MediaCom & Legacy Look at the Effects of E-Cigarette Advertising on Youth

Legacy, the nation's largest public health foundation devoted to achieving a culture where all youth and young adults reject tobacco, recently released a new report titled Vaporized: E-Cigarettes, Advertising, and Youth by Legacy. The report takes a look at the rise of e-cigarettes and its advertising to youth.

The popularity of e-cigarettes is exploding, with usage doubling from 2011 to 2012 among young adults aged 18-34, in addition to middle and high school students.

MediaCom contributed to the report by examining media expenditure and estimated audience exposure data for the 24 most popular brands over six months. The analysis found that both teens and young adults are heavily exposed to e-cigarette advertising, particularly television and print ads. Teens and young adults are most likely to have seen ads from the brands blu and FIN.

Despite major e-cigarette companies' claims that they are targeting adults, Legacy hypothesizes that their ads still reach a significant portion of teenagers.

Read the report in full here.