Vape Brands Bypass Regulations on Marketing to Young People by Using Global Social Media Accounts

Strategic Insights -

Young people around the world are increasingly exposed to vape advertising on social media, which has become a major public health concern. New Zealand's youth vaping rates are among the highest in the world, with rates rising from 3% in 2017 to 21.3% in 2024. The promotion of vapes on social media is a significant driver of this issue, with global social media accounts being used to bypass regulations and target young audiences. British American Tobacco's vape brand Vuse has a global Instagram account with over 25% of the market share, which is used to promote the brand and its products to a global audience.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Vuse Instagram account (@Vuse.Worldwide) has over 17,000 followers and features collaborations with high-profile partners such as Formula 1 motor racing team McLaren.
  • The account features "Get ready with me" videos, which are popular among young women and often include subtle product placements.
  • Only 14 out of 700 influencer or brand tags in the posts were disclosed using the #ad hashtag or paid partnership tag.
  • Instagram's policies on vape marketing are unclear and leave loopholes for vape brands to bypass regulations.
  • Vuse uses the worldwide account to promote brand associations, an indirect but powerful form of marketing that sits outside Instagram policies.
  • Cross-posting to other accounts enables Vuse to reach new audiences without paid advertising on the platform.
  • Researchers suggest that social media policies are intentionally unclear to enable platforms and the industry to capitalize on lucrative, instant, and borderless sharing of digital content to new audiences.

Statistics:

  • 21.3% of New Zealanders aged 15-24 vaped daily in 2024, up from 3% in 2017.
  • The Vuse Instagram account has over 17,000 followers and features collaborations with high-profile partners.
  • The four most viewed video posts in the study featured the motorsport partnership, with one clip viewed over 225,000 times.
  • Only 14 out of 700 influencer or brand tags in the posts were disclosed using the #ad hashtag or paid partnership tag.
  • Instagram lists @Vuse.Worldwide as a verified account, based in the UK, where advertising standards permit only "factual" vape content on a company's social media account.

Sources:

  • The Conversation (Au and NZ) -- By Lucy Hardie, Research Fellow in Population Health, University of Auckland
  • Getty Images (http://www.gettyimages.com.au/detail/photo/vapor-smoke-royalty-free-image/975633438)
  • "Vape brands bypass regulations on marketing to young people by using global social media accounts" by Lucy Hardie, Becky Freeman, Christina Watts, and Judith McCool, The Conversation (Au and NZ) -- https://theconversation.com/vape-brands-bypass-regulations-on-marketing-to-young-people-by-using-global-social-media-accounts-262691