Ollie Ganz

Tobacco on the web: surveillance and characterisation of online tobacco and e-cigarette advertising

Background Despite the internets broad reach and potential to influence consumer behaviour, there has been little examination of the volume, characteristics, and target audience of online tobacco and e-cigarette advertisements. Methods A full-service advertising firm was used to collect all online banner/video advertisements occurring in the USA and Canada between 1 April 2012 and 1 April 2013. The advertisement and associated meta-data on brand, date range observed, first market, and spend were downloaded and summarised. Characteristics and themes of advertisements, as well as topic area and target demographics of websites on which advertisements appeared, were also examined. Results Over a 1-year period, almost

Noncombustible tobacco product advertising: how companies are selling the new face of tobacco.

2 million were spent by the e-cigarette and tobacco industries on the placement of their online product advertisements in the USA and Canada. Most was spent promoting two brands: NJOY e-cigarettes and Swedish Snus. There was almost no advertising of cigarettes. About 30% of all advertisements mentioned a price promotion, discount coupon or price break. e-Cigarette advertisements were most likely to feature messages of harm reduction (38%) or use for cessation (21%). Certain brands advertised on websites that contained up to 35% of youth (<18 years) as their audience. Conclusions Online banner/video advertising is a tactic used mainly to advertise e-cigarettes and cigars rather than cigarettes, some with unproven claims about benefits to health. Given the reach and accessibility of online advertising to vulnerable populations such as youth and the potential for health claims to be misinterpreted, online advertisements need to be closely monitored.

Marketing Little Cigars and Cigarillos: Advertising, Price, and Associations With Neighborhood Demographics

BACKGROUND With declining cigarette sales, increasing restrictions, and recent Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulation of cigarettes, there has been a dramatic rise in the marketing of noncombustible tobacco products (NCPs). However, little is known about how NCPs are advertised and to whom. METHODS Two full-service advertising firms were used to systematically collect all U.S. advertisements for NCPs (e-cigarettes, snus, dissolvables, and chew/dip/snuff,) running between June 1 and September 1, 2012. The advertisement and associated metadata (brand, media channel, observations, spend, and estimated reach) were examined. Attributes of print advertisements were examined relative to target demographics of the publications in which they ran. RESULTS Over 3 months, almost

Primary and dual users of little cigars/cigarillos and large cigars: Demographic and tobacco use profiles

20 million was spent advertising NCPs. Although the greatest amount spent was on the promotion of smokeless (~

Electronic cigarette advertising at the point-of-sale: a gap in tobacco control research

8 million) and snus (~

The cigar ambassador: how Snoop Dogg uses Instagram to promote tobacco use

10 million), e-cigarette advertisements were the most widely circulated. Print advertisements, the majority of which were e-cigarettes and chew/dip/snuff, were heavily tailored to middle-aged White males. Many e-cigarette print ads suggested harm reduction and use when one cannot smoke (poly-use), while chew/dip/snuff focused on masculinity. CONCLUSIONS Robust ongoing surveillance of NCP advertising is critical to inform the FDA and to protect public health. Both commercial advertising and public health media campaigns must ensure that content is not misleading and that it educates consumers about harm based on the available science. The way messages are framed have the potential to decrease tobacco use by promoting rather than undermining cessation of combusted products and/or by encouraging exclusive use of less harmful NCPs rather than poly-use of combusted and NCPs.

Tobacco retail outlet advertising practices and proximity to schools, parks and public housing affect Synar underage sales violations in Washington, DC

OBJECTIVES We have documented little cigar and cigarillo (LCC) availability, advertising, and price in the point-of-sale environment and examined associations with neighborhood demographics. METHODS We used a multimodal real-time surveillance system to survey LCCs in 750 licensed tobacco retail outlets that sold tobacco products in Washington, DC. Using multivariate models, we examined the odds of LCC availability, the number of storefront exterior advertisements, and the price per cigarillo for Black & Mild packs in relation to neighborhood demographics. RESULTS The odds of LCC availability and price per cigarillo decreased significantly in nearly a dose-response manner with each quartile increase in proportion of African Americans. Prices were also lower in some young adult neighborhoods. Having a higher proportion of African American and young adult residents was associated with more exterior LCC advertising. CONCLUSIONS Higher availability of LCCs in African American communities and lower prices and greater outdoor advertising in minority and young adult neighborhoods may establish environmental triggers to smoke among groups susceptible to initiation, addiction, and long-term negative health consequences.

How the industry is marketing menthol cigarettes: the audience, the message and the medium

BACKGROUND Although cigarettes are regulated through the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, cigars are currently not regulated and tend to be lower in price. Despite the rising use of cigars in the United States, little is known about the prevalence of use of little cigars/cigarillos (LCCs) versus large cigars (LCs) and the profile of these distinct cigar users. METHODS This study uses data from Legacys Young Adult Cohort, a nationally representative study of 4,215 young adults, ages 18-34. Cigar use was divided into three groups: ever use of LCCs only, ever use of LCs only, and ever dual users. Multinomial regression was used to determine the differential demographic characteristics and tobacco use behaviors associated with the three cigar-use groups. RESULTS Ever cigar use was reported by 37.9% (n = 1,596) of the young adult cohort. Of the cigar smokers, 21.5% (n = 344) had used only LCCs, 32.3% (n = 515) had used only LCs, and 46.2% (n = 737) were dual users of both. In comparison with LC-only users, LCC-only users were more like to be younger (relative risk ratio [RRR] = 0.40, p < .001 for 25-34 vs. 18-24 years), female (RRR = 4.92, p < .001), non-Hispanic Black (RRR = 2.91, p < .001), and smoke cigarettes daily. Dual users were more likely than LC-only users to be female (RRR = 1.61, p = .03), non-Hispanic Black (RRR = 2.06, p = .04), and use a higher numbers of tobacco products (RRR = 4.44, p < .001). CONCLUSIONS Cigar use is prevalent among young adults with the highest proportion using both LCCs and LCs. Interventions to curb use should consider the differential demographic and tobacco use patterns of cigar users.

Electronic nicotine delivery devices, and their impact on health and patterns of tobacco use: a systematic review protocol

Use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) has increased significantly in the past 2 years1 ,2 and sales are estimated to reach

Feasibility of biochemical verification in a web-based smoking cessation study

10 billion by 2017.3 All of the major tobacco companies have recently introduced their own e-cigarette and e-cigar brands into the tobacco marketplace or have plans to do so in the near future.4–9 News reports suggest that tobacco and e-cigarette companies have begun to significantly expand e-cigarette product distribution in retail channels in the past year.10 ,11 Many e-cigarette manufacturers, such as V2 Cigs, are expanding their products into the global market, selling them in Europe, India, Africa and the Middle East.12 While tobacco control stakeholders are learning more about how e-cigarettes are used and promoted, there is very little published research to date on the advertising and promotion of e-cigarettes in the retail environment.13 A pilot study was conducted from February to July 2013 to examine tobacco point-of-sale advertising and promotion …