Sponsored posts about vaping get more attention on social media

Some vaping brands pay social media influencers to promote their products, particularly to young people. New research[1] suggest that marking their messages as advertisements in a clear and obvious way could have an impact on young people.

To understand how attention-grabbing social media labels would be, the researchers studied participants’ (ages 16 to 24) viewing patterns of their personal Instagram feeds during July and August 2019, interspersed with vaping influencer posts that included the terms #ad and #sponsored. The study is published online in the Journal of Health Communication.

Participants spent an average of 2 seconds longer on vaping-related posts that were not clearly marked as ads or sponsored. A growing body of research[2]-[3] suggest that consumers, and young people in particular, are less likely to purchase the product when influencers disclose a sponsorship with the brand. Influencers are perceived as less credible when they disclose their partnerships. The results of this study suggest that using a hashtag can help young consumers assess the credibility of posts. This may be an important first step in formulating practical and effective approaches to regulating commercial content on social media.

The importance of stricter regulations on social networks

Since this study was conducted[4], Instagram and Facebook have banned paid posts from influencers who promote vaping and tobacco products on their platforms. In the United States, paid promotional posts are considered commercial sponsorships and must be declared in accordance with the regulations of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in the United States that protect consumers from deceptive and unfair business practices. In the United Kingdom, in December 2019[5], the UK Advertising Standards Authority has fined British American Tobacco and three other companies for promoting their products on Instagram, following a complaint filed by ASH, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and STOP.

However, in practice, most influencers do not indicate on their posts that they have been paid and that it is a partnership with the brand. They use hashtags that appeal more to a lifestyle or freedom. In addition, to avoid being detected, brands are increasingly using micro-influencers (with a few thousand followers), which allows them to reach more targeted groups and attract less attention.

Tags: Vaping, Marketing, Instagram

©Tobacco Free Generation

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[1] Klein, EG, et al. (2020) Visual Attention to the Use of #ad versus #sponsored on e-Cigarette Influencer Posts on Social Media: A Randomized Experiment. Health Communication. doi.org/10.1080/10810730.2020.1849464.[2] van Reijmersdal, EA, Fransen, ML, van Noort, G., Opree, SJ, Vandeberg, L., Reusch, S., … Boerman, SC (2016). Effects of disclosing sponsored content in blogs: How the use of resistance strategies mediates effects on persuasion. The American Behavioral Scientist , 60(12), 1458–1474. doi:10.1177/0002764216660141[3] Liljander, V., Gummerus, J., & Söderlund, M. (2015). Young consumers' responses to suspected covert and overt blog marketing. Internet Research , 25(4), 610–632. doi:10.1108/IntR-02-2014-0041[4] Siddharth Cavale, Instagram bans influencers from promoting vaping products, Reuters, December 19, 2019, accessed December 10, 2020[5] Generation Without Tobacco, UK authorities ban BAT from promoting e-cigarettes on Instagram, January 31, 2020, accessed December 10, 2020National Committee Against Smoking |