JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Background E-cigarettes are the most used form of tobacco among adolescents and young adults, and Vuse has become one of the most popular brands of e-cigarettes among adolescents in the US. In October 2021, Vuse Solo became the first e-cigarette brand to receive Marketing Granted Orders (MGOs) from the FDA, authorizing the marketing of Vuse Solo e-cigarette devices and their tobacco-flavored pods. Two other Vuse e-cigarettes, Vuse Ciro and Vuse Vibe, and their tobacco-only (“Original”) e-liquids, were authorized for marketing in May 2022, and Vuse Alto tobacco-flavored devices were authorized in July 2024. These marketing authorizations are contingent upon the company adhering to the MGOs’ stated marketing restrictions, including reducing exposure and appeal to youth via digital, radio, television, print, and point-of-sale advertising.

Objective:

In this study, we examined the official social media channels of Vuse (Instagram and Facebook) to examine how Vuse marketed its products on social media and whether these marketing posts contain potentially youth-appealing themes.

Methods:

We conducted content analysis of the official RJ Reynolds Vapor Company (RJRV) Instagram and Facebook accounts. We collected all posts from October 10, 2019, when RJRV submitted its Pre-market Tobacco Application (PMTA) to the FDA, to February 21, 2022, to cover the first winter holiday season after the MGO. Two coders developed the codebook with 17 themes based on the Content Appealing to Youth (CAY) Index, to capture the characteristics of the posts and potentially youth-appealing content. We calculated the percentage of posts in which each code was present.

Results:

439 unique posts were identified. During the study period, there were no posts on Instagram or Facebook marketing Vuse Solo (the authorized product). Instead, Vuse Alto (unauthorized to date) was heavily marketed. Further, “Vuse” more generally was marketed on social media without differentiating between the authorized and unauthorized products. The marketing messages contained several potentially youth-appealing themes including creativity/ innovation, individuality/freedom, and themes related to arts, music, sports, nature, alcohol imagery, and technology.

Conclusions:

Although Vuse Alto e-cigarettes had not yet obtained FDA marketing authorization during the 28 months of data collection, they were the primary Vuse e-cigarette devices marketed on social media and were co-marketed with Vuse Solo e-cigarettes, the authorized product. Vuse social media posts use themes that are appealing to and likely to promote youth use, including creativity and innovation, individuality/freedom, arts and music, nature, technology, and alcohol imagery. FDA should (1) prohibit companies from co-marketing unauthorized products alongside authorized products, and (2) exercise enforcement against even authorized products that are marketing using youth-appealing features.