influencers to create and nurture conversations about their brand. Influencers contribute what appears to be independent user generated content which is influential, in part, due to its perceived independence from marketers’ influences. 

Hashtags are of special interest as they have been extensively used by JUUL and greatly expand the reach of the company’s social media postings. Hashtags connections used in their Instagram postings can be considered in several categories: Those created by JUUL (eg. #juul, #juulvapor, #switchtojuul, #vaporized); JUUL focused but created by customers or vendors (eg. #juulnation,#juullife); and trending topics unrelated to JUUL (eg. #mothersday, #goldenglobes, #nyc).

Comparing JUUL’s first year on the market with its third, JUUL actually ramped up its hashtag use substantially.
Under pressure from imminent FDA action, investigations by several state attorneys general, a bevy of class action lawsuits, and intense media criticism JUUL repeatedly deleted large segments of its social media history. On November 14, 2018 announced a halt to their social media advertising. While JUUL has halted its own posts, the viral peer to peer spread among teens the company initiated will live on indefinitely, or at least until the teen craze for JUUL abates.

Healthy – img27966

by

As the conventional tobacco industry continues to get demonized over predatory marketing practices and concern grows over the ill-effects of smoking, e-cigarette (e-cig)manufacturers have lost no opportunity in selling their products as a “safe” and “healthy” alternative. As Njoy claimed in its commercial “the most amazing thing about this cigarette is, it isn't one.”

Many e-cig brand names and advertising messages contain reassuring phrases that imply no harm and sometimes even medical benefits. Examples of e-cigs with reassuring brand names include Safe-cigs, Lung Buddy, iBreathe, and E-HealthCigs. In addition ads and packages for e-cigs contains reassuring phrases such as “safe,” “healthier, “cancer cure” “vitamin rich,” “light,” “mild, ” “intelligent,” “no smoker’s cough or phlegm,” and “better stamina.” Ads in this theme run the gamut from the shock inducing Flavor Vapes ad which shows a mother blow e-cig vapor into her baby’s carriage and Ever Smoke’s “Save A Life. Save A Lung. Save a Boob” to the mundane.

Advertising of nicotine based products is coming a full circle as most of the strategies employed by the e-cig industry today has been tried by the combustible cigarette industry until it was regulated. More than 85 years ago, the Federal Trade Commission regulated the combustible tobacco industry and prohibited it from making weight loss claims, 5o years ago, the same agency prohibited it from using the images of doctors and nurses to sell its products, and 5 years ago the Food and Drug Administration prohibited the industry from using descriptors such as mild, light, ultra etc. that subliminally suggested that using such a product reduced the harm for the consumer. In April 2014, seven years after e-cigs were introduced in the United States, the Federal Drug Administration has proposed regulations that will restrict health claims made by the e-cig industry. If the regulations are approved, e-cig companies will no longer be allowed to make health claims unless approved by the regulatory agency to make “direct or indirect claims” of reduced risk.

It may follow that like the tobacco industry, while the letter of the law may be followed, the intent of regulation is often subverted.”

Quit – img29229

by

In advertisements for e-cigarettes, consumers are led to believe that e-cigs are a “safer” alternative to traditional cigarettes despite the fact that they too contain nicotine, a highly addictive substance.

In ads under this theme, manufacturers market e-cigs as a “healthier” and more “eco-friendly” recreational product that consumers would be “wise” to switch to. An ad for Blu says the e-cig is the “smart choice for smokers wanting a change.” The headline of the ad reads, “Why Quit, Switch to Blu.” Another ad from an e-cig retailer has the image of a strong, well-built woman, kicking a man who is smoking a cigarette. The text of the image reads, “Smoking Hurts….Try a Electronic Cigarette.” An advertisement for Cigna mentions that “Tobacco is so passé. Get with the now,” and urges consumers to switch to e-cigs. SouthBeach Smoke asks consumers to “Make the Switch Today and Change Your Life.”

While most e-cig companies are careful not to market their product as a cessation device for fear of government regulation, some e-cig retailers do just that. An ad for Xhalers contains the image of a lit conventional cigarette on a hook. The headline reads, “Hooked on Smoking. Get unhooked with Xhalers.” An arrow on a yellow text box with the words, “Quit smoking with this,” points to an e-cig. Nicocure (which is cleverly named to sound similar to Nicorette and even comes in a blue pack similar to the nicotine cessation gum pack) makes the claim that it can help a consumer quit smoking in 30 days. The ad says “Quit Smoking in 30 days or less.” The subtext reads, “The all natural solution to quit smoking in days. We Guarantee it or Your Money Back.” These are a grossly misleading claims made by these manufacturers because the FDA has not approved e-cigs as nicotine cessation device.

The data so far on the use of e-cigs as a cessation device is also contradictory. While there is some evidence to suggest that e-cigs can help a small percentage of adult smokers quit, studies have shown that in youth it encourages dual use of conventional cigarettes and e-cigs. Leading manufacturers of traditional tobacco products may seek to encourage dual use in which the vapor product functions as a nicotine continuity product for use in places where smoking is forbidden.

Sex Sells – img23810

by

Tobacco companies know as much as anybody that “sex sells,” and they have no qualms with making use of phallic symbols or with objectifying women to sell their products.

Blu, the leading brand of electronic cigarettes (e-cigs), placed an advertisement for its product in February 2014. The ad featured the Blu logo front and center on an itsy bitsy bikini bottom of a shapely model. On the online version of the ad you could even zoom in on the picture. You don’t see the woman’s face only her belly button to her legs. Accompanying the ad was the slogan “Slim. Charged. Ready to Go.” The obvious sexual reference of the slogan is hard to miss. Blu also sponsored parties at Playboy’s top party schools that allowed partygoers to meet the Playmates. Playboy itself got into the act by creating its own Playboy e-cigs. Some of the ads for the Playboy e-cigs with the trademarked bunny symbol advertised free condoms with the purchase of the vapor device.

