Characterizing the Objective Features of Vaping Prevention Video Ads: A Content Analysis

To address youth and young adult vaping, the Food and Drug Administration and other organizations have launched vaping prevention video ads. However, limited research exists on the objective features of these ads (i.e., observable and systematically codable elements). This study identified and described these features through a content analysis.

A total of 302 video ads, released between 2015 and 2024, were collected on the basis of the following criteria: focused on vaping prevention, targeted youth or young adults, 35 seconds or shorter, and in English. Twenty-nine codes were developed to capture objective features in 5 categories: (1) message themes; (2) structural features (genre, visual, audio, and format); (3) tobacco product depictions; (4) audience targeting; and (5) other features, such as source and length. Data were analyzed in 2024.

Most ads (49.3%) were from U.S. national organizations, followed by U.S. state governments (43.7%) and international sources (7.0%). Nearly half (46.0%) were 11-20 seconds. Nicotine addiction was the most common primary theme (34.4%), followed by harmful chemicals/metals (16.2%) and mental health (13.9%). Ads predominantly used live action (68.2%), visual effects (54.0%), background music (78.5%), and an acted-out format (57.3%). Vaping imagery appeared in most ads (68.5%). Few ads were explicitly designed for specific racial/ethnic (3.6%) or lesbian, gay, or bisexual (0.3%) communities.

This study provides the groundwork for future research to identify which objective ad features most effectively influence vaping-related outcomes. Findings also serve as a practical resource for campaign developers who design ads on the basis of objective features.