Young Adults' Responses to E-Cigarette Advertisements: An Examination for Potential Regulation

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Behavioral Science
• Marketing Research

Background:

• E-cigarette marketing significantly influences young adult usage.
• The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has regulatory authority over e-cigarette marketing.
• Understanding advertisement appeal is crucial for informing regulatory strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify specific e-cigarette advertisement features that appeal most to young adults.
• To inform potential FDA regulatory actions on e-cigarette marketing.
• To assess the impact of marketing elements on young adult susceptibility to e-cigarette use.

Main Methods:

• A within-subjects laboratory design was employed.
• Participants (N=62, aged 18-26, susceptible non-users) viewed 15 print ads from Blu, Juul, and MarkTen.
• Psychophysiological measures (heart rate, eye tracking) and self-reported perceptions were collected.

Main Results:

• Participants focused more attention on descriptors and people (p<0.001) than on brand logos or warnings.
• Eye-tracking data revealed significant visual attention towards human elements and descriptive text.
• Integrated analysis identified specific Blu and Juul advertisements as having the highest appeal.

Conclusions:

• Human imagery and descriptive language are key drivers of appeal in e-cigarette advertisements for young adults.
• Recommendations include limiting testimonials and descriptive language in marketing.
• Restricting ads to branding-only formats may decrease appeal and prevent initiation among young adults.