Phantom Smoke is a brand that in their advertising is shameless in its objectification of women. Many of the ads feature skimpily clothed women in subservient positions to men. An ad for PhatomSmoke has a woman suggestively sitting in the bathtub with the e-hookah between her teeth. Her lingerie is carelessly discarded on the rim of the bathtub. In another ad, a woman wearing racy black lingerie is on the floor holding onto an out stretched leg of a man sitting on a couch with an e-cig in his hand. An ad for Krave e-cigs has a woman dressed in a bodysuit sitting on a side of a sofa her legs slightly apart as she gazes towards the viewer.

Other tobacco ads exploit the “sex sells” market through innuendo and subliminal messaging. Many ads use phallic imagery.

Apart from online and print advertisements that exploit sex to sell the product, online videos are replete with sexual innuendo. An online video for Blu exploits sex to promote a cessation message. An ad for VIP e-cig featured a sultry-looking woman saying: “I want you to get it out. I want to see it. Feel it. Hold it. Put it in my mouth. I want to see how great it tastes.” The online and TV ad, which ran in Britain, attracted 937 complaints about its “overtly sexual” tone.

Vapor Plumes – img29013

by

The plume of vapor from an electronic cigarette (e-cig) is a central element in many advertisements. The thick vapor, sometimes arranged as perfect blow rings and described in adulatory terms, glamorizes the act of vaping.

For instance, an ad for Vapestick is a close-up of sexy red lips partially clouded by e-cig vapor along with the tagline, “Vaping is the New Sexy.” Another ad by the same brand is of a glamorous woman with fishnet stockings lying down in bed blowing a thick plume of vapor. The slogan “Rock the Vape” written in bold font occupies a major portion of the ad. V2 Cigs advertises itself as “The Thickest Vapor In The Business.”

The appeal of a thick plume of vapor has led to stores and brands using the word in their name. The brand name “Ploom” conjures to mind thick clouds of vapor. Retail stores associated with the word include Plumes, The Plume Room and Plumes of Vapor.

The smaller e-cigs, which are similar to a conventional cigarette in shape and size, produce less vapor compared to the larger high-end personal vaporizers, frequently called Mods, that are designed to produce a very thick and visible vapor. In vaping lexicon, the thick big clouds of vapor produced from Mods are called “Cloud Chasing” and people who produce them are called “Cloud Chasers.” Blowing out thick plumes of vapor in a variety of designs is so appealing that some e-cig and eJuice brands even offer “cloud chasing” competitions.

It is interesting that while some e-cig brands play up the vapor plume in their advertising, some other companies go out of their way to advertise the discreteness of their product. White Cloud, which sells Invisi-Vapor E-Cigarette Cartridges, advertises the product as a way to “you to use your e cigarette in places where being discreet is important, all while delivering the same amount of nicotine and flavor.”

While the plume of smoke may appear glamorous and even safe, as it is often advertised as “pure water vapor,” this is not the case. Studies have found that e-cig vapor can lead to nicotine toxicity as well as respiratory and cardiovascular problems.

Eco-Friendly – img31008

by

At a time when everyone’s mantra is to “go green,” it is no surprise to see the e-cigarette industry’s marketing machine clamor to announce that its products are environmentally conscious and much better for an individual’s health and the environment than conventional cigarette products.

First, most e-cigs companies point to the fact that since their products do not produce any smoke but only emit a vapor, it is less polluting than conventional tobacco products. For instance, Green Smoke says it “aspires to create a greener planet” by offering a cigarette that has no second-hand smoke, no ash and no risk of fire.” SouthBeach Smoke also equates the healthier, i.e. no carcinogens and no smoke aspect of e-cigs to being a more eco-friendly product.

To promote the image of being an earth-friendly product, e-cigarettes are appropriately branded with subliminal brand names such as Green Smoke, Eco-Cigs, Ever Smoke, EverGreen Vapor, Enviro, and Green Nicotine. Many of the ads for these products also use terms such as “additive-free,” “organic” and “eco-friendly” to imply that the ingredients are “pure” and not harmful to the individual or the environment. For instance, Green Nicotine e-cig manufacturer’s claim to being environmentally friendly comes from the fact that its manufacturing processes uses green techniques by restricting the use of “hazardous materials” and incorporating “pure” materials. However, it is important to note that since e-cigs are unregulated, there is no standard definition of the purity of nicotine or flavoring ingredients used in these products.

To further suggest, the green nature of the product, the packaging is plastered with green leaf symbols and shades of green predominate the advertisement and e-cig package. In a Green Smoke advertisement, a woman with apple green colored lips is seen holding an e-cigarette near her lips. The ad seems to suggest that the e-cig is as safe as a lipstick for a woman. In another ad for Green Smoke, a man is seen enjoying the freshness and pure air of a mountaintop with an e-cig between his lips. The text of the advertisement reads, “Enjoy your nicotine. No Lighter. No Fire. No Mess.” An advertisement for EverSmoke that showcases the company’s diverse products has the following text, “Healthy for You. Green for the Environment.” A Green Nicotine advertisement shows a single e-cig against the backdrop of a lush green moss lawn.

E-cig companies are also eager to make the point that since its products are mostly reusable they aren’t thrown away like traditional cigarette butts that pile up in landfills and pollute the environment. However, the eco-friendly nature of e-cigs warrants a closer investigation. E-cigs contain several plastic and metal components that need to be properly disposed. In addition to this, the nickel-cadmium or lithium batteries used in e-cigs need to be properly disposed in e-waste recycling bin instead of the general trash. While some e-cig manufacturers offer “recycling programs” to promote proper disposal of e-waste, it is unclear how many consumers take the time to invest in such programs. When e-cigs don’t get properly disposed they are as much a pollutant as traditional cigarettes.

