How do big businesses use media to cause us to make decisions against our personal interest?

Compare (similarities and differences) the marketing strategies of Vape and Cigarette companies.
How are they aiming to fool young people?
Create a ‘health related’ publication for vaping

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 Some news headlines…

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-50377256

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 What is vaping?
Vaping is the act of inhaling and exhaling the aerosol, often
referred to as “vapor,” produced by an e-cigarette or similar device.
Components include:

• Cartridge or reservoir to hold a e-liquid

• Heating element (atomizer)
• Power source (battery)
• Mouthpiece to inhale

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 What is being vaped?
• Flavored liquids including chemicals like
glycerin and propylene glycol
• Flavored liquids with varying levels
of nicotine
• Flavored liquids with vitamins and
essential oils
• Leaf marijuana, THC oil/wax

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 The nicotine “arms race”

1 pack of Cigarettes 1 JUUL pod 1 PHIX pod 1 Suorin pod

≈ 20 mg of inhaled nicotine ≈ 41.3 mg of ≈ 75 mg of nicotine ≈ 90 mg of nicotine
nicotine

= 20 = 44 = 75 = 90
Cigarettes Cigarettes Cigarettes Cigarettes

Source: Science News for Students

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 How do youth get vaping products?
Sources of e-cigarettes among U.S high school students who have vaped (2018)

Friend 59%

Vape shop 17%

Family member 13%

Gas station/convenience store 10%

Person other than family member or friend

9%
Online
6%

Chinese law now prohibits the sale of tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, to anyone under age 18
Since 2022 it is illegal to import vapes into China
Chinese companies are amongst some of the biggest producers of vape technology

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 What’s the appeal?

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 Why teens vape
Curiosity (55%)

Friend or family member vapes (31%)

Flavors (22%)

Vaping tricks (21%)

S
Less harmful than other tobacco products (16%)e
ri
e
Discreet, can be used anywhere (14%)s
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Peer pressure (11%)

To try to quit other tobacco products (6%)

Easier to get than other tobacco products (5%)

Source: CDC, 2019 Famous people use them (4%)

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 Reasons for vaping

Source: Monitoring the Future 2019, 12 th grade responses

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 Are we hooking a new generation?

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 How is the tobacco industry going to replace
older smokers?
• 90% of adult smokers began smoking before age 18

• 95% of those with nicotine addiction began smoking

before age 21

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 Big tobacco behind popular vaping products

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 Tobacco + e-cigarettes: advertising

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 Tobacco + e-cigarettes: packaging

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 Youth-friendly designs and flavors

4 out of 5 kids who have used tobacco products

started with a flavored product.

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 Social media marketing

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 Social media posts and JUUL (Chinese vaping brand)

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Source: truthinitiative.org

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 Marketing by another Chinese brand (RELX) at a
Vape expo…

• Jiang Xingtao, whose title is “director of flavors” at RELX, said that

while vaping was safer than smoking tobacco, the jury was still out on
whether it is definitively safe.
• He is collecting data in RELX’s lab in Shenzhen to determine the risks
and wants to run clinical trials, singling out the flavoring ingredients.
• “We can guarantee that they are safe to be consumed through the
stomachs, but is it safe enough to be absorbed through the lungs?” Mr.
Jiang said. “To be honest, in this respect, neither we nor the industry
has evidence that is particularly solid.”

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 Vaping by the numbers

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 How many people vape?
Percentage of students reporting vaping in the past 30 days (2018-2020)

30.0
27.5 Meanwhile, the intended
25.0 market, adults, report vaping
20.8 19.6 at rates consistently and
20.0
dramatically lower than among
15.0
kids (only 3.2% in 2019).
10.5
10.0

4.9 4.7
5.0

0.0
Middle School High School 2018 2019 2020
Source: CDC

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 Reports of frequent vaping in the past 30 days
%
45.0
40.0 38.9
A significant proportion of
35.0 students who reported vaping
30.0 in the past 30 days in 2020
25.0 22.5 did so frequently (>20 days) or
20.0
20.0 daily (all 30 days)
15.0
10.0 9.4
5.0
0.0
Middle School High School Frequently Daily
Source: CDC

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 What are they inhaling?
% Past Year Use
40
35.3
35
30.7
30

25
20.8
19.4 20.3 20.8 Flavors
20
16.5 Nicotine
14.7
15 Marijuana
10
7
5

0
8th 10th 12th
Source: Monitoring the Future 2019

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 Why the concern?

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 Harmful chemicals: cigarettes vs. vaping

Cigarette smoke contains over 7,000

chemicals, including known cancer-causing
(carcinogenic) compounds and hundreds of
other toxins

The aerosol created when vaping

contains harmful ingredients:
• Nicotine
• Ultrafine particles
• Flavorings
• Volatile organic compounds (e.g., benzene, found
in car exhaust)
• Heavy metals (e.g., nickel, tin, lead)

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 Task
• Produce a poster or short video outlining one danger associated to the
use of vape products. These can be seen on the previous slide.
• This could focus on:
• The effect on the body of prolonged use of the element on the body.
• The social impact of vape advertising on young smokers.
• You should include:
• Specific background information on the aspect you have chosen.
• Clear examples of diseases, individual cases, advertisements etc.
• Possible long-term effects physical or social effects.
• References.
• When complete, upload into your tutor group Team.
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