Marketing Advice to Suppliers

[riddle80]

In light of recent events with Safe Cig I thought it would be a good idea to help out new suppliers with the common do's and don'ts of marketing these devices to possibly prevent future catastrophes from happening.

This is just a start:

1. DO NOT make the claim that these are healthy, safe, or better for you than tobacco. We have NO proof of this and making these claims should require it. Some might believe it's healthier, but fact is we don't know. Until rigorous testing is done on your product that can prove it, this is false advertising and bad for the entire business.

2. You can't say that testing has been done on your product and use Ruyan or another companies test results. Each manufacturer is different, and to say your product has been tested it needs to be from your specific manufacturer.

3. Don't state that these are for quitting smoking. They are a cigarette alternative and nothing more. You could say that many people have reported quitting using these and it is possible, but we're not an NRT.

4. Don't lie about how long a cartridge lasts. Saying 1 cartridge is the equivalent of a pack of cigs is just wrong. This just makes you look bad as most users know better.

5. Don't say it's a water vapor. The testing that has been done states:
"... the exhaled mist of the e-cigarette is composed of propylene glycol, and probably contains almost no nicotine; and no CO..."

I'm hoping that there will be less false advertising in the future as suppliers become more aware of these do's and don'ts. If anyone wants to elaborate or add their own please do .

 

[TribbleTrouble]

Yeah, don't put a billboard up in Philly calling out Obama for his bad habits! That has got to be the worst piece of e-cig news I have seen so far.

 

[riddle80]

lmao.. yeah that too .

 

[tr1age]

Yeah SERIOUSLY!!! Arggg!

 

[dc2k08]

that sign is up now.

 

[ZambucaLu]

What a great marketing ploy for TheSafeCig though! How many people will see that sign, go to the site and buy that product for $100 because they don't know any better?

Lu

 

[TribbleTrouble]

It maybe great for him. As for you and me and every other e-vaper out there, this could be the beginning of the end.

 

[TropicalBob]

Great list, Riddle80. If only suppliers would follow those guidelines.

 

[Oliver]

Yup, absolutely bang on......

Safecig are an absolute travesty.

 

[techtravis]

good to see the site back up

 

[stephenrowley]

I am just curious just when does a smoking cessation become qualified to be a smoking cessation, just what kind of proof is required and that applies to all cessations, if I quit using a e cig is that not proof, just curios, love to hear your views.

 

[Oklahoma]

Prepare to be taxed.

 

[lintz69]

Stephen: I think if you say it's a cessation device that makes it fall under FDA's area. FDA must approve all smoking sessation devices(I think correct me if I am wrong.) What I am worried about is this billboard DOES get attention, FDA will take it out on ALL Ecig suppliers. One company claims it as a cessation device, then FDA goes and claims "then they ALL are" and thus not approved, and thus banned....SafeCig is totally on my Sh** list. I was in the mall in Plymouth Meeting(10 mins from my house) and saw the "manager" not owner selling these. He was in fact claiming they are safe, and can help you quit smoking. When I told him he shouldn't be and explained why, he seemed pretty clueless but wrote down what he should say "smoking alternative". So maybe that will help. I doubt it, but hey?

 

[Kate]

Here is some misinformation we frequently hear from traders, please don't spread myths - http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...ussion/3992-esmoking-myths-11.html#post104155

This is about UK laws on marketing and promotion but I'm sure there are similar laws in most countries - http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...-uk-regulation-sales-marketing-promotion.html

 

[jennydotz]

re: The Obama Billboard I can't believe it. How embarrassing.

 

[Cellmeister]

riddle80

Another Outstanding Job!!

Keep Up The Great Work & We All Can Keep Vapin!

Right to Vape! YEAH!!!

 

[JustPuffin]

This is good advice.

I could use some help with a concept that I am working on?

Wine vs Spirits

I think that we need to come up with something to separate the Electronic Cigarette from the association with the Analog cigarette. Like the Wine Industry did withe the Spirits Industry.

The only thing in common between electronic cigarettes and analog cigarettes is that they are both a delivery system for nicotine. Then so does a potato and a tomato.

If the inventor called the e-cig a vaporizer they would not be able to get that product off the ground. They had to call it e-cig because they got an instant appeal to smokers. It satisfies all the cravings of the smoker by mimicking the action of the cigarette – the inhalation process, the vaporization of the liquid, the exhalation of vapor, even the tips lights up as the tip of the burning cigarette.

We already know the analog cigarette is harmful to your health.

The wine industry has separated itself from the spirit industry. Spirits are unhealthy and detrimental for the body. Wine is a food supplement.

That is what the wine industry has done to separate itself from the evils of liquor.

How do we separate the electronic personal vaporizer from the analog cigarette?

The only thing in common is nicotine.

But like wine your body doesn't get anywhere near the amounts of nicotine from the epv as from a real cig.

No burn, no fumes, no tar, no stink.

Pg is beneficial according to some studies.

Just something I could use help formulating.

Wine industry was able to separate wine from spirits because it is comprised of the big industry of wineries that had the financial resources to hire lawyers and introduce the necessary legislation.

Electronic cigarettes that are manufactured in China are distributed in the USA by small businesses in an unregulated manner. These small businesses are networking through the Internet and the only things that the members of the forum can do is talk.

Most likely they don’t have the resources to hire lobbyists.

When food supplements were in danger of being regulated too much, the petitions were collected by the grassroot efforts of all health food stores in the country. There was a distribution system that had easy access to the consumer and it resulted in a collection of numerous signatures – enough to pass the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act.

How all these people who sell e-cigs online part time and the distributors of Smoking Everywhere who also most likely do it part time can get something done is hard to imagine.

