The Industry
Are Youth a Target?
The industry needed to
RE-INVENT itself
E-cigarettes were a perfect product for the tobacco industry for many reasons:
Everyone is drawn to the latest and greatest tech. Adding an electronic component to cigarettes was a natural evolution.
By not burning tobacco, e-cigarettes could be marketed as a “safer” alternative to smoking.
E-liquid comes in 1000s of flavours making them appealing to users of all ages.
Initially, e-cigarettes were not restricted by laws that oversee the sales and marketing of cigarettes.
Initially, e-cigarettes were not restricted by laws that dictate where you can and cannot smoke.
E-cigarettes accomplish the one thing the tobacco industry has perfected, getting people addicted to nicotine.
Everyone is drawn to the latest and greatest tech. Adding an electronic component to cigarettes was a natural evolution.
By not burning tobacco, e-cigarettes could be marketed as a “safer” alternative to smoking.
E-liquid comes in 1000s of flavours making them appealing to users of all ages.
Initially, e-cigarettes were not restricted by laws that oversee the sales and marketing of cigarettes.
Initially, e-cigarettes were not restricted by the laws that dictate where you can and cannot smoke.
E-cigarettes accomplish the one thing the tobacco industry has perfected, getting people addicted to nicotine.
Before long,
e-cigarette makers like Juul were selling portions of their companies to big tobacco & the tobacco industry started selling their own brands of e-cigarettes (E.G. LOGIC AND VYPE).
So, as you can see…
the e-cigarette industry can’t be separated from the tobacco industry.
MARKETING
The good, the bad, and the targeted
The tobacco industry has a well-documented history of lying about their products’ addictiveness, health effects and people they want using them
(like youth and other vulnerable people).
They did this by paying billions of dollars on questionable marketing techniques:
Celebrities were paid to smoke when making public appearances, in magazines and are still paid to smoke in movies.
Characters were used in advertising to make products seem fun and innocent and to make them more appealing to kids.
Chemical flavourings are used to hide the otherwise gross taste of cigarettes. They also help people associate the products with their favourite foods making them seem less harmful and more appealing.
Doctors were paid to recommend brands of cigarettes and to say that they were less harsh and smoother on the throat (giving the impression they were less harmful).
Ads were made to show products being used as part of people’s desired lifestyle and were designed to appeal to people’s culture or social groups.
The industry pays to have their products used or placed in the background of movie scenes, or print ads. People are given recognition and/or provided with products for demonstrating or reviewing products on social media.
When new laws are passed to limit the sale of products, the industry looks for ways to change their product or how it’s sold. E.g. When laws prevented the sale of cigarettes of a certain weight, the industry changed the weight to make them legal.
Celebrities were paid to smoke when making public appearances, in magazines and are still paid to smoke in movies.
Chemical flavourings are used to hide the otherwise gross taste of cigarettes. They also help people associate the products with their favourite foods making them seem less harmful and more appealing.
Ads were made to show products being used as part of people’s desired lifestyle and were designed to appeal to people’s culture or social groups.
When new laws are passed to limit the sale of products, the industry looks for ways to change their product or how it’s sold. E.g. When laws prevented the sale of cigarettes of a certain weight, the industry changed the weight to make them legal.
Characters were used in advertising to make products seem fun and innocent and to make them more appealing to kids.
Doctors were paid to recommend brands of cigarettes and to say that they were less harsh and smoother on the throat (giving the impression they were less harmful).
The industry pays to have their products used or placed in the background of movie scenes, or print ads. People are given recognition and/or provided with products for demonstrating or reviewing products on social media.
These strategies successfully addicted generations of people to commercial tobacco products, especially cigarettes.
Once e-cigarettes became associated with the tobacco industry, it didn’t take long for them to be marketed using some of the same old tricks perfected by big tobacco.
The industry pays
billions of dollars
to find ways to market their products. The marketing is designed to make people believe the products are safe, fun, helpful and even a “normal” part of our lives. But things aren’t always what they seem when you dig a little deeper.
Want to learn more about how to stand up to the industry?
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In Fact:
The industry makes money from people being addicted to nicotine.
In Fact:
Youth are at risk of becoming addicted to nicotine in e-cigarettes. (11)
In Fact:
Youth who vape may be more likely to begin smoking cigarettes. (11)
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PREVENT
Help to prevent a new generation of people from getting addicted to nicotine.
STOP
the industry from making billions of $$ from people’s addiction to nicotine.
DIRTY WORK
stand up to the industry by saying you will not do their dirty work.