Promotion Strategies Of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems: An Overview

Smoking e-cigarettes has increased exponentially in the last several years in smokers’ search for a healthier alternative to conventional cigarettes. An explanation for it can be found in the global legal restrictions on promoting tobacco products, including Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS). The research overviews scientific literature on how the major ENDS players promote their products. It also sheds light on the most common under-the-radar strategies producers and distributers implement to avoid legal restrictions and achieve higher consumption. The findings of the research show that ENDS producers and distributors actively use Word-of-Mouth (WoM) and surrogate advertising. Thus, the many bonus programs offered to ENDS smokers prompt the audience’s positive WoM. As a result, the consumers of ENDS are more predisposed to share their opinion on their positive experiences. Social media celebrities are also actively used to create an image of ENDS as stylish, modern and high-tech than conventional cigarettes. This perception is facilitated by social media promotion of ENDS products as a part of a modern lifestyle also positively impacts electronic smoking. ENDS still enjoy the comfort of not depicting repulsive images of the harmful effects of smoking on their ENDS products.