We have already had an experience of putting up a lot of money to start other businesses in the past that got us nowhere.
It is very hard to lose – both on the financial side and the business side as well.

Anyone who may want to start fighting FDA and other government entities, especially if it is Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, has to lay out a lot of money and be fully prepared to lose it and get on with their life. And possibly lose more than just time and money. Could get into jail like many of those who were announced terrorists by the government. Like Doctors who treated cancer who had their offices raided and got into jail. Like people who tried to fight against income tax and also lost and ended up in jail.

In my humble opinion the best way to go is to quit.

E-cig can be a tool where you go to less and less nicotine and eventually go to zero nicotine.

Nonsmokers’ life is a lot easier than smokers. They don’t have to worry about any of these things and they save a lot of money over their lifetime.

If you spend $100.00 a month on cigarettes it adds up to $1200.00 a year. This is a week’s vacation for 2 every year.

Relaxation from stress, new experiences, fun, getting closer together. Memories to cherish over the lifetime.
The smoker burns this into ashes. Their stink is more important for them than the family. Maybe if they didn’t smoke they’d use the money to better educate their child. Or pay off mortgage faster. Or put some money aside for the savings.
Whatever.

Instead of that they worry about the legislation and the regulation and all this other **** that is less important than other things in life.

Just like a drug addict who feeds their addiction at any cost the smoker who is unwilling to quit just hurts people who love him/her.

I would just get these addictive substances off the market 100%.

In Russia up until 1700s there was no tobacco and no cigarettes and everyone was a lot better without that.

In Europe they didn’t smoke until America was discovered and the tobacco plant that grew there. It is so sad to see the world going from tobacco and alcohol to drugs, then IV drugs.

It is like a terrible culture of lepers that are better off wiped off the face of the Earth or isolated somewhere in a leper’s colony.

Scary, disgusting stuff. Dirty, nasty, ugly.
This is my opinion. Take it or leave it.

 

[LaceyUnderall]

Clean. Cleaner. Cleanliness.

You don't have to scientifically prove that this is cleaner as it is not a health claim. There are no ashtrays, butts, lighters, second hand smoke... eventually you could add tar and carcinogens... but that will have to be proven with one more test... which is coming.

These small businesses are networking through the Internet and the only things that the members of the forum can do is talk.

Most likely they don’t have the resources to hire lobbyists.

Puffin... I thought you had heard Electronic Cigarette Association. The talk has moved into action and yes... there are lobbyists who have been hired.

In my humble opinion the best way to go is to quit.

This is true for some. But for others, why should we have to quit? Why should anyone quit something they don't want to?

If someone came out with an alcohol that didn't cause liver disease, that would be acceptable in a jiffy. There wouldn't be any tests done on that to determine it's safety as it is an alcohol. As long as it stayed within the percentage of what is acceptable for alcohol content %. If over time, heavy users of this particular beverage showed increased liver function, that's all it would take. Have we not, as ecig users on a whole proven increased function?

I see where you are going with your idea, but the fact of the matter is, is that the electronic cigarette MUST be compared to tobacco cigarettes, in order to separate itself from tobacco.

Maybe the way to do this is to look into better methods of "organic" extraction of nicotine from the tobacco plant? Did you read David Kessler's reasoning for wanting the FDA to control nicotine? Very enlightening and he makes some fabulous points regarding the manipulation of nicotine in cigarettes. Statement on Nicotine-Containing Cigarettes by David A. Kessler, M.D.

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...ety-research-nicotine-tobacco-conference.html Kate started this thread and there is some enlightening info in there as well.

 

[NY JETS]

The only thing in common between electronic cigarettes and analog cigarettes is that they are both a delivery system for nicotine. Then so does a potato and a tomato.

-They look the same, exactly the same sometimes.
-They both glow at the end.
-You inhale both of them.
-They both cause the user to exhale a visible smoke or vapor of some kind.
-Ecigs are only intended for smokers.

To say they have nothing in common with analogs is just deceptive. Just because you want to call something by another name does not change what it is. These devices were made as a way for people to get their nicotine fix they were used to from smoking analogs, only in a less harmful way. If anybody has never heard anything about them and happens to see you vaping away, the first thing they will think is what type of cigarette is that?

We aren't going to win any argument saying they aren't electronic cigarettes when in fact they look and feel just like real cigarettes.

 

[fiap]

In light of recent events with Safe Cig I thought it would be a good idea to help out new suppliers with the common do's and don'ts of marketing these devices to possibly prevent future catastrophes from happening.

This is just a start:

1. DO NOT make the claim that these are healthy, safe, or better for you than tobacco. We have NO proof of this and making these claims should require it. Some might believe it's healthier, but fact is we don't know. Until rigorous testing is done on your product that can prove it, this is false advertising and bad for the entire business.

2. You can't say that testing has been done on your product and use Ruyan or another companies test results. Each manufacturer is different, and to say your product has been tested it needs to be from your specific manufacturer.

3. Don't state that these are for quitting smoking. They are a cigarette alternative and nothing more. You could say that many people have reported quitting using these and it is possible, but we're not an NRT.

4. Don't lie about how long a cartridge lasts. Saying 1 cartridge is the equivalent of a pack of cigs is just wrong. This just makes you look bad as most users know better.

5. Don't say it's a water vapor. The testing that has been done states:
"... the exhaled mist of the e-cigarette is composed of propylene glycol, and probably contains almost no nicotine; and no CO..."

I'm hoping that there will be less false advertising in the future as suppliers become more aware of these do's and don'ts. If anyone wants to elaborate or add their own please do .

Great advice! Thanks