E-Cigarette Marketing, Advertising, and Sales

[freemexy]

E-Cigarette Marketing, Advertising, and Sales

Electronic Cigarette can be purchased in various retail outlets, including vendors that sell tobacco, vape shops, mall kiosks, gas stations, convenience stores, grocery stores, and pharmacies as well as through online/Internet vendors. E-cigarette companies market their products to children and adolescents by promoting flavors and using a wide variety of media channels, approaches used by the tobacco industry to successfully market conventional tobacco products to youth.1 E-cigarette companies, many of which are owned by major tobacco companies, use promotional tactics including television advertisements targeted to stations with clear youth appeal12; advertisements at the point of sale at retail stores13; product Web sites and social media14; targeted advertisements through search engines and Web sites that are focused on music, entertainment, and sports15; celebrity endorsements; and sponsorships and free samples at youth-oriented events.1 Many of these e-cigarette methods of advertising are illegal for conventional cigarettes precisely because such tactics promote youth initiation and progression to traditional tobacco product use.16,17

E-cigarette advertising has effectively reached youth and young adults and is associated with current e-cigarette use. In 2016, 78.2% of middle and high school students (20.5 million youth) were exposed to e-cigarette advertisements from at least 1 source.18 Exposure to these advertisements increases intention to use e-cigarettes among adolescent nonusers.19 It is associated with current e-cigarette use,20 with increasing exposure being associated with increased odds of use.21,22 The increased use of and exposure to e-cigarettes among youth, combined with dramatic increases in advertising,23 have serious potential to undermine successful efforts to deglamorize, restrict, and decrease the use of tobacco products.u2022eney7485yyWEEEEDD