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      An observational study of the marketing practice of e-cigarette specialty stores in two large cities in China: Is there potential to normalize the use of e-cigarettes?

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          Abstract

          INTRODUCTION

          Supervision measures in China have designated offline retail as the only legal channel for the sale and advertising of e-cigarettes. Specialty stores, exclusively selling vaping devices and e-liquids, are professionally designed to showcase company images and provide the best examples of e-cigarette marketing strategies. The goal was to analyze the retail marketing practice of e-cigarette specialty stores and provide a scientific reference for future e-cigarette point-of-sale regulation.

          METHODS

          On-site observations were conducted in specialty stores among the popular business districts of Chengdu and Shanghai, China, from January to May 2021. ‘Dianping’, known as ‘Chinese Yelp’, was used to identify 8 business districts in Shanghai and 5 in Chengdu as observation sites. Two trained observers visited each store in the identified business districts. The data were collected with a checklist, which consisted of 5 sections with 37 items, including basic information, marketing practice, age restriction and health warnings.

          RESULTS

          In total, 161 e-cigarette specialty stores, including 82 specialty stores in Shanghai and 79 in Chengdu, were identified. Of these stores, 156 were single-brand retailers and 5 were multi-brand retailers. Each store displayed e-cigarette products, which were visible from outside the store. The most common e-cigarette products were rechargeable kits and nicotine-containing e-liquids, which were available at all specialty stores. Frequent forms of promotion were free e-liquid samples (100%) and slogans (57.8%). Signage stating prohibition of minor use and purchase was presented at 141 (87.6%) specialty stores. Relatively few specialty stores (31.7%) displayed health warnings.

          CONCLUSIONS

          E-cigarette specialty stores featured highly visible product displays, varied product selections, abundant marketing materials, free trial services, absent entry restrictions for minors, and a lack of health warnings. Policymakers should move to reduce youth exposure to e-cigarette products and marketing in the retail environment by strengthening regulations on product display and marketing.

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          Most cited references35

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          E-Cigarette Marketing and Communication: How E-Cigarette Companies Market E-Cigarettes and the Public Engages with E-cigarette Information

          Introduction Given the lack of regulation on marketing of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) in the United States and the increasing exchange of e-cigarette-related information online, it is critical to understand how e-cigarette companies market e-cigarettes and how the public engages with e-cigarette information. Methods Results are from a systematic review of peer-reviewed literature on e-cigarettes via a PubMed search through June 1, 2017. Search terms included: “e-cigarette*” or “electronic cigarette” or “electronic cigarettes” or “electronic nicotine delivery” or “vape” or “vaping.” Experimental studies, quasi-experimental studies, observational studies, qualitative studies, and mixed methods studies providing empirical findings on e-cigarette marketing and communication (ie, nonmarketing communication in the public) were included. Results One hundred twenty-four publications on e-cigarette marketing and communication were identified. They covered topics including e-cigarette advertisement claims/promotions and exposure/receptivity, the effect of e-cigarette advertisements on e-cigarette and cigarette use, public engagement with e-cigarette information, and the public’s portrayal of e-cigarettes. Studies show increases in e-cigarette marketing expenditures and online engagement through social media over time, that e-cigarettes are often framed as an alternative to combustible cigarettes, and that e-cigarette advertisement exposure may be associated with e-cigarette trial in adolescents and young adults. Discussion Few studies examine the effects of e-cigarette marketing on perceptions and e-cigarette and cigarette use. Evidence suggests that exposure to e-cigarette advertisements affects perceptions and trial of e-cigarettes, but there is no evidence that exposure affects cigarette use. No studies examined how exposure to e-cigarette communication, particularly misleading or inaccurate information, impacts e-cigarette, and tobacco use behaviors. Implications The present article provides a comprehensive review of e-cigarette marketing and how the public engages with e-cigarette information. Studies suggest an association between exposure to e-cigarette marketing and lower harm perceptions of e-cigarettes, intention to use e-cigarettes, and e-cigarette trial, highlighting the need to for advertising regulations that support public health goals. Findings from this review also present the methodological limitations of the existing research (primarily due to cross-sectional and correlational analyses) and underscore the need for timely, rigorous research to provide an accurate understanding of e-cigarette marketing and communication and its impact on e-cigarette and tobacco product use.
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            Patterns of nicotine concentrations in electronic cigarettes sold in the United States, 2013-2018

