If you vape, there is a possibility you’ve posted a magical photo with a big cloud of smoke on Instagram, showed off your cloud production skills by blowing circles at your friends or bragged what a nice taste of e-liquid you bought recently. Vaping originally started as a method of social interaction and was first desensitized by social media advertising.
According to Campaign Live, marketing rules dictate that while e-cigarettes can be promoted in outdoor and cinema ads, they must not be promoted in print media or online, save for factual claims on a brand’s own website or in instances where an account is private and an ad can only reasonably be seen by someone seeking out that information.
While the promotion of products associated with traditional smoking is in the most-part banned, some forms of advertising for e-cigarettes and vaping are permitted.
The Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act 2002 prohibits press, poster and most advertising on the internet for tobacco products, outlaws the free distribution of tobacco products and coupons, and bans tobacco retailer ads targeted at the public. Displays of tobacco products and prices on an advertiser’s own website where such products are offered for sale are allowed.
Advertising of combustible cigarettes is prohibited by law in traditional media outlets such as magazines, newspapers and television. But vaping-related posts on social media are largely unregulated, with individual platforms making different decisions about what to allow. For instance, Instagram does not permit e-cigarette and vape manufacturers to pay for ‘promoted’ posts about their products, but these companies can pay influencers to post laudatory content.
Ups and downs in the vaping industry
In the recent past, JUUL, the US e-cigarette giant, has spent over a million dollars on adverting campaigns on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. A recent study found that JUUL’s presence on Instagram was ever-increasing: seven of its most popular accounts (including third-party vendors) had more than 2.5 million followers. Unfortunately, due to constant bans and confusion over advertising products to youth, the account stopped posting and stayed inactive since 2018.
It is not uncommon for their ads to include youth, potentially marketing their product to underage consumers, and one study finds that underage Twitter users are following and retweeting JUUL’s Twitter account.
According to Consumer & Society, earlier in 2019, a group of 125 anti-smoking groups called for social media platforms to do more to stop influencers marketing tobacco products and e-cigarettes online.
Many companies are using these accounts to avoid existing smoking bans. However, platforms are yet to change their policies to avoid this practice. As part of a recent crackdown, four e-cigarette manufacturers have now been banned from advertising on Instagram.
What’s next?
It is an attack on the industry rather than educating youth and finding the root of the problem, which involves well-known influencers, who recommend, promote vaping products on their social media channels. How many times did you see someone famous telling you how great vaping is? It should be advertised not as ‘the best thing they’ve ever smoked’ but as a great solution for you to help you quit smoking and recover.
A bit about Vape.co.uk
We are a UK Based Vape Retailer, and our aim is to help people quit smoking and provide excellent customer service by doing so. Our team of experts are on hand to help answer your questions. Just use our online chat messaging system and fire any questions away.
We offer free tracked UK vape delivery on orders over £25.
Social Media and Vaping
If you vape, there is a possibility you’ve posted a magical photo with a big cloud of smoke on Instagram, showed off your cloud production skills by blowing circles at your friends or bragged what a nice taste of e-liquid you bought recently. Vaping originally started as a method of social interaction and was first desensitized by social media advertising.
According to Campaign Live, marketing rules dictate that while e-cigarettes can be promoted in outdoor and cinema ads, they must not be promoted in print media or online, save for factual claims on a brand’s own website or in instances where an account is private and an ad can only reasonably be seen by someone seeking out that information.
While the promotion of products associated with traditional smoking is in the most-part banned, some forms of advertising for e-cigarettes and vaping are permitted.
The Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act 2002 prohibits press, poster and most advertising on the internet for tobacco products, outlaws the free distribution of tobacco products and coupons, and bans tobacco retailer ads targeted at the public. Displays of tobacco products and prices on an advertiser’s own website where such products are offered for sale are allowed.
Advertising of combustible cigarettes is prohibited by law in traditional media outlets such as magazines, newspapers and television. But vaping-related posts on social media are largely unregulated, with individual platforms making different decisions about what to allow. For instance, Instagram does not permit e-cigarette and vape manufacturers to pay for ‘promoted’ posts about their products, but these companies can pay influencers to post laudatory content.
Ups and downs in the vaping industry
In the recent past, JUUL, the US e-cigarette giant, has spent over a million dollars on adverting campaigns on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. A recent study found that JUUL’s presence on Instagram was ever-increasing: seven of its most popular accounts (including third-party vendors) had more than 2.5 million followers. Unfortunately, due to constant bans and confusion over advertising products to youth, the account stopped posting and stayed inactive since 2018.
It is not uncommon for their ads to include youth, potentially marketing their product to underage consumers, and one study finds that underage Twitter users are following and retweeting JUUL’s Twitter account.
According to Consumer & Society, earlier in 2019, a group of 125 anti-smoking groups called for social media platforms to do more to stop influencers marketing tobacco products and e-cigarettes online.
Many companies are using these accounts to avoid existing smoking bans. However, platforms are yet to change their policies to avoid this practice. As part of a recent crackdown, four e-cigarette manufacturers have now been banned from advertising on Instagram.
What’s next?
It is an attack on the industry rather than educating youth and finding the root of the problem, which involves well-known influencers, who recommend, promote vaping products on their social media channels. How many times did you see someone famous telling you how great vaping is? It should be advertised not as ‘the best thing they’ve ever smoked’ but as a great solution for you to help you quit smoking and recover.
A bit about Vape.co.uk
We are a UK Based Vape Retailer, and our aim is to help people quit smoking and provide excellent customer service by doing so. Our team of experts are on hand to help answer your questions. Just use our online chat messaging system and fire any questions away.
We offer free tracked UK vape delivery on orders over £25.