E-cigarette marketing targeted to youth in South Korea

Analysis of electric cigarette liquid effect on mouse brain tumor growth through EGFR and ERK activation

“…The use of e-cigarette among youth in Korea has increased from 5% to 9% during the same time interval. A similar pattern has been observed in adults too, however, in a lower percentage of individuals [ 13 , 14 ]. Even in the United Kingdom, Public Health England recommends using e-cigarettes as a cessation aid for smoking [ 15 ].…”

E-Cigarette Marketing and Communication: How E-Cigarette Companies Market E-Cigarettes and the Public Engages with E-cigarette Information

“…Twenty-one publications examined the claims and promotions in e-cigarette advertisements (studies are listed in Supplementary Table 1). Of these, four were descriptive studies of e-cigarette companies' and retailers' marketing, 19,20,25,30 twelve were content analyses of e-cigarette advertising, [21][22][23]26,28,29,31,[33][34][35][36][37] one was an e-cigarette retail audit, 27 one was an analysis of national e-cigarette advertising data, 24 two were focus group studies of e-cigarette attitudes and perceptions, 38,39 and one was a cross-sectional survey of the correlation between marketing claims and e-cigarette use. 32 Eight studies of e-cigarette advertisements conducted between 2010 and 2015 found that, compared to combustible cigarettes, e-cigarettes were presented as healthier, 20,22,24,28,31,39 less expensive, 22,24,26,37 more socially acceptable, 28 unhindered by smoke-free policies, 24,26 and more environmentally friendly.…”

“…Findings from seven studies suggest that the content and placement of e-cigarette advertisements are accessible and attractive to youth. 22,24,30,33,36,38,39 In a series of focus groups conducted in 2015, youth ages 12-17 years noted that e-cigarettes were portrayed to be appealing to youth and presented as a reduced risk cigarette "for kids." 39 A 2011 review of website content of online e-cigarette retailers identified "youthful appeals" in advertisements, such as the portrayal of e-cigarette use by celebrities, as a way to be more attractive to potential sexual partners.…”

“…19,25 A Korean study revealed one brand's direct marketing to youth through advertisements on college admissions forums, young adult (YA) movie ticket giveaways, sponsorships of a youth orchestra, and donations to a youth charity. 33…”

“…Summary E-cigarettes are marketed as alternatives to combustible cigaret tes, 20,22,24,26,38,39 with advertisements placed in retail outlets and across various media channels. 4,12,[40][41][42]44,50,51 Advertisements contain content appealing to youth 22,24,30,33,36,38,39 and are available through channels with youth exposure. 23,29,42,53 Cross-sectional data suggests that e-cigarette users recall more e-cigarette marketing and are more likely to find the advertisements appealing compared nonusers 48,51,55 ; however, these studies are subject to recall bias and should be interpreted with caution.…”