E-cigarette advertising expenditures in the USA, 2014-2018

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Tobacco Control
• Marketing and Advertising Research

Background:

• Tobacco product advertising, including e-cigarettes, is known to influence youth initiation.
• Understanding advertising expenditure trends is crucial for public health interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess trends in U.S. e-cigarette advertising expenditures from 2014 to 2018.
• To analyze these trends by manufacturer and media type.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Kantar Media data on U.S. advertising expenditures for e-cigarettes.
• Estimated expenditures across print, television, internet, radio, and outdoor media.
• Analyzed trends using Joinpoint regression, adjusting dollar amounts to 2017 values.

Main Results:

• Total e-cigarette advertising expenditures decreased from $133 million in 2014 to $48 million in 2017, increasing to $110 million in 2018.
• Print advertising consistently represented the highest expenditure category.
• Altria and Imperial Tobacco led in total expenditures (2014-2018), while JUUL Labs had the highest single-year spending in 2018.

Conclusions:

• E-cigarette advertising expenditures in the U.S. exhibited volatility between 2014-2018.
• Declines in traditional media may indicate a shift towards digital platforms like social media.
• The 2018 increase suggests the influence of newer manufacturers, necessitating continued monitoring for tobacco control.