            Considerable declines in cigarette smoking have occurred in the U.S. over the past half century. Yet emerging tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, have increased in popularity among U.S. youth and adults in recent years. Nicotine content is an important factor in weighing the potential benefits and risks of e-cigarettes on individual and population level health. This study examined how nicotine concentrations of e-cigarette products sold have changed from 2013 to 2018. E-cigarette sales data aggregated in 4-week periods from March 2, 2013 to September 8, 2018 (66 months total) from convenience store and mass market channels were obtained from Nielsen. Internet and vape shop sales were not available. Internet searches were used to supplement information for nicotine concentration and flavor. Products were categorized by nicotine concentration, flavor, type (disposable or rechargeable), and brand. Dollar sales, unit sales, and average nicotine concentration were assessed. During 2013–2018, the average nicotine concentration in e-cigarettes sold increased overall, for all flavor categories, and for rechargeable e-cigarettes. The proportion of total dollar sales comprised of higher nicotine concentration e-cigarettes (> 4% mg/mL) increased from 12.3% to 74.7% during 2013–2018, with a similar increase in unit share. Zero-nicotine products accounted for less than 1% of dollar market share across all years analyzed. E-cigarettes with higher nicotine concentrations comprise a substantial and increasing portion of U.S. e-cigarette sales. Higher nicotine concentrations may influence patterns of e-cigarette use, including harms from e-cigarette initiation among youth and potential health benefits for adult smokers switching completely to e-cigarettes.
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              Youth-Targeted E-cigarette Marketing in the US

              Objectives The purpose of this project was to explore the extent to which e-cigarette advertisements use youth-appealing content. Methods A sample of e-cigarette video ads (N = 154) were coded by 3 independent coders using the content appealing to youth (CAY) index, which measures over 40 youth-appealing features. To calculate a total CAY score for each ad, scores were normalized and summed such that a higher score represented the presence of more youth-appealing elements. Results All ads included some youth-appealing content, with frequent use of emotional appeals, including happiness (68%), friendship (41%), sex (24%), and success (24%). Over half featured animation. However, product appeals, known to be disliked by youth, were also prevalent. Eighty-seven percent used a direct appeal to e-cigarettes' value over tobacco cigarettes; 66% mentioned product composition; and 40% mentioned health. Conclusions Given the unregulated context in the US, e-cigarette marketing currently contains many features that may be particularly appealing to youth.
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                Author and article information

                Journal
                Tob Induc Dis
                Tob Induc Dis
                TID
                Tobacco Induced Diseases
                European Publishing on behalf of the International Society for the Prevention of Tobacco Induced Diseases (ISPTID)
                2070-7266
                1617-9625
                14 September 2024
                2024
                : 22
                : 10.18332/tid/191840
                Affiliations
                [1 ]Department of Preventive Medicine and Health Education, School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
                [2 ]Health Communication Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
                [3 ]Key Lab of Public Health Safety of Ministry of Education, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
                [4 ]Tobacco-Free Kids Action Fund Beijing Representative Office, Beijing, People's Republic of China
                [5 ]The Research Center for Food and Drug Law, School of Law-based Government, China University of Political Science and Law, Beijing, People's Republic of China
                [6 ]Fudan Development Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
                Author notes
                CORRESPONDENCE TO Pinpin Zheng. School of Public Health, Fudan University, 138 Yixueyuan Road, Shanghai 200032, People's Republic of China. E-mail: zpinpin@ 123456shmu.edu.cn ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3902-2955
                Article
                TID-22-160
                10.18332/tid/191840
                11401606
                39280934
                1115171c-58c2-4636-9cd4-2f90ee8e3df8
                © 2024 Deng H. et al.

                This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

                History
                : 17 May 2024
                : 31 July 2024
                : 03 August 2024
                Funding
                FUNDING This work was supported by the Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use (CHINA-26-12), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (#82173635) and Shanghai Municipal Health Commission ‘Shanghai Three-year Action Plan to Strengthen the Construction of Public Health System (2023-2025)’ (GW VI-6). The Tobacco Free Kids Action Fund provided technical support and played an important role in the conduct of the research and the preparation of this article.
                Categories
                Research Paper

                Respiratory medicine
                social marketing,e-cigarette,advertising and promotion
                Respiratory medicine
                social marketing, e-cigarette, advertising and promotion

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