Exploring Differences in Youth Perceptions of the Effectiveness of E-cigarette Television Advertisements

Background: E-cigarette use has risen rapidly among U.S. youth in recent years. Tobacco companies have entered the e‑cigarette marketplace and substantially increased e-cigarette advertising expenditures.  Research indicates that viewing e-cigarette advertising results in more positive attitudes toward and intentions to use e-cigarettes among non-users. This study examines youths’ perceptions of e-cigarette advertising and the youth characteristics associated with greater appeal. 

Methods: Examination of data from an online survey of 5,020 youth aged 13 to 17. 

Results: Multivariate models indicated that more positive reactions to four e-cigarette television advertisements were associated with youth being older (grades 9 through 12) compared to younger (grades 6 through 8) (p<0.05), living in households with higher education levels (high school or more, p<0.05), watching more than 2 hours of television (p<0.001). Controlling for the effect of traditional cigarette susceptibility on ad reactions, never e-cigarette users who were susceptible to trial in the future had more positive ad reactions compared with non-susceptible never users (p<0.001).  Never cigarette users who were susceptible to trial in the future had more positive ad reactions compared with non-susceptible never users (p<0.001). 

Discussion: U.S. e-cigarette advertisements provide positive e-cigarette messages to youth who are at risk of future initiation. These findings suggest that youths’ receptivity to these e-cigarettes advertising messages may be distinct from their susceptibility to traditional smoking.