E-cig advertising

[TropicalBob]

I collect examples of old cigarette ads. Glamorous models. Sexy poses. Health claims that "doctors prefer..." Life was innocent fun in the 50s.

Fast forward a few decades of death and the roof came down on Big tobacco's tower of babel. Dead people aren't glamorous or sexy. The Marlboro Man checks out with lung cancer. My idols ended lives in coughing fits, far too young to depart this earth.

This morning I found some e-cig ad images that made me wonder where our practice is going:

Healthier? That's what this Gamucci ad says. Yeh, and 4 out 5 doctors prefer Gamucci, huh?

And there's his one:

You think those who opposed the glamorization of cigarette smoking will sit back and enjoy these ads?

Finally, just to show it isn't just Gamucci's ads, I found this teaser for InLife e-cigs.

 

[dohsma]

That's actually pretty startling to see ecig vendors still using ads like these. I think half the battle with the FDA etc is the marketing aspect of ecigs

 

[Surf Monkey]

They have to counteract the dorky nature of using a PV. I mean, honestly, the biggest push back I get from people is "I wouldn't pay that much money to look like a tool." As if smoking traditional cigarettes makes you look cool. Obviously there are always going to be a lot of people who don't want to appear to be sucking on a light-up eyeliner, so equating them with sex is probably a reasonable marketing approach... and one that's bound to raise the hackles of the culture war fanatics. But really, do you think Gamucci gives a **** about reasonable promotion of the PV? Of course not. They want to make a quick dollar, and when the FDA shuts them down, they'll move on to the next thing.

 

[Vicks Vap-oh-Yeah]

Sex sells. Wether its a car, a PV, alcohol or a video game, put a pretty lady in it with little or no clothing, and we have a successful marketing campaign aimed at young-to-middle aged men.

Doesn't matter what the product is - the imagry is what matters.

 

[Surf Monkey]

I've worked as a graphic artist at various ad agencies for over a decade and I have to say that "sex sells" is a bit of a myth. Sex gets eyes on your ad, but it doesn't necessarily close the deal. There's a lot more to it than that. In fact, sex can be the worst thing a company can do with their campaign. Sexual imagery has to support a larger idea. In this case it's the idea that PVs aren't for dorks, they're for hot chix.

 

[fresca]

"9 out of 10 prostitutes recommend e-cigs..."

Eh, at least they're not displaying them in a soda-fountain setting, showcasing their "31 delicious flavors".

 

[RsL]

That's it. I'm buying one of those Inlife e-cigs right now!

 

[TropicalBob]

Advertisers "target" audiences. It's a fact that Kool and Newport ads were plastered in "black" neighborhoods. A much higher percentage of blacks preferred menthol brands over regular flavor cigarettes. Where an ad appears says something about both product and advertiser.

So I'm taking a look at the Internet's seamy underside yesterday, strolling through the backwater ghetto called Bittorrent, where pirated programs, music, movies, etc. can be downloaded at no cost. On both Isohunt and btjunkie, major search engines for bittorrent, the banner ad was for ...

Blu. The fairly new e-cigarette that claims 22,000 sales in only a few weeks.

Yeh, yeh, yeh .. it's not criminal. But I'm disappointed in them nonetheless. Janty or Ruyan would never stoop that low.

 

[maryjo]

How else would you market the e-cig? What else would get it noticed as well as sexy girls?

 

[JantyEST]

Very good threat, I wanted to make it, but I coudn't, because I a new member.
Please add all advertisements which you have seen in internet, youtube, pictures banners and so on...

We are selling e-cigs in Estonian store over a year and I am searching new ways and ideas to advertise our store and Janty e-cigarettes. Right now we have had TV, radio, magazine, newspaper advertisements... But I would like to see how it is advetised in US or UK...

 

[cmacpduff]

I'm with Tropical Bob. Let's keep the advertising more low key and under the radar screen of it's powerful opponents. I'm against anything that will provoke an all out ban my this great product. Where are these ads Bob? - on the internet or childrens magazines?

