MANILA — Current laws restricting sales and marketing that reach and appeal to teens are insufficient to thwart the continued rise in vaping among Filipino youth, according to new research released by the Institute for Global Tobacco Control (IGTC) at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, echoing concerns raised in a recent statement by the Republic of the Philippines Department of Health.
The current findings come three years after the legal age to purchase e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products (HTPs) in the Philippines was lowered to 18; the new research is based on data gathered shortly after the new minimum purchase age took effect.
In July 2022, the Philippines passed Republic Act No. 11900 (aka the “Vape Law”), permitting previously banned flavors in e-cigarettes and HTPs and lowering the minimum purchase age from 21 to 18 years. While online sales and marketing are permitted, advertising that uses e-cigarette flavor descriptors that “appeal particularly to minors” (e.g., fruit, candy, desserts) are prohibited.
“These findings underscore why flavors and digital marketing remain two top concerns that the current Vape Law falls short of addressing” stated PLCPD Young Leaders Program for Tobacco Control member JL Estrella Pablico. “As long as taste-tempting vapes remain legal, kids and teenagers have a target on their backs, their web browsers, and their social media feeds. While the vape industry prospers, it’s the youngest among us who are paying the price.”
The first study examined marketing strategies companies use to promote e-cigarettes and HTPs using official brand websites geotargeted to consumers located in the Philippines. Twelve e-cigarette brand websites and three HTP brand websites were identified through location-based Google search and all pages within two clicks of the homepages were coded and analyzed. Findings showed that every site contained:
- Flavor descriptors appearing in product names
- Promotion/engagement strategies such as discounted prices, free shipping, or free gifts
- Claims either that advertised products could help people quit or reduce smoking, were healthier or less harmful than cigarettes, or that positioned the brand as responsible or capable of self-regulation
- Advertising appeals conveyed through text and images, including descriptions or depictions of flavor, taste, aroma, or sensation (beyond product names) on all but one site and associations with femininity or feminine ideals on two-thirds of the sites
“There is agreement among virtually all parties that products containing tobacco or tobacco derivatives should not be sold to or consumed by children or teenagers,” said Tuo-Yen Tseng, PhD, an assistant scientist at IGTC who led the website marketing study. “And yet, we are still seeing many tobacco and nicotine products sold and advertised in ways and places that are accessible and attractive to youth—including on the internet and associated with candy or cartoons.”
The second study examined marketing strategies and product characteristics used and advertised by e-cigarette and HTP brands on social media. A total of 5,501 publicly visible posts in a six-month period were found published across the brands’ Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram feeds, and a randomly selected sample of 358 posts were assessed. Emoticons appeared in 70% of the posts, and animated characters or cartoon illustrations were used in almost 20%. More than half of the posts lacked a health warning, and more than one-third failed to mention any age restrictions on sales.
“When we observe marketing elements that appeal to youth—emoticons, cartoons, and depictions of partying—used in association with vaping across multiple social media posts and platforms, it prompts questions about the intended audiences of these brands’ campaigns as well as the challenge of monitoring and enforcement on the internet and social media,” explained IGTC assistant scientist Jenny Brown, PhD, research lead on the social media marketing study. “Prohibiting the depiction or mention on digital channels of any tobacco and nicotine products whatsoever is a bigger-picture policy solution that could function within a comprehensive national advertising and display ban. This is especially critical given that Filipino youth are very active in the digital space, increasing the chances for exposure to advertising of these unhealthy and addictive products.”
“To safeguard Filipino youth from tobacco and nicotine harm, we must address the ways in which these devices, liquids, inserts, and accessories appeal to them, and enticing flavors are a key component of the vaping experience,” said Judy Delos Reyes, project leader of Parents Against Vape (PAV) and campaign coordinator for Global Youth for Tobacco Control (Y4TC). “This evidence also supports considering a policy barring e-cigarette and HTP brands from having an online presence and potentially taking regulatory action against people or companies that post e-cigarette or HTP content on social media—whether that’s descriptions related to vapes, vape imagery, or people using or promoting the product.”
Access the fact sheets:
- Online Marketing of E-cigarettes and Heated Tobacco Products on Brand Websites in the Philippines
- Social Media Marketing by E-cigarette and Heated Tobacco Product Brands in the Philippines
About the Institute for Global Tobacco Control
Founded in 1998, the Institute for Global Tobacco Control (publichealth.jhu.edu/igtc) has informed lifesaving policy solutions to combat the tobacco epidemic and improve public health worldwide for more than 25 years. Based within the Department of Health, Behavior and Society at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the institute is a partner in the Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use and a Collaborating Centre of the World Health Organization, guided by the mission to prevent death and disease from tobacco products by generating evidence to support effective tobacco control interventions.