JUUL Events – img35814

by

Between June 4 and December 8, 2015 JUUL held at least 25 events in metro New York (8), metro Los Angeles (9), Las Vegas (5), Miami (1) and one each in Southampton, New York and Ventura, California. The attendees were young trend setters and free samples of JUUL’s devices and vapor pods were distributed in large quantities. Imagery from the Vaporized campaign was featured. At the events, a JUUL system was enclosed in a jewel box and displayed much like a precious jewel on tall LED lit pedestals.

The events were organized by BeCore, a Los Angeles firm which manages: “sampling tours, experimental marketing, brand activation.” The company explained that for the JUUL Vapor Lounge it: “designed, fabricated and managed a custom container to function as a mobile sampling lounge.” BeCore reported that 5000+ free samples were distributed per event. Boxman Studios (Charlotte, NC) modified a shipping container (a 20’ x 8’ steel box) into a: modern, inviting, and unique sampling experience for consumers.

The principal focus of these activities was to get a group of youthful influencers to accept gifts of JUUL products, to try out their various flavors, and then to popularize their products among their peers. The events were always free and featured popular bands such as CHAPMAN, illumanti AMS, Mary Kwok and others. Other events were movie nights held on rooftops. One Los Angeles event, managed by Cinespia, was an all night “slumber party” held in Hollywood’s Forever Cemetery featuring movies such as: Can't Hardly Wait, SCREAM, and Cruel Intentions.

JUUL sampling events continued well beyond its first year on the market. In 2016 and 2017, the company held sampling events in large metropolitan cities including Miami and New York city. For these events, JUUL hired young attractive women to distribute free samples of its products and later on after it admitted that the US Food and Drug Administration forbade free sampling of tobacco products, charged $1 for the samples. In 2018, JUUL sponsored a “Music in Film Summit” at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah. Celebrities such as Nicholas Cage, Elijah Wood and Dan Reynolds and Tyler Glen of rock band Imagine Dragons were photographed at the JUUL lounge. Celebrities were given the option of having their JUUL sample custom-engraved at the lounge.

Instagram – img36222

by

Since its inception, JUUL as advertised heavily on multiple social media platforms. Advertising campaigns were often simultaneously posted on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. 

By heavily marketing via youth oriented sites such as Instagram, JUUL established its popularity among teens by stimulating a community of “JUULers” who post enormous volumes of favorable comments across social media channels. Enthusiasm among this group was ginned up by JUUL’s paid “influencers” – individuals with large inventories of followers on social media who serve as brand ambassadors. JUUL has used influencers to create and nurture conversations about their brand. Influencers contribute what appears to be independent user generated content which is influential, in part, due to its perceived independence from marketers’ influences. 

Hashtags are of special interest as they have been extensively used by JUUL and greatly expand the reach of the company’s social media postings. Hashtags connections used in their Instagram postings can be considered in several categories: Those created by JUUL (eg. #juul, #juulvapor, #switchtojuul, #vaporized); JUUL focused but created by customers or vendors (eg. #juulnation,#juullife); and trending topics unrelated to JUUL (eg. #mothersday, #goldenglobes, #nyc).

Comparing JUUL’s first year on the market with its third, JUUL actually ramped up its hashtag use substantially.
Under pressure from imminent FDA action, investigations by several state attorneys general, a bevy of class action lawsuits, and intense media criticism JUUL repeatedly deleted large segments of its social media history. On November 14, 2018 announced a halt to their social media advertising. While JUUL has halted its own posts, the viral peer to peer spread among teens the company initiated will live on indefinitely, or at least until the teen craze for JUUL abates.

Twitter – img36389

by

Since its inception, JUUL as advertised heavily on multiple social media platforms. Advertising campaigns were often simultaneously posted on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. 

By heavily marketing via youth oriented sites such as Instagram, JUUL established its popularity among teens by stimulating a community of “JUULers” who post enormous volumes of favorable comments across social media channels. Enthusiasm among this group was ginned up by JUUL’s paid “influencers” – individuals with large inventories of followers on social media who serve as brand ambassadors. JUUL has used influencers to create and nurture conversations about their brand. Influencers contribute what appears to be independent user generated content which is influential, in part, due to its perceived independence from marketers’ influences. 

Hashtags are of special interest as they have been extensively used by JUUL and greatly expand the reach of the company’s social media postings. Hashtags connections used in their Instagram postings can be considered in several categories: Those created by JUUL (eg. #juul, #juulvapor, #switchtojuul, #vaporized); JUUL focused but created by customers or vendors (eg. #juulnation,#juullife); and trending topics unrelated to JUUL (eg. #mothersday, #goldenglobes, #nyc).

Comparing JUUL’s first year on the market with its third, JUUL actually ramped up its hashtag use substantially.
Under pressure from imminent FDA action, investigations by several state attorneys general, a bevy of class action lawsuits, and intense media criticism JUUL repeatedly deleted large segments of its social media history. On November 14, 2018 announced a halt to their social media advertising. While JUUL has halted its own posts, the viral peer to peer spread among teens the company initiated will live on indefinitely, or at least until the teen craze for JUUL abates.

Facebook – img36574

by

Since its inception, JUUL as advertised heavily on multiple social media platforms. Advertising campaigns were often simultaneously posted on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. 

By heavily marketing via youth oriented sites such as Instagram, JUUL established its popularity among teens by stimulating a community of “JUULers” who post enormous volumes of favorable comments across social media channels. Enthusiasm among this group was ginned up by JUUL’s paid “influencers” – individuals with large inventories of followers on social media who serve as brand ambassadors. JUUL has used influencers to create and nurture conversations about their brand. Influencers contribute what appears to be independent user generated content which is influential, in part, due to its perceived independence from marketers’ influences. 

