Using Instagram Influencers to Promote Vaping Products

A study published in the journal Tobacco Control[1] analyzed the network of e-cigarette brands and influencers on Instagram and found that there is an interconnected network of several dozen influencers promoting vaping around the world who have collaborated for more than 600 e-cigarette brands in 2020.

Social media influencer marketing is no longer dominated by mega-influencers with millions of followers, but is powered by an interconnected global network of micro-influencers (with 1,000 to 100,000 followers) who collaborate with multiple industries and brands, including the tobacco and nicotine industry. Large e-cigarette brands thus have a global network of smaller distributors and retailers whose products are promoted by influencers.

A globally interconnected network

The study conducted a social media analysis, particularly Instagram, to describe the connections between vaping brands and the most engaging e-cigarette influencers by identifying the most central brands and influencers in the network. 260 influencers with more than 1,000 followers who posted about e-cigarettes in English in 2020 were identified and 54 were selected for the study (21 in Europe, 18 in the United States, 12 in Asia, one in South Africa, one in Canada and one in Brazil).

These influencers collaborated with 640 e-cigarette brands: 9% of them had a high degree of centrality[2] (having an average of 103,000 followers), collaborating with 60 to 90 e-cigarette brands, 61% had medium degree centrality (average of 30,000 followers), collaborating with 11 to 50 brands, and the remaining 30% had low degree centrality, collaborating with 10 brands or less. The most influential were mainly from Asia, followed by the United States, and the least influential were from Europe.

Twelve e-cigarette brands—large China-based manufacturers and global distributors of e-cigarette products such as Voopotech, Innokin, Geekvape, Lost Vape, Smok and Vaporesso—had the highest degree of centrality, collaborating with the largest number of influencers. More than 60% of the e-cigarette brands had no age restrictions for followers, although about 40% stated that their posts were restricted to users of appropriate age (18+ or 21+). Similarly, 41 out of 55 influencers (75 %) did not have age restriction notifications.

Social media exposure changes product perception

Exposure to posts featuring vaping products on social media, including promotional content, was associated with increased e-cigarette use among US adolescents, more positive attitudes toward e-cigarettes, and decreased perceived harm of e-cigarette use[3]-[4].

A growing body of research has examined the role of social media influencers in product marketing. They are considered more trustworthy and authentic sources of content than traditional advertising. Focus group research with young adults suggests that nicotine product-related messages posted by sponsored users may be viewed as more trustworthy than messages posted by the brands themselves. Additionally, seeing peers or influencers using e-cigarettes on social media may foster perceptions among adolescents that e-cigarette use is a socially accepted and safe behavior.[5]-[6]

At the end of 2021, social networks such as TikTok and Instagram boosted the consumption of new vaping products (disposable electronic cigarettes) among young French adolescents.[7]Influencers, through videos, praised the ease of use of these cigarettes as well as the multitude of flavors available, leading to a fashion effect in middle and high schools.

Difficulty regulating advertising on Instagram

Instagram is one of the most popular platforms among teens with approximately 1 billion users worldwide as of 2021 and is considered the second largest source of social media marketing. In 2019, Instagram banned sponsored content featuring e-cigarettes directly from brands from its platform, but influencers continue to serve as promotional vehicles and advocates for e-cigarettes. Influencers often post without disclosing their commercial agreements with e-cigarette brands, thereby flying “under the radar” of bans.

Another challenge is the cross-border nature of social media. Even if a country implements country-wide restrictions, e-cigarette subscribers could/can still be exposed to non-compliant content posted by influencers from other countries. Additionally, Instagram does not appear to diligently adhere to its own age restriction policy, as teenage users can easily provide false information regarding their age.

Keywords: Instagram, social media, vaping, e-cigarettes, influencers, marketing

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[1] Vassey J, Valente T, Barker J, et al E-cigarette brands and social media influencers on Instagram: a social network analysis Tobacco Control Published Online First: 07 February 2022. doi: 10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2021-057053[2] Degree centrality is measured by the number of links (size of an actor's network). It can be interpreted by saying that the more central an actor is, the more "active" he is in the system.[3] King AC, Smith LJ, Fridberg DJ, et al. Exposure to electronic nicotine delivery systems (ends) visual imagery increases smoking urge and desire. Psychol Addict Behav 2016;30:106 12.doi:10.1037/adb0000123[4] Maloney EK, Cappella JN. Does Vaping in e-cigarette advertisements affect tobacco smoking urge, intentions, and perceptions in daily, intermittent, and former smokers? Health Commun 2016;31:129–38.doi:10.1080/10410236.2014.993496[5] Pokhrel P, Fagan P, Herzog TA, et al. Social media e-cigarette exposure and e-cigarette expectations and use among young adults. Addict Behav 2018;78:51–8.doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2017.10.017[6] Kim M, Popova L, Halpern-Felsher B, et al. Effects of e-cigarette advertisements on adolescents' perceptions of cigarettes. Health Commun 2019;34:290–7.doi:10.1080/10410236.2017.1407230[7] Laura Wocjik, The “Puff”, the disposable candy-flavored e-cigarette, is invading colleges, Le Parisien, January 13, 2022, consulted February 8, 2022National Committee Against Smoking |