Noticing people, discounts and non-tobacco flavours in e-cigarette ads may increase e-cigarette product appeal among non-tobacco-using young adults

Abstract

IntroductionYoung adults new to tobacco (including e-cigarettes) are at an increased risk of e-cigarette use after e-cigarette exposure. This study examined the association between noticing e-cigarette advertising features and perceived product appeal among non-tobacco-using young adults.MethodsA sample of non-tobacco-using young adults (ages 18–29 years; n=1993) completed an online survey in 2021. We content analysed visible features from 12 e-cigarette ads that represented commonly used e-cigarette brands. Participants viewed the ads and clicked on the areas of the ads that drew their attention. Participants reported e-cigarette product appeal for each ad, including ad liking, product curiosity and use interest. We used generalised estimating equations to examine within-person associations between noticing specific ad features and reporting each and any type of product appeal, adjusting for noticing other features and participant characteristics.ResultsNoticing people, discounts, non-tobacco (menthol and mint/fruit) flavours, positive experience claims or product images was positively associated with having any e-cigarette product appeal. Noticing discounts or mint/fruit flavours was also positively associated with e-cigarette use interest. In contrast, noticing nicotine warnings or smoking cessation claims was negatively associated with ad liking and product curiosity.ConclusionsAttention to several e-cigarette ad features (eg, people, discounts, non-tobacco flavours) was associated with increased e-cigarette product appeal, whereas attention to nicotine warnings and smoking cessation claims was associated with reduced appeal among non-tobacco-using young adults. Restricting appeal-promoting features while strengthening the effects of nicotine warnings and smoker-targeted claims in e-cigarette ads may potentially reduce e-cigarettes’ overall appeal among this priority population.

Associations between e-cigarette marketing exposure and vaping nicotine and cannabis among U.S. adults, 2021

“…With the continued rise in cannabis vaping prevalence among young adults in the country, 2 more research is needed to investigate the role of e-cigarette marketing, and more directly cannabis vape product marketing, on cannabis vaping behaviors among this population. For example, it may be important to examine the influence of specific marketing features (e.g., flavor descriptions, price promotions, human models, health claims, warnings) [46][47][48][49] on cannabis vape product use perceptions and behaviors among young adults.…”

Using Eye tracking to Examine Young Adults’ Visual Attention to E-cigarette Advertising Features and Associated Positive E-cigarette Perceptions

“…Participant eligibility included: (i) being between 18 and 29 years old; (ii) being able to read and speak English; and (iii) having no visual impairments or eye-related surgical history [ 27 ]. Participants who do not use tobacco were defined as those who did not use tobacco in the past 30 days and had never regularly used any tobacco before [ 13 ]. Participants who smoked cigarettes were defined as those who smoked cigarettes in the past 30 days and had smoked more than 100 cigarettes in their lifetime [ 11 , 28 ].…”

“…These ads, which were retrieved from Trinkets & Trash (trinketsandtrash.org) [ 29 ] and Kantar Media Intelligence, were published in magazines and direct consumer emails in 2019 and 2020. These 30 ads were selected because they all included more than three distinct content features, which allowed participants to view multiple features per ad [ 13 , 15 ]. These features also reflected commonly found e-cigarette marketing features from previous studies [ 30 , 31 ].…”

“…The hierarchy of effects in the advertising model suggests that advertising exposure may cause product use through ad features that create positive norms and appeals about the products [ 12 ]. Certain e-cigarette advertising features, such as fruit and candy flavors and attractive people, maybe especially impactful in increasing perceived product appeal among young adults [ 13–15 ]. While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which regulates e-cigarette products, may not completely eliminate e-cigarette advertising due to commercial speech rights afforded by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution [ 16 ], it can regulate e-cigarette advertising and take marketing plans and product appeal into consideration when making decisions on e-cigarette premarket tobacco product applications.…”

“…Individuals’ visual attention to e-cigarette advertising features is an important measure to understand e-cigarette marketing influence as attention occurs before comprehension or changes in perceptions and behavior [ 17 ]. Previous studies that attempted to examine attention to e-cigarette advertising features used self-reported measures where participants indicated their attention by clicking or tapping on the ads [ 13 ] or immediate recall of exposure to certain ad features [ 15 , 18 ], which can be subject to cognitive errors and recall bias. Eye-tracking technology has been widely used to objectively examine visual attention to tobacco-related packages and marketing and communication [ 19–24 ].…”