Raising Arms Over E-Cig Ads
With the Super Bowl behind us, it seems worth taking a moment to think on the ad NJOY aired during the event. With 30-seconds of time going for a reported $4 million, this is more than a big deal for the industry. A number of words come to mind – brazen, ballsy, and brilliant.
Electronic cigarette companies advertising on TV at anytime are catching flak for it. Anti-smoking groups think this is a violation of a pact keeping cigarette ads off the airways since 1971. E-cig advocates think this is a natural progression for an industry that shouldn’t be shoe horned in with the stigmas and regulations of smoking.
“But the Super Bowl is a sacred family event!” cry the public health nuts. The argument goes that even if electronic cigarettes are to be advertised on air, they shouldn’t be on channels or in places highly visible to kids. Granted, electronic cigarettes shouldn’t be advertised on Nick Jr. But the Super Bowl was never a totally vanilla affair. I for one can’t remember a Super Bowl that didn’t have Budweiser commercials. Beer is not for kids. Should they too be banned from advertising during the Super Bowl? If for no other reason than that they make some of the best commercials, I’d say no.
By the way, there’s another product advertised heavily during the Super Bowl that might make a better point. They release chemicals into the air and costs countless dollars. Using these, people kill themselves and others. Every possible effort is made to make this product look cool to kids and yet you can’t use it until you’re a certain age. Cars. Probably at least half of the ads during the Super Bowl are for the various new vehicles on the market. Far more of them have killed people than electronic cigarettes.
The point is, it’s easy to frame something as evil, catastrophic, or detrimental if you only view it from one angle. We already know that kids don’t find electronic cigarettes appealing. Generally they go for the real thing. If they don’t like the idea of the real thing, they don’t like e-cigs either. It’s possible the growth in awareness of electronic cigarettes could have an opposite effect to what anti-smoking individuals believe. By taking the teeth out of smoking’s image, e-cigs might cause smoking to lose its cool factor.
At the same time, any adult that kicks the habit because of electronic cigarettes (looks like roughly 25-30% that try them will) is one less adult out there smoking in the various public places where kids might see it. Again, the point is that there are far too many factors to measure the potential damage and when all’s said and done. If electronic cigarettes can assist people quitting that otherwise can’t or can dramatically reduce the damage they do to themselves, then broad awareness can only be a good thing.
NJOY took a real gamble placing an ad in such a visible location, but our bet is that it will pay off. The Super Bowl advertising board (or whatever it is that decides what ads go on) could have just as easily decided it wasn’t worth it. I’m inclined to think someone there gets e-cigs.
Karla Lyle (MsV8PR) on March 11th, 2013 10:20 pm
I guess I understand their point seeing it as nicotine. Just like cigarettes can not be advertised but most people who take up nicotine are already smokers so really it is more like advertising Chantix or nicotine gum although we are the ones fighting for it not to be seen as NRT so it is us that needs to make up our minds. If we want it to be seen as an alternative to smoking it should be treated as tobacco. If it is NRT then the FDA is involved like with gum or Chantix. So I guess it needs to be put in a catagory before anyone knows what to do.
RCO67 on March 12th, 2013 4:56 am
You cannot regulate everything because it might influence kids. Parents in this country have to often passed on their parental responsibility to others.
It is todays fashion for there to someone out there that is offended by just about anything.
Perhaps as a compromise, a screen with a message to parents that an ecig commercial is about to air, turn channel if you find this type of advertisement offensive.
Todd on March 12th, 2013 6:14 am
I didn’t even know they had aired one … good for them and bold indeed. Exposure is great! Checked it out on youtube… nice little commercial but I think the vapor was a bid “enhanced” for the ad
Ms Puffinstuff on March 12th, 2013 11:42 am
Your point about the Budweiser commercials is the most salient. Cars are dangerous, but the beer commercials – which are wonderful – are the ones that are really analagous. For most American kids, at least, beer is the gateway drug to their whole alcholic experience, so it makes little sense to ban ads for almost any substance. I do agree, however, that somehow e-cigs need to get untethered from the image people have of smoking. The fact is that although it does provide a viable alternative to smoking for many of us, once you’re doing it, it is more different from smoking than it is the same.
mongrel on March 12th, 2013 12:29 pm
With the common use of tobacco in Major League Baseball, maybe a company like NJoy should start getting e-cigs in the hands of the players and managers. I know at some point in the past it was ruled that players could no longer chew or smoke on field, and for quite a while it wasn’t seen. Lately it seems to have been relaxed and we can watch a guy like Davy Johnson cramming more chew into his mouth every inning. We no longer see players smoking in the dugouts like we used to, but maybe we’ll someday see them vaping in the dugout.
Morrinb on March 12th, 2013 5:22 pm
If I wanted children to protect, I would have some. Seriously, it’s not my job to cover everyone else’s kids eyes and ears from the world. Getting really tired of it.
Nathaniel on March 12th, 2013 11:59 pm
This is starting to get ridiculous! Good job Njoy!!!
Mike Z on March 13th, 2013 2:52 am
““But the Super Bowl is a sacred family event!” cry the public health nuts” This is what got me right here. I quit smoking and started vaping because I do have a child. I couldn’t think of a better reason to quit than to prolong my life on this planet to spend more healthy time with my little girl!
slap_maxwell on March 13th, 2013 5:22 am
The real dangers most people assign to tobacco are really only prevalent with manufactured cigarettes, and cigarettes in general. Pipe smokers and cigar smokers have far lower cancer and cardio-vascular disease rates than cigarette smokers owing to the fact these types of tobacco users don’t typically inhale; their nicotine intake happens via the mouth, much like vaping. I don’t have figures at hand equating mouth and throat cancers amongst cigarette smokers, pipe smokers and cigar smokers, so can’t speak for that risk.
But to be real…I find even the ban on cigarette advertising offensive. Like RC067 pointed out, we’ve all allowed the government to become our nannies and parents, abdicating our responsibilities as adults to a bunch of money grubbing power-freaks in the Beltway. Shame on us.
Holden on March 13th, 2013 5:53 am
Chad on March 13th, 2013 7:38 am
Me likey your article.
Flux83 on March 13th, 2013 7:57 am
Check out the Blunies video after you watched the Blu commercial with whats his face.
Courtney C on March 16th, 2013 3:40 pm
Great article
RCO67 on March 18th, 2013 4:13 am
People will complain about anything
stogismkr on March 26th, 2013 1:00 am
The entire NASCAR world “quit” smoking by not endorsing cigarette manufacturers as sponsors in that major event. If they would enhance the e-cig as sponsors that too would help us out.
bob on March 28th, 2013 10:24 pm
my wife used to smoke 3 packs a day now we both enjoy ecig couldnt live without the> My mom was just told she had only 2 months to live from lung cancer!