Hashtags are of special interest as they have been extensively used by JUUL and greatly expand the reach of the company’s social media postings. Hashtags connections used in their Instagram postings can be considered in several categories: Those created by JUUL (eg. #juul, #juulvapor, #switchtojuul, #vaporized); JUUL focused but created by customers or vendors (eg. #juulnation,#juullife); and trending topics unrelated to JUUL (eg. #mothersday, #goldenglobes, #nyc).

Comparing JUUL’s first year on the market with its third, JUUL actually ramped up its hashtag use substantially.
Under pressure from imminent FDA action, investigations by several state attorneys general, a bevy of class action lawsuits, and intense media criticism JUUL repeatedly deleted large segments of its social media history. On November 14, 2018 announced a halt to their social media advertising. While JUUL has halted its own posts, the viral peer to peer spread among teens the company initiated will live on indefinitely, or at least until the teen craze for JUUL abates.

Healthy – img33918

by

As the conventional tobacco industry continues to get demonized over predatory marketing practices and concern grows over the ill-effects of smoking, e-cigarette (e-cig)manufacturers have lost no opportunity in selling their products as a “safe” and “healthy” alternative. As Njoy claimed in its commercial “the most amazing thing about this cigarette is, it isn't one.”

Many e-cig brand names and advertising messages contain reassuring phrases that imply no harm and sometimes even medical benefits. Examples of e-cigs with reassuring brand names include Safe-cigs, Lung Buddy, iBreathe, and E-HealthCigs. In addition ads and packages for e-cigs contains reassuring phrases such as “safe,” “healthier, “cancer cure” “vitamin rich,” “light,” “mild, ” “intelligent,” “no smoker’s cough or phlegm,” and “better stamina.” Ads in this theme run the gamut from the shock inducing Flavor Vapes ad which shows a mother blow e-cig vapor into her baby’s carriage and Ever Smoke’s “Save A Life. Save A Lung. Save a Boob” to the mundane.

Advertising of nicotine based products is coming a full circle as most of the strategies employed by the e-cig industry today has been tried by the combustible cigarette industry until it was regulated. More than 85 years ago, the Federal Trade Commission regulated the combustible tobacco industry and prohibited it from making weight loss claims, 5o years ago, the same agency prohibited it from using the images of doctors and nurses to sell its products, and 5 years ago the Food and Drug Administration prohibited the industry from using descriptors such as mild, light, ultra etc. that subliminally suggested that using such a product reduced the harm for the consumer. In April 2014, seven years after e-cigs were introduced in the United States, the Federal Drug Administration has proposed regulations that will restrict health claims made by the e-cig industry. If the regulations are approved, e-cig companies will no longer be allowed to make health claims unless approved by the regulatory agency to make “direct or indirect claims” of reduced risk.

It may follow that like the tobacco industry, while the letter of the law may be followed, the intent of regulation is often subverted.”

Quit – img29230

by

In advertisements for e-cigarettes, consumers are led to believe that e-cigs are a “safer” alternative to traditional cigarettes despite the fact that they too contain nicotine, a highly addictive substance.

In ads under this theme, manufacturers market e-cigs as a “healthier” and more “eco-friendly” recreational product that consumers would be “wise” to switch to. An ad for Blu says the e-cig is the “smart choice for smokers wanting a change.” The headline of the ad reads, “Why Quit, Switch to Blu.” Another ad from an e-cig retailer has the image of a strong, well-built woman, kicking a man who is smoking a cigarette. The text of the image reads, “Smoking Hurts….Try a Electronic Cigarette.” An advertisement for Cigna mentions that “Tobacco is so passé. Get with the now,” and urges consumers to switch to e-cigs. SouthBeach Smoke asks consumers to “Make the Switch Today and Change Your Life.”

While most e-cig companies are careful not to market their product as a cessation device for fear of government regulation, some e-cig retailers do just that. An ad for Xhalers contains the image of a lit conventional cigarette on a hook. The headline reads, “Hooked on Smoking. Get unhooked with Xhalers.” An arrow on a yellow text box with the words, “Quit smoking with this,” points to an e-cig. Nicocure (which is cleverly named to sound similar to Nicorette and even comes in a blue pack similar to the nicotine cessation gum pack) makes the claim that it can help a consumer quit smoking in 30 days. The ad says “Quit Smoking in 30 days or less.” The subtext reads, “The all natural solution to quit smoking in days. We Guarantee it or Your Money Back.” These are a grossly misleading claims made by these manufacturers because the FDA has not approved e-cigs as nicotine cessation device.

The data so far on the use of e-cigs as a cessation device is also contradictory. While there is some evidence to suggest that e-cigs can help a small percentage of adult smokers quit, studies have shown that in youth it encourages dual use of conventional cigarettes and e-cigs. Leading manufacturers of traditional tobacco products may seek to encourage dual use in which the vapor product functions as a nicotine continuity product for use in places where smoking is forbidden.

Sex Sells – img23811

by

Tobacco companies know as much as anybody that “sex sells,” and they have no qualms with making use of phallic symbols or with objectifying women to sell their products.

Blu, the leading brand of electronic cigarettes (e-cigs), placed an advertisement for its product in February 2014. The ad featured the Blu logo front and center on an itsy bitsy bikini bottom of a shapely model. On the online version of the ad you could even zoom in on the picture. You don’t see the woman’s face only her belly button to her legs. Accompanying the ad was the slogan “Slim. Charged. Ready to Go.” The obvious sexual reference of the slogan is hard to miss. Blu also sponsored parties at Playboy’s top party schools that allowed partygoers to meet the Playmates. Playboy itself got into the act by creating its own Playboy e-cigs. Some of the ads for the Playboy e-cigs with the trademarked bunny symbol advertised free condoms with the purchase of the vapor device.