 

[Mac]

If you are marketing to committed smokers who are already addicted then why does this matter? I am here at the mall everyday selling and have yet to sell one to someone who never smoked. I think the ad content is erroneous because non smokers don't buy these...

 

[scintar]

I'm not gonna buy a e-cig because some good looking .... is in a advertisement. I'm doing my homework to see if a site is legit or not. As soon as I see a ad like this I'm marking it as spam. Junk mail like the 100 other sex selling ads i get per day.

 

[BlueSun]

Well, it doesn't concern me. Yes, I think they're sleazy, but it happens with lots of products. As a Canadian, I've naturally enjoyed drinking beer since birth, but if I were to stop buying from certain brands based on their sexy marketing, well, there wouldn't be much left to drink.

Here's some more for your (dis)pleasure.

This lady is enjoying her e-cigarette a bit too much:

 

[Surf Monkey]

If you are marketing to committed smokers who are already addicted then why does this matter? I am here at the mall everyday selling and have yet to sell one to someone who never smoked. I think the ad content is erroneous because non smokers don't buy these...

Image. Image is everything. A lot of people think the PV looks dorky. Even the ones that mimic cigarettes. They don't want to be seen with one because they think it degrades their image. So, how do you combat that in advertising? Show someone desirable using the product. "If THEY use it and think it looks cool, it MUST look cool to use it!" Simple as that. Hot women using them builds the impression that you could use it and impress hot women.

 

[Surf Monkey]

I'm not gonna buy a e-cig because some good looking .... is in a advertisement. I'm doing my homework to see if a site is legit or not. As soon as I see a ad like this I'm marking it as spam. Junk mail like the 100 other sex selling ads i get per day.

The ads aren't targeted at you. They're for people who dismiss PVs out of hand. They're also for people who have little or no knowledge of the product. Sexy women put eyes on your ads. They don't necessarily close sales, but they do put eyes on your ad.

 

[TropicalBob]

All true, Surf Monkey. While majoring in journalism in college, I took many advertising courses that taught us how to "put eyes on ads." Plus, these are image-building. You are right.

Our problem, of course, is that the same eyes that oppose us because of perception are eyes that see these images as "soft porn" and would want them banned. If enough of those eyes scream at politicians, we'll find e-cig advertising going the same route that tobacco cigarette advertising traveled. And that's not a road that leads to our desired destination.

It's a mine field. And these ads -- just like making unproven claims of "healthy" and/or "heathier" -- are live mines.

 

[Surf Monkey]

Agreed. From a marketing perspective the ads make sense. From a campaigning perspective they're problematic at best, damaging at worst.

 

[insert_namehere]

It's a tough question as to HOW/WHAT/WHERE you throw the marketing bux in a networked world. This forum, for example is a wonderful niche market - but there's obviously a wider world out there that suppliers and manufacturers are targeting.

Are they going at it the right way? Frankly, the "pretty girl" tactic loses as much as it wins, since it's both archaic and transparent. I think it may work on older demographics, but I have a feeling younger vapors are a little more sophisticated than to fall for old school concepts.

Since PVs or ECigs or whatever you want to call them are under a cloud in so many respects anyway - trying to run as straight and ethical a marketing campaign as possible would seem to be the best approach. However, saying they're a "healthier" alternative to smoking is dangerous - saying they're even an alternative to smoking is going to raise some eyebrows with some folks as well.

They're "Fun"? You could be accused of targeting kids.

So - what's a "safe" ad that doesn't hurt the general public's perception of PV's?

I'd love some input on this one and put it to use in my own marketing if I felt it would help both the image of PVs and my company's image.

Tom Wilmot

 

[Vapor Pete]

Hey! Is that a nipple??? Im buyin a Gamucci! LOL...j/k!

My best,
-VP