The use of interactive and engaging events in Austin, Texas, to promote the US return of IQOS

IQOS is a heated tobacco product from Philip Morris International (PMI) with modified risk tobacco product (MRTP) designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The commercial relaunch of IQOS featured experiential marketing centered in Austin, Texas, and began in October 2024. Invitation-only events were offered to adults aged ≥21 years who resided near Austin/Travis County and confirmed they were tobacco users when they joined the 'IQOS Circle'. Events were free-of-charge and included live music concerts, movie premieres, and seasonally and locally themed parties. Events offered free food, drinks, and giveaways, and usually included PMI representatives who invited discussion and questions about IQOS, where customers could hold devices with the promise that opportunities to try IQOS were coming soon. A two-day downtown block party marked IQOS' commercial release in March 2025, offering 'guided experiences' to customers who could then initiate a 14-day trial. The IQOS device and charging case with ten packs of HEETS sticks cost $1.00, plus a non-refundable $40 'trial fee'. Within the trial window, customers could return the product free of charge or pay an additional $60.00 to keep the device. In April 2025, IQOS products were made available for purchase online to Austin-area zip codes, and on 2 September 2025, shipping expanded to 'selected major cities' in Texas, including Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. Events in Austin, TX and subsequent pilots in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, and Jackson, MS will inform PMI's launch of ILUMA, their most advanced IQOS model currently awaiting FDA authorization. It remains to be seen whether IQOS will provide health benefits to individuals who switch completely to IQOS from cigarettes, or whether those initiating IQOS are cigarette-naïve and/or otherwise not using nicotine products. Continued monitoring of the use and appeal of IQOS will be essential to tobacco control and public health efforts.