Phantom Smoke is a brand that in their advertising is shameless in its objectification of women. Many of the ads feature skimpily clothed women in subservient positions to men. An ad for PhatomSmoke has a woman suggestively sitting in the bathtub with the e-hookah between her teeth. Her lingerie is carelessly discarded on the rim of the bathtub. In another ad, a woman wearing racy black lingerie is on the floor holding onto an out stretched leg of a man sitting on a couch with an e-cig in his hand. An ad for Krave e-cigs has a woman dressed in a bodysuit sitting on a side of a sofa her legs slightly apart as she gazes towards the viewer.

Other tobacco ads exploit the “sex sells” market through innuendo and subliminal messaging. Many ads use phallic imagery.

Apart from online and print advertisements that exploit sex to sell the product, online videos are replete with sexual innuendo. An online video for Blu exploits sex to promote a cessation message. An ad for VIP e-cig featured a sultry-looking woman saying: “I want you to get it out. I want to see it. Feel it. Hold it. Put it in my mouth. I want to see how great it tastes.” The online and TV ad, which ran in Britain, attracted 937 complaints about its “overtly sexual” tone.

Vapor Plumes – img29014

by

The plume of vapor from an electronic cigarette (e-cig) is a central element in many advertisements. The thick vapor, sometimes arranged as perfect blow rings and described in adulatory terms, glamorizes the act of vaping.

For instance, an ad for Vapestick is a close-up of sexy red lips partially clouded by e-cig vapor along with the tagline, “Vaping is the New Sexy.” Another ad by the same brand is of a glamorous woman with fishnet stockings lying down in bed blowing a thick plume of vapor. The slogan “Rock the Vape” written in bold font occupies a major portion of the ad. V2 Cigs advertises itself as “The Thickest Vapor In The Business.”

The appeal of a thick plume of vapor has led to stores and brands using the word in their name. The brand name “Ploom” conjures to mind thick clouds of vapor. Retail stores associated with the word include Plumes, The Plume Room and Plumes of Vapor.

The smaller e-cigs, which are similar to a conventional cigarette in shape and size, produce less vapor compared to the larger high-end personal vaporizers, frequently called Mods, that are designed to produce a very thick and visible vapor. In vaping lexicon, the thick big clouds of vapor produced from Mods are called “Cloud Chasing” and people who produce them are called “Cloud Chasers.” Blowing out thick plumes of vapor in a variety of designs is so appealing that some e-cig and eJuice brands even offer “cloud chasing” competitions.

It is interesting that while some e-cig brands play up the vapor plume in their advertising, some other companies go out of their way to advertise the discreteness of their product. White Cloud, which sells Invisi-Vapor E-Cigarette Cartridges, advertises the product as a way to “you to use your e cigarette in places where being discreet is important, all while delivering the same amount of nicotine and flavor.”

While the plume of smoke may appear glamorous and even safe, as it is often advertised as “pure water vapor,” this is not the case. Studies have found that e-cig vapor can lead to nicotine toxicity as well as respiratory and cardiovascular problems.

Eco-Friendly – img31009

by

At a time when everyone’s mantra is to “go green,” it is no surprise to see the e-cigarette industry’s marketing machine clamor to announce that its products are environmentally conscious and much better for an individual’s health and the environment than conventional cigarette products.

First, most e-cigs companies point to the fact that since their products do not produce any smoke but only emit a vapor, it is less polluting than conventional tobacco products. For instance, Green Smoke says it “aspires to create a greener planet” by offering a cigarette that has no second-hand smoke, no ash and no risk of fire.” SouthBeach Smoke also equates the healthier, i.e. no carcinogens and no smoke aspect of e-cigs to being a more eco-friendly product.

To promote the image of being an earth-friendly product, e-cigarettes are appropriately branded with subliminal brand names such as Green Smoke, Eco-Cigs, Ever Smoke, EverGreen Vapor, Enviro, and Green Nicotine. Many of the ads for these products also use terms such as “additive-free,” “organic” and “eco-friendly” to imply that the ingredients are “pure” and not harmful to the individual or the environment. For instance, Green Nicotine e-cig manufacturer’s claim to being environmentally friendly comes from the fact that its manufacturing processes uses green techniques by restricting the use of “hazardous materials” and incorporating “pure” materials. However, it is important to note that since e-cigs are unregulated, there is no standard definition of the purity of nicotine or flavoring ingredients used in these products.

To further suggest, the green nature of the product, the packaging is plastered with green leaf symbols and shades of green predominate the advertisement and e-cig package. In a Green Smoke advertisement, a woman with apple green colored lips is seen holding an e-cigarette near her lips. The ad seems to suggest that the e-cig is as safe as a lipstick for a woman. In another ad for Green Smoke, a man is seen enjoying the freshness and pure air of a mountaintop with an e-cig between his lips. The text of the advertisement reads, “Enjoy your nicotine. No Lighter. No Fire. No Mess.” An advertisement for EverSmoke that showcases the company’s diverse products has the following text, “Healthy for You. Green for the Environment.” A Green Nicotine advertisement shows a single e-cig against the backdrop of a lush green moss lawn.

E-cig companies are also eager to make the point that since its products are mostly reusable they aren’t thrown away like traditional cigarette butts that pile up in landfills and pollute the environment. However, the eco-friendly nature of e-cigs warrants a closer investigation. E-cigs contain several plastic and metal components that need to be properly disposed. In addition to this, the nickel-cadmium or lithium batteries used in e-cigs need to be properly disposed in e-waste recycling bin instead of the general trash. While some e-cig manufacturers offer “recycling programs” to promote proper disposal of e-waste, it is unclear how many consumers take the time to invest in such programs. When e-cigs don’t get properly disposed they are as much a pollutant as traditional cigarettes.

