Marketing Strategies on E-cigarette Use Targeting Youth

According to a report on the medical website Medical Xpress on August 29th, a study led by Assistant Professor of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior, Minji Kim, has found that the marketing strategies employed by e-cigarette manufacturers increase the likelihood of young adults with low risk profiles using e-cigarettes. These widely unknown strategies involve psychographic targeting, attracting new users based on lifestyle, attitudes, and values. The results of this study have been published in the journal Nicotine & Tobacco Research.

Igniting Interest of Non-tobacco Users

Previous research has indicated that young adults (ages 18-29) represent a critical period for initiating and quitting smoking/nicotine use. The acceptance of e-cigarettes within this age group has steadily increased, largely influenced by exposure to e-cigarette marketing. Additionally, the prevalence of e-cigarette use among young adults also suggests a likelihood of initiating traditional smoking habits.

Minji stated, "Young adults who currently do not use tobacco and nicotine products are susceptible to advertising for these products, which may result in individuals who were unlikely to use them beginning to use e-cigarettes. In order to address this increased risk, stricter marketing regulations are needed for emerging tobacco and nicotine products to reduce marketing exposure."

According to the author, further research is needed to examine the impact of e-cigarette marketing on young people, in order to better formulate relevant regulations and intervention measures. For this purpose, they conducted a study to understand the influence of psychological population targeting, which involves identifying individuals who share common values, interests, lifestyles, fashion sense, and social tendencies through their use of e-cigarettes.

Researchers analyzed the experimental response of 2100 young adults. Participants were divided into three main groups based on the association with their peer groups: mainstream, young professionals, and hip-hop/fashion/partygoers. Half of the participants were randomly selected from each subgroup to view existing print and online e-cigarette advertisements that reflected their lifestyles, and were then asked questions about their impact. The other half viewed advertisements that did not match their own lifestyles and answered the same questions.

Addressing Market Marketing

Taking into account all participants, their analysis did not reveal that peer group matching was the reason they preferred e-cigarette advertisements. However, the researchers did find variations in response based on their tobacco and nicotine usage patterns.

For example, in advertisements, the addition of peers who currently do not use tobacco and nicotine products only increased the perceived preference and assessment of the advertised products. This finding suggests that low-risk smokers, in other words, current non-users, are more likely to respond positively to advertisements depicting their peer group, thus increasing the likelihood of starting to use e-cigarettes.

Journalist Kim Min-ji stated, "Marketing regulations, such as prohibiting advertisements that can reach non-users, can minimize the exposure of low-risk young adults to e-cigarette advertisements. Future research should explore how to counteract these targeted tobacco and nicotine market influences through communication campaigns and regulations."