China: Digital marketing of e-cigarettes focuses on flavors and risk reduction

A recent study published in the journal Tobacco Control[1] analyzed the content of about one hundred (104) websites of e-cigarette manufacturers/sellers in China to understand the different marketing strategies deployed around these products. The authors hope that the results of this study will lead policy makers to further regulate vaping products.

The websites of Chinese e-cigarette manufacturers have become marketing platforms that attractively promote their products and many vaping brands. The manufacturers involved highlight on these sites the diversity of their products' flavors, the associated "harm reduction", the attractive prices or even they mention their activities as "socially responsible enterprises" (CSR). The access restrictions on the sites based on age are weak and the absence of health warnings prevails. For the authors, the Chinese government should implement stricter regulatory measures for these products.

The authors of the study identified 104 official websites of Chinese manufacturers in 2021 using the QCC.com website, one of the largest search platforms for information on companies in China. The authors then defined the criteria to be retained and analyzed for each selected site. These include age restrictions, the presence of health warnings, the marketing arguments put forward on the sites (flavors, attractive prices, health “benefits,” etc.), the use of social networks by manufacturers to articulate this communication, any speeches concerning the manufacturer as a socially responsible company, etc. In total, 31 criteria were retained for this evaluation of the sites carried out during the month of April 2021.

Legal uncertainty surrounding vaping advertising in China

According to the 2018 amendment to the National Advertising Law, advertisements for tobacco products are prohibited in the media, public places, public transportation, and outdoors, however, there is no mention in this law regarding the advertising of vaping products. In the same year, the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration (STMA) and the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) issued a notice prohibiting the sale of e-cigarettes to minors under the age of 18.[2], which was the first nationwide regulation on e-cigarettes in China. In 2019, the STMA and SAMR issued another notice urging e-cigarette manufacturers and retailers to stop selling and advertising vaping products through online channels.[3]In 2019, eight government agencies jointly issued a notice asking e-cigarette manufacturers to remove their advertisements from the Internet.[4]However, in the absence of a specific definition of advertising for e-cigarettes and detailed implementing measures, regulating marketing practices around vaping and restricting advertising has not been possible.

In November 2021, a few months after this study was conducted, Chinese law was amended to place the vaping industry under the control of the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration (STMA), and regulate tobacco and vaping products equally, effectively banning vaping advertising. In 2022, the government announced a ban on all flavours, except tobacco flavour, for vaping products intended for domestic consumption. This ban does not apply to products intended for export.[5].

Communication focused on aromas and risk reduction

In the study that was conducted and whose results have just been published, each website analyzed highlighted at least one characteristic of the product or brand in its marketing, such as product design, flavors, ingredients or even brand affiliation. Nearly 70 % of the websites studied actively communicated about the many flavors available for e-cigarettes.

Nearly half of the sites (45.2%) highlighted the “health benefits” of vaping, including harm reduction, and presented e-cigarettes as an alternative to traditional cigarettes. For example, RELX, a brand that cites a Public Health England blog post on its website, titled “Eight things to know about e-cigarettes.” The article concluded that e-cigarettes were “much less harmful” than conventional smoking and that there were no identified health risks associated with passive vaping.

Other arguments highlighting the product included the e-liquid leak resistance (for 56.7%) and the long battery life (42.3 %). Nearly 40 % of the websites also communicated on promotional offers.

Overall, e-cigarettes were described as pleasant, less harmful and socially acceptable. According to the authors, all of these characteristics would increase the appeal of brands and products and would be likely to encourage adolescents and adults to experiment and use these products sustainably.

The authors also point out that to date, the WHO has not recommended the use of electronic cigarettes for smoking cessation in the absence of conclusive scientific data on this subject.

A marketing speech around the CSR activities of manufacturers

In addition to flavors and the issue of risk reduction, manufacturers also communicate around CSR, with 43 of them (41.3 %) mentioning their corporate social responsibility activities on their sites and 11 (10.5 %) having a dedicated navigation column on this topic. For example, we find programs to prevent the consumption of vaping among young people (32.7 %), “support” for the implementation of measures to combat traditional smoking (21.2 %). Five websites have announced sponsorship marketing programs on their site, including for animal protection, the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic and the fight against poverty.

A majority of sites are easily accessible by minors

More than half of the websites (56.7%) did not have an age verification mechanism at the entrance. Although 43.3% of the websites verified age at the entrance, they only used a pop-up or dialog window asking users to click a button to ensure that they were over 18 or 21 years old. None asked for date of birth or Chinese resident identification number.

Of the 104 websites, thirty-six (34.6 %) websites did not indicate any age restriction for e-cigarette use and 64 (61.5 %) websites did not display any age restriction for e-cigarette purchase.

Almost non-existent health warnings

Of the 104 websites surveyed, more than three-quarters (76 %) did not include health warnings. Of the websites that did include health warnings, the most common was the nicotine addiction warning (16.3 %), followed by “smoking is bad for your health” (4.8 %) and “e-cigarettes negatively impact adolescent brain and respiratory development” (3.8 %). Three sites (2.9 %) stated that “e-cigarettes are less harmful, but can still be harmful to your health.” Health warnings appear in several different locations, such as the header or footer of the web page. Footer warnings typically appear in smaller font than the rest of the text on the website and are generally much less visible and readable than product-related advertising features.

Strengthen existing marketing legislation to protect young people

According to the authors, a complete ban on advertising, promotion and sponsorship should apply not only to tobacco products but also to vaping products to protect adolescents and young adults in China. In addition, the government should establish a control and limitation system to prevent minors from accessing websites selling these products. Health warnings and age restrictions should be specific and clear, and their positioning and visibility regulated in detail. Finally, intercommunication between official websites and other contact channels, including social media, should be prohibited.

Keywords: China, vaping, electronic cigarettes, advertising, internet, digital marketing, flavors, regulation

AE

[1] Deng H, Fang L, Zhang L, et al A comprehensive content analysis of 104 Chinese electronic cigarette manufacturing enterprise official websites Tobacco Control Published Online First: 03 May 2023. doi: 10.1136/tc-2022-057759

[2] The State Tobacco Monopoly Administration and the State Administration for Market Regulation. Notice on prohibiting the sale of electronic cigarettes to minors, 2018

[3] The State Tobacco Monopoly Administration and the State Administration for Market Regulation. Notice on further protecting minors from electronic cigarettes, 2019

[4] The National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China. Notice on further strengthening tobacco control among adolescents, 2019.

[5] Tobacco control laws, Legislation by country - China