JUUL Events – img35815

by

Between June 4 and December 8, 2015 JUUL held at least 25 events in metro New York (8), metro Los Angeles (9), Las Vegas (5), Miami (1) and one each in Southampton, New York and Ventura, California. The attendees were young trend setters and free samples of JUUL’s devices and vapor pods were distributed in large quantities. Imagery from the Vaporized campaign was featured. At the events, a JUUL system was enclosed in a jewel box and displayed much like a precious jewel on tall LED lit pedestals.

The events were organized by BeCore, a Los Angeles firm which manages: “sampling tours, experimental marketing, brand activation.” The company explained that for the JUUL Vapor Lounge it: “designed, fabricated and managed a custom container to function as a mobile sampling lounge.” BeCore reported that 5000+ free samples were distributed per event. Boxman Studios (Charlotte, NC) modified a shipping container (a 20’ x 8’ steel box) into a: modern, inviting, and unique sampling experience for consumers.

The principal focus of these activities was to get a group of youthful influencers to accept gifts of JUUL products, to try out their various flavors, and then to popularize their products among their peers. The events were always free and featured popular bands such as CHAPMAN, illumanti AMS, Mary Kwok and others. Other events were movie nights held on rooftops. One Los Angeles event, managed by Cinespia, was an all night “slumber party” held in Hollywood’s Forever Cemetery featuring movies such as: Can't Hardly Wait, SCREAM, and Cruel Intentions.

JUUL sampling events continued well beyond its first year on the market. In 2016 and 2017, the company held sampling events in large metropolitan cities including Miami and New York city. For these events, JUUL hired young attractive women to distribute free samples of its products and later on after it admitted that the US Food and Drug Administration forbade free sampling of tobacco products, charged $1 for the samples. In 2018, JUUL sponsored a “Music in Film Summit” at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah. Celebrities such as Nicholas Cage, Elijah Wood and Dan Reynolds and Tyler Glen of rock band Imagine Dragons were photographed at the JUUL lounge. Celebrities were given the option of having their JUUL sample custom-engraved at the lounge.

Instagram – img36223

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Since its inception, JUUL as advertised heavily on multiple social media platforms. Advertising campaigns were often simultaneously posted on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. 

By heavily marketing via youth oriented sites such as Instagram, JUUL established its popularity among teens by stimulating a community of “JUULers” who post enormous volumes of favorable comments across social media channels. Enthusiasm among this group was ginned up by JUUL’s paid “influencers” – individuals with large inventories of followers on social media who serve as brand ambassadors. JUUL has used influencers to create and nurture conversations about their brand. Influencers contribute what appears to be independent user generated content which is influential, in part, due to its perceived independence from marketers’ influences. 

Hashtags are of special interest as they have been extensively used by JUUL and greatly expand the reach of the company’s social media postings. Hashtags connections used in their Instagram postings can be considered in several categories: Those created by JUUL (eg. #juul, #juulvapor, #switchtojuul, #vaporized); JUUL focused but created by customers or vendors (eg. #juulnation,#juullife); and trending topics unrelated to JUUL (eg. #mothersday, #goldenglobes, #nyc).

Comparing JUUL’s first year on the market with its third, JUUL actually ramped up its hashtag use substantially.
Under pressure from imminent FDA action, investigations by several state attorneys general, a bevy of class action lawsuits, and intense media criticism JUUL repeatedly deleted large segments of its social media history. On November 14, 2018 announced a halt to their social media advertising. While JUUL has halted its own posts, the viral peer to peer spread among teens the company initiated will live on indefinitely, or at least until the teen craze for JUUL abates.

Twitter – img36390

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Since its inception, JUUL as advertised heavily on multiple social media platforms. Advertising campaigns were often simultaneously posted on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. 

By heavily marketing via youth oriented sites such as Instagram, JUUL established its popularity among teens by stimulating a community of “JUULers” who post enormous volumes of favorable comments across social media channels. Enthusiasm among this group was ginned up by JUUL’s paid “influencers” – individuals with large inventories of followers on social media who serve as brand ambassadors. JUUL has used influencers to create and nurture conversations about their brand. Influencers contribute what appears to be independent user generated content which is influential, in part, due to its perceived independence from marketers’ influences. 

Hashtags are of special interest as they have been extensively used by JUUL and greatly expand the reach of the company’s social media postings. Hashtags connections used in their Instagram postings can be considered in several categories: Those created by JUUL (eg. #juul, #juulvapor, #switchtojuul, #vaporized); JUUL focused but created by customers or vendors (eg. #juulnation,#juullife); and trending topics unrelated to JUUL (eg. #mothersday, #goldenglobes, #nyc).

Comparing JUUL’s first year on the market with its third, JUUL actually ramped up its hashtag use substantially.
Under pressure from imminent FDA action, investigations by several state attorneys general, a bevy of class action lawsuits, and intense media criticism JUUL repeatedly deleted large segments of its social media history. On November 14, 2018 announced a halt to their social media advertising. While JUUL has halted its own posts, the viral peer to peer spread among teens the company initiated will live on indefinitely, or at least until the teen craze for JUUL abates.

Facebook – img36575

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Since its inception, JUUL as advertised heavily on multiple social media platforms. Advertising campaigns were often simultaneously posted on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. 

By heavily marketing via youth oriented sites such as Instagram, JUUL established its popularity among teens by stimulating a community of “JUULers” who post enormous volumes of favorable comments across social media channels. Enthusiasm among this group was ginned up by JUUL’s paid “influencers” – individuals with large inventories of followers on social media who serve as brand ambassadors. JUUL has used influencers to create and nurture conversations about their brand. Influencers contribute what appears to be independent user generated content which is influential, in part, due to its perceived independence from marketers’ influences. 

