Exposure to Electronic Cigarette Television Advertisements Among Youth and Young Adults

Abstract

E-cigarette companies currently advertise their products to a broad audience that includes 24 million youth. The dramatic increase in youth and young adult television exposure between 2011 and 2013 was driven primarily by a large advertising campaign on national cable networks. In the absence of evidence-based public health messaging, the current e-cigarette television advertising may be promoting beliefs and behaviors that pose harm to the public health. If current trends in e-cigarette television advertising continue, awareness and use of e-cigarettes are likely to increase among youth and young adults.

E-cigarette Use Among High School and Middle School Adolescents in Connecticut

“…Estimates of exposure to television e-cigarette advertising obtained using Nielsen data suggest a 256% increase in youth exposure from 2011 to 2013. 21 While there is limited published data on advertising of e-cigarettes in the retail environment 22 emerging evidence suggests that many point-of-sale locations like gas stations display e-cigarette advertisements on both the interior and exterior of the establishment, which heavily focus on the availability of flavors and are displayed at easy viewing levels for children. 23 Our results indicate that these marketing strategies may be troublingly effective, as many adolescents reported obtaining e-cigarettes from point-of-sale locations like gas stations and tobacco shops, as well from social media outlets.…”

Exposure to Advertisements and Electronic Cigarette Use Among US Middle and High School Students

“…As a result, e-cigarette advertising has proliferated in the print media, on television, and on the Internet; exposure to e-cigarette advertisement among youth aged 12 to 17 years increased by 256% from 2011 to 2013. 6 This increase in youth exposure to e-cigarette advertising closely mirrors increased dollar expenditures on advertising by e-cigarette manufacturers; between 2011 and 2014, the estimated e-cigarette advertising expenditures increased from $6.4 million to $115.3 million. 7,8 Although paid advertisements on TV comprise the majority of e-cigarette advertisement expenditures, other media requiring less marketing costs, such as the Internet, also have been used widely for e-cigarette advertisements.…”

“…7,8 Although paid advertisements on TV comprise the majority of e-cigarette advertisement expenditures, other media requiring less marketing costs, such as the Internet, also have been used widely for e-cigarette advertisements. 6,9 Some e-cigarette advertisements also use similar themes and tactics found by the Surgeon General to promote conventional tobacco use among youth, including rebellion, freedom, rule-breaking, and independence. 2,9 Previous research indicates that conventional cigarette advertising is associated with increased product appeal, intent to smoke, initiation, and use among youth.…”

Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems

“…19 Although the current generation of children and adolescents had not previously been exposed to tobacco advertisements on television, youth exposure to television advertisements for ENDS increased by 256% from 2011 to 2013. 20 In 2013, 80% of US youth aged 12 to 17 years were exposed to an average of 13 ENDS advertisements over the 1-year period. Driven in part by the significant increase in marketing and promotion, ENDS sales represented a billion-dollar industry in 2013, with some forecasters predicting they will eventually surpass sales for conventional cigarettes.…”