Tobacco companies have long used images of health in cigarette advertisements to promote smoking as a healthy and acceptable lifestyle. These types of ads attempt to link smoking with outdoor sports and recreational activities, such as tennis, cycling, sailing and horseback riding. E-cigarettes and other electronic smoking devices, such as hookah, may be advertised as less harmful to health than regular cigarettes. Advertisements may suggest that e-cigarettes vaporize flavored “vape juice” instead of burning tobacco. It is important for parents to make sure their teens understand that the nicotine from vaping is still highly addictive.
Research has also shown that teens who use e-cigarettes are more likely to smoke regular tobacco, which supports the idea that e-cigarettes serve as a “gateway to traditional cigarettes”. Some of the ads published by Japan Tobacco International (JTI) were banned by the United Kingdom's Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for being misleading. In 1987, for example, the specialized tobacco industry magazine Tobacco International published an article on cigarette consumption in Greece, in which it stated that “the increase in cigarette consumption is basically due to advertising”. Clive Smee, then chief economic advisor to the British Department of Health, published a comprehensive study on the relationship between advertising and tobacco consumption. Advertisers use a variety of strategies to encourage people to use tobacco products. They often use images of health and recreation to make smoking seem attractive and desirable.
They may also suggest that certain products are less harmful than others. In addition, they may target certain demographics or use misleading information in their ads. It is important for parents to be aware of these tactics and talk to their children about the dangers of smoking. It is also important for governments to regulate advertising and ensure that it is not misleading or targeting vulnerable populations.