Hashtags are of special interest as they have been extensively used by JUUL and greatly expand the reach of the company’s social media postings. Hashtags connections used in their Instagram postings can be considered in several categories: Those created by JUUL (eg. #juul, #juulvapor, #switchtojuul, #vaporized); JUUL focused but created by customers or vendors (eg. #juulnation,#juullife); and trending topics unrelated to JUUL (eg. #mothersday, #goldenglobes, #nyc).

Comparing JUUL’s first year on the market with its third, JUUL actually ramped up its hashtag use substantially.
Under pressure from imminent FDA action, investigations by several state attorneys general, a bevy of class action lawsuits, and intense media criticism JUUL repeatedly deleted large segments of its social media history. On November 14, 2018 announced a halt to their social media advertising. While JUUL has halted its own posts, the viral peer to peer spread among teens the company initiated will live on indefinitely, or at least until the teen craze for JUUL abates.

Healthy – img33919

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As the conventional tobacco industry continues to get demonized over predatory marketing practices and concern grows over the ill-effects of smoking, e-cigarette (e-cig)manufacturers have lost no opportunity in selling their products as a “safe” and “healthy” alternative. As Njoy claimed in its commercial “the most amazing thing about this cigarette is, it isn't one.”

Many e-cig brand names and advertising messages contain reassuring phrases that imply no harm and sometimes even medical benefits. Examples of e-cigs with reassuring brand names include Safe-cigs, Lung Buddy, iBreathe, and E-HealthCigs. In addition ads and packages for e-cigs contains reassuring phrases such as “safe,” “healthier, “cancer cure” “vitamin rich,” “light,” “mild, ” “intelligent,” “no smoker’s cough or phlegm,” and “better stamina.” Ads in this theme run the gamut from the shock inducing Flavor Vapes ad which shows a mother blow e-cig vapor into her baby’s carriage and Ever Smoke’s “Save A Life. Save A Lung. Save a Boob” to the mundane.

Advertising of nicotine based products is coming a full circle as most of the strategies employed by the e-cig industry today has been tried by the combustible cigarette industry until it was regulated. More than 85 years ago, the Federal Trade Commission regulated the combustible tobacco industry and prohibited it from making weight loss claims, 5o years ago, the same agency prohibited it from using the images of doctors and nurses to sell its products, and 5 years ago the Food and Drug Administration prohibited the industry from using descriptors such as mild, light, ultra etc. that subliminally suggested that using such a product reduced the harm for the consumer. In April 2014, seven years after e-cigs were introduced in the United States, the Federal Drug Administration has proposed regulations that will restrict health claims made by the e-cig industry. If the regulations are approved, e-cig companies will no longer be allowed to make health claims unless approved by the regulatory agency to make “direct or indirect claims” of reduced risk.

It may follow that like the tobacco industry, while the letter of the law may be followed, the intent of regulation is often subverted.”

Quit – img29231

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In advertisements for e-cigarettes, consumers are led to believe that e-cigs are a “safer” alternative to traditional cigarettes despite the fact that they too contain nicotine, a highly addictive substance.

In ads under this theme, manufacturers market e-cigs as a “healthier” and more “eco-friendly” recreational product that consumers would be “wise” to switch to. An ad for Blu says the e-cig is the “smart choice for smokers wanting a change.” The headline of the ad reads, “Why Quit, Switch to Blu.” Another ad from an e-cig retailer has the image of a strong, well-built woman, kicking a man who is smoking a cigarette. The text of the image reads, “Smoking Hurts….Try a Electronic Cigarette.” An advertisement for Cigna mentions that “Tobacco is so passé. Get with the now,” and urges consumers to switch to e-cigs. SouthBeach Smoke asks consumers to “Make the Switch Today and Change Your Life.”

While most e-cig companies are careful not to market their product as a cessation device for fear of government regulation, some e-cig retailers do just that. An ad for Xhalers contains the image of a lit conventional cigarette on a hook. The headline reads, “Hooked on Smoking. Get unhooked with Xhalers.” An arrow on a yellow text box with the words, “Quit smoking with this,” points to an e-cig. Nicocure (which is cleverly named to sound similar to Nicorette and even comes in a blue pack similar to the nicotine cessation gum pack) makes the claim that it can help a consumer quit smoking in 30 days. The ad says “Quit Smoking in 30 days or less.” The subtext reads, “The all natural solution to quit smoking in days. We Guarantee it or Your Money Back.” These are a grossly misleading claims made by these manufacturers because the FDA has not approved e-cigs as nicotine cessation device.

The data so far on the use of e-cigs as a cessation device is also contradictory. While there is some evidence to suggest that e-cigs can help a small percentage of adult smokers quit, studies have shown that in youth it encourages dual use of conventional cigarettes and e-cigs. Leading manufacturers of traditional tobacco products may seek to encourage dual use in which the vapor product functions as a nicotine continuity product for use in places where smoking is forbidden.

Sex Sells – img23812

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Tobacco companies know as much as anybody that “sex sells,” and they have no qualms with making use of phallic symbols or with objectifying women to sell their products.

Blu, the leading brand of electronic cigarettes (e-cigs), placed an advertisement for its product in February 2014. The ad featured the Blu logo front and center on an itsy bitsy bikini bottom of a shapely model. On the online version of the ad you could even zoom in on the picture. You don’t see the woman’s face only her belly button to her legs. Accompanying the ad was the slogan “Slim. Charged. Ready to Go.” The obvious sexual reference of the slogan is hard to miss. Blu also sponsored parties at Playboy’s top party schools that allowed partygoers to meet the Playmates. Playboy itself got into the act by creating its own Playboy e-cigs. Some of the ads for the Playboy e-cigs with the trademarked bunny symbol advertised free condoms with the purchase of the vapor device.

