An Experimental Study on the Effect of E-Cigarette Advertising Features on Youth Perceptions and Intentions

Exposure to e-cigarette marketing may influence youths’ e-cigarette perceptions and behavior. However, less is known about the effect of specific advertisement (ad) features on youth who have never tried e-cigarettes. We conducted an online 2x2x2 factorial experiment with a nationally-representative sample of e-cigarette-naïve youth (ages 13–17) (n = 516). Participants viewed two ads in one of eight randomized e-cigarette ad conditions that varied by three ad features: color (vibrant/muted), images of models (present/absent), and smoking-relevant language (present/absent). We assessed interest in trying e-cigarettes and perceptions. Analyses examined main effects of ad features and interactions with e-cigarette use susceptibility. Youth who saw vibrantly-colored ads (versus ads with muted colors) were more likely to perceive that fewer people their age vaped and peers disapproved of e-cigarette use. They were also more likely to rate the ads as appealing and targeting youth (with an interaction between color and e-cigarette susceptibility, such that susceptible youth were more likely to perceive brightly colored ads as targeting youth). Youth who saw ads with smoking-relevant language were less likely to rate them as appealing, compared to those who saw ads without such language. There was an interaction between presence of models and e-cigarette susceptibility on e-cigarette interest (less interest among susceptible youth) and the perception that ads were targeting youth (less likely among susceptible youth). None of the three ad features impacted noticeability of the nicotine warning. Findings suggest that specific ad features may play a role in e-cigarette interest and perceptions among e-cigarette-naïve youth.