7 Reasons Why Vaping Advertising Influences Youth and Consumer Behavior

Electronic cigarettes have evolved from simple novelties to a worldwide trend, with two main components contributing to product design and advertising. Although vaping is depicted as a healthier all-around replacement to smoking, its increasing popularity particularly among youth has many ethical and efficacy concerns regarding advertisement techniques used by e-cigarette brands.

These are the seven reasons why vaping advertising is influenced

1. Modern and Sleek Designs

   In the current vaping advertisements, things like bright colors, sleek designs, and images that work as a visual trick are used to gain attention. Most of these ads aren’t selling you a product, they’re selling a culture: vaping as cool, youthful, and modern.

   Related images make vaping look harmless and fun for bright colors attracting young consumers. Such as new high-tech products like e-cigarettes being sold in slim-looking packs and can be customized in what appear to be culturally acceptable designs, making them trendy and relished and are seen as status symbols by the youth who do as they all do with newer gadgets i.e. they see them as a sign of status. So its visual appeal such as a sensual, stylish pursuit, means influencing young minds.

   

   Not only are these electronic cigarette products conveniently compact and concealable, but they also resemble easy-to-hide objects like children’s toys.

2. Appealing Flavors

   The variety of flavors is the most influential factor that makes vaping a favorite among the youth. Vaping has hot flavors like mango and watermelon these flavors make you feel like you're having a treat instead of a negative health consequence.

   These flavors are often advertised in a way that markets the preferences of youth, hiding the risks.

   

   Experiments with vaping among teens and young adults are typically initiated by flavors that research indicates are the leading driver, enticing teens and young adults slowly into continuing use. And there’s no better evidence of this than the vaping advertising’s delivering sensory allure to pull new users and keep them hooked.

3. Social Media Influence

   Vaping advertisements have become a key trend on social media platforms. When brands carefully and effectively promote their products, they use influencers, hashtags, and short-form videos. Social media is different. Companies can have more control over their advertising than traditional media, and it can also allow companies to feed into the psyche of young audiences through relatable content creators and trendy campaigns.

   For example, people tend to see vaping as part of the lifestyle of being carefree, cool, that's normal and it's okay to have among their followers. Even more than traditional regulations being bypassed, this form of marketing also expands vaping advertising’s reach to people who might not normally come across vaping products.

   

   These social media influencers post videos of them vaping while showing off how well they can vape and do cool smoke tricks, posting with catchy music as well as making fun and attractive social media narratives around vaping.

4. Perceived Safety

   Vaping advertisements make a lot of claims that e-cigarettes are a "safer" alternative to traditional smoking. Yes, and this may or may not be true for adult smokers trying to quit, but it also presents an untrue perception to youth that vaping is safe.

   

   Ads that promote reduced harm are less effective in enlisting young consumers to think of the long-term health consequences of their behavior. Vaping advertising contributes to the false belief that vaping is a healthier way of living. These ads promote vaping as a healthier way of living and something that can be normalized while at the same time making the risk invisible.

5. Peer Pressure and Social Validation

   Many advertising strategies rely on making people believe other people are vaping – like featuring groups of friends vaping together in their campaigns. For teenagers and young adults, peer influence matters greatly in decision-making.

   

   Showing youth vaping as an act that can be done in groups to help foster connections and camaraderie helps young people to try vaping because they think they will fit in or because vaping is a trend. The psychological hack adds an element of social bonding over nicotine consumption that sells vaping to youth as something they should adopt as a way to fit in with their peer groups, bolstered by vaping advertising influence. If they seem hesitant to start vaping, however, this desire to fit in, to be seen as 'cool', can make them do it.

6. Convenience and Accessibility

   We also know that the convenience and accessibility of vaping products make them so popular with youth. Vaping devices are advertised as simple to use ( like vape pens that are disposable and refillable pods that require little effort to maintain).

   

   They are easy to find in convenience stores, gas stations, and online, these products are perfect for young people to easily access. The simple way to buy and use vaping products lowers the barrier to entry and makes vaping more likely to start when you’re young.

7. Lack of Comprehensive Regulation

   Yet, the vaping industry remains relatively gray when it comes to ad regulations. Vaping ads rarely come into regulatory view where traditional tobacco ads are largely banned, leaving a regulatory gap in an area of product use that is growing immensely among underage consumers. Strict control is lacking which means that companies are allowed to go to the edge of what is possible, for example by targeting younger audiences more directly or selling the idea that they don't have any health risks.

   

   Additionally, being able to disclaim any accountability by using vague language and creative wordplay, even from big brands, helps them reach as many people as they can.

   And because youth are particularly vulnerable, they tend to lack the critical thinking skills and maturity to challenge why these people are being targeted in the first place.

Advertising for vaping is quite appealing to the youth, flavors, social media uses and the

appeal to emotions, make the advertisements very influential. It is, therefore, necessary to have an understanding of these marketing strategies as the issue of vaping rises among students.

society can effectively think about ways of reducing the vaping appeal and encourage the achievement of better health outcomes.

References

FDA, November 16, 2023, FDA Warns Retailers to Stop Selling Illegal Youth-Appealing E-Cigarettes Disguised as Everyday Items

American Lung Association, June 7, 2024, 9 of the Strategies Big Tobacco Uses to Addict Kids to E-Cigarettes | American Lung Association

Tobacco Free Kids, Last Updated Feb. 15, 2024, ENDING THE SALE OF FLAVORED TOBACCO PRODUCTS

You Can Quit 2, False Advertising: Misleading Messages about E-Cigarettes

Truth Initiative, Aug. 09, 2018, 4 marketing tactics e-cigarette companies use to target youth