Vaping Is the New Cigarette Essay

With the decrease in the sales recorded by tobacco companies, alternative promotional methods have been adopted to increase sales. One of such methods is targeting teens by using vape adverts. Currently, the USA does not have legal guidelines which can be used for market restrictions of products such as e-cigarettes. Although organizations such as the Food and drug administration have been active in regulating the use of e-cigarettes, their efforts have been ineffective due to massive campaigns carried by tobacco companies. The wide acceptance of vaping can be attributed to the lack of a clear legal framework to oversee the use of e-cigarettes among special groups such as the youth.

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A study carried out in 2016 found out that 78.2 % of high and middle schools in the United States had exposure to e-cigarette adverts (Simon 1). Also, the exposure of the youth to the advertisements increased from 73 % in 2015 to 78.2 % in 2016. Besides, 87% of the companies applied direct appeal to endorse the use of e-cigarettes over traditional cigarettes (Padon, Maloney & Cappella 95). Initially, restrictions were put into the advertisement of tobacco products of a combustible nature as they were associated with painting a picture of social positioning, adventure, and independence which explain the traits sought by the youth. Their absence has led to the emergence of a trend where tobacco companies use adverts which appeal the youth and advocate for the acceptance of e-cigarettes.

One of the main factors for the increased use is the use of strategies whose adoption is illegal for traditional tobacco products. For example, e-cigarette Ads have been featured in televisions, sponsoring music events, sports, and adverts placed in businesses where the teens can capture them easily (Lipton 1). Also, intensive advertisements schemes are positioned in retail stores where the youth often visit. When such advertisement schemes are used, e-cigarettes promotions reach a large number of potential consumers leading to high use among the youth. Using a variety of advertisement channels introduces a line of thought that vaping is the new trend attracting a large number of teens who in turn endorse its use through peer pressure.

Another reason for the increase is due to appeals such as romance, social status, modernity and the coolness associated with vaping. For example, a study carried out by Padon, Maloney, and Cappella (95) found that the e-cigarette Ads associated e-cigarettes with emotional appeals such as success, friendship, and happiness. It is evident that the teenage is the phase were the youth experience psychological and physical growth. In this phase, the youth strive to achieve recognition in the society and among their peers by displaying the 'cool' trends. Therefore, the youth embark on the usage of e-cigarettes to assert their dominance and acceptance. Tobacco Ads go an extra mile of capturing the youth attention by featuring celebrities in the advertisements enticing the young to follow their traits.

Also, the extensive use of e-cigarettes is associated with minimal information about the adverse health impacts of vaping. In their report, Padon, Maloney, and Cappella (95) established that 66 % of the companies mentioned the product's composition while forty percent mentioned health factors associated with the use of the e-cigarette. In most cases, capturing the repercussions related to the consumption of a particular product can induce second thoughts among the users in the event of adverse health impacts. Lack of information on health on the advertisements has created a notion that vaping bears little or no effect. When counteracting the increase of e-cigarette use among teens, policies and regulations should be imposed to bar the companies from using appeals which target the youth.

Works Cited

Lipton E. Officials Focus on E-cigarette Ads Aimed at Youths. The New York times, 22 July 2014. Web. 17 October 2018.

Padon A., Maloney E and Capella J. "Youths-Targeted E-cigarette Marketing in the US". HHS Public Access, 3.1 (2017): 95-101.

Simon, Stacy. Report: More and More Teens Seeing E-cigarette Ads. American Cancer Society, 19 March 2018. Web. 17 October 2018.