Phantom Smoke is a brand that in their advertising is shameless in its objectification of women. Many of the ads feature skimpily clothed women in subservient positions to men. An ad for PhatomSmoke has a woman suggestively sitting in the bathtub with the e-hookah between her teeth. Her lingerie is carelessly discarded on the rim of the bathtub. In another ad, a woman wearing racy black lingerie is on the floor holding onto an out stretched leg of a man sitting on a couch with an e-cig in his hand. An ad for Krave e-cigs has a woman dressed in a bodysuit sitting on a side of a sofa her legs slightly apart as she gazes towards the viewer.

Other tobacco ads exploit the “sex sells” market through innuendo and subliminal messaging. Many ads use phallic imagery.

Apart from online and print advertisements that exploit sex to sell the product, online videos are replete with sexual innuendo. An online video for Blu exploits sex to promote a cessation message. An ad for VIP e-cig featured a sultry-looking woman saying: “I want you to get it out. I want to see it. Feel it. Hold it. Put it in my mouth. I want to see how great it tastes.” The online and TV ad, which ran in Britain, attracted 937 complaints about its “overtly sexual” tone.

Vapor Plumes – img29015

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The plume of vapor from an electronic cigarette (e-cig) is a central element in many advertisements. The thick vapor, sometimes arranged as perfect blow rings and described in adulatory terms, glamorizes the act of vaping.

For instance, an ad for Vapestick is a close-up of sexy red lips partially clouded by e-cig vapor along with the tagline, “Vaping is the New Sexy.” Another ad by the same brand is of a glamorous woman with fishnet stockings lying down in bed blowing a thick plume of vapor. The slogan “Rock the Vape” written in bold font occupies a major portion of the ad. V2 Cigs advertises itself as “The Thickest Vapor In The Business.”

The appeal of a thick plume of vapor has led to stores and brands using the word in their name. The brand name “Ploom” conjures to mind thick clouds of vapor. Retail stores associated with the word include Plumes, The Plume Room and Plumes of Vapor.

The smaller e-cigs, which are similar to a conventional cigarette in shape and size, produce less vapor compared to the larger high-end personal vaporizers, frequently called Mods, that are designed to produce a very thick and visible vapor. In vaping lexicon, the thick big clouds of vapor produced from Mods are called “Cloud Chasing” and people who produce them are called “Cloud Chasers.” Blowing out thick plumes of vapor in a variety of designs is so appealing that some e-cig and eJuice brands even offer “cloud chasing” competitions.

It is interesting that while some e-cig brands play up the vapor plume in their advertising, some other companies go out of their way to advertise the discreteness of their product. White Cloud, which sells Invisi-Vapor E-Cigarette Cartridges, advertises the product as a way to “you to use your e cigarette in places where being discreet is important, all while delivering the same amount of nicotine and flavor.”

While the plume of smoke may appear glamorous and even safe, as it is often advertised as “pure water vapor,” this is not the case. Studies have found that e-cig vapor can lead to nicotine toxicity as well as respiratory and cardiovascular problems.

Eco-Friendly – img31010

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At a time when everyone’s mantra is to “go green,” it is no surprise to see the e-cigarette industry’s marketing machine clamor to announce that its products are environmentally conscious and much better for an individual’s health and the environment than conventional cigarette products.

First, most e-cigs companies point to the fact that since their products do not produce any smoke but only emit a vapor, it is less polluting than conventional tobacco products. For instance, Green Smoke says it “aspires to create a greener planet” by offering a cigarette that has no second-hand smoke, no ash and no risk of fire.” SouthBeach Smoke also equates the healthier, i.e. no carcinogens and no smoke aspect of e-cigs to being a more eco-friendly product.

To promote the image of being an earth-friendly product, e-cigarettes are appropriately branded with subliminal brand names such as Green Smoke, Eco-Cigs, Ever Smoke, EverGreen Vapor, Enviro, and Green Nicotine. Many of the ads for these products also use terms such as “additive-free,” “organic” and “eco-friendly” to imply that the ingredients are “pure” and not harmful to the individual or the environment. For instance, Green Nicotine e-cig manufacturer’s claim to being environmentally friendly comes from the fact that its manufacturing processes uses green techniques by restricting the use of “hazardous materials” and incorporating “pure” materials. However, it is important to note that since e-cigs are unregulated, there is no standard definition of the purity of nicotine or flavoring ingredients used in these products.

To further suggest, the green nature of the product, the packaging is plastered with green leaf symbols and shades of green predominate the advertisement and e-cig package. In a Green Smoke advertisement, a woman with apple green colored lips is seen holding an e-cigarette near her lips. The ad seems to suggest that the e-cig is as safe as a lipstick for a woman. In another ad for Green Smoke, a man is seen enjoying the freshness and pure air of a mountaintop with an e-cig between his lips. The text of the advertisement reads, “Enjoy your nicotine. No Lighter. No Fire. No Mess.” An advertisement for EverSmoke that showcases the company’s diverse products has the following text, “Healthy for You. Green for the Environment.” A Green Nicotine advertisement shows a single e-cig against the backdrop of a lush green moss lawn.

E-cig companies are also eager to make the point that since its products are mostly reusable they aren’t thrown away like traditional cigarette butts that pile up in landfills and pollute the environment. However, the eco-friendly nature of e-cigs warrants a closer investigation. E-cigs contain several plastic and metal components that need to be properly disposed. In addition to this, the nickel-cadmium or lithium batteries used in e-cigs need to be properly disposed in e-waste recycling bin instead of the general trash. While some e-cig manufacturers offer “recycling programs” to promote proper disposal of e-waste, it is unclear how many consumers take the time to invest in such programs. When e-cigs don’t get properly disposed they are as much a pollutant as traditional cigarettes.