The internet right now is blowing up with discussions and debates about the E-Cigarette industry and about the recent changes Juul has made and what they could mean for the E-Cigarette industry and even the tobacco industry.
A spokeswoman for the Tobacco-Free Kids campaign by the name of Caroline Renzulli, addressed that it's just a little too late. "Juul's social media marketing fueled its popularity with kids and now that it has captured 75% of the E-Cigarette market, Juul no longer needs to do social media marketing because its young customers are doing it for them" This is an argument that I can agree with about Juul's motives to back off their social media, because Juul has become such a widely known product, that most of the marketing and advertising done for it isn't even done by the company itself. You have pages like 5thyear, Barstool Sports, and totalfratmove on Instagram that are filled with college kids smoking Juul's, and there are meme pages constantly on the explore page that are posting about Juul's without even being paid to do so. Juul exiting their social media doesn't necessarily mean that it's genuine, and could just be trying to watch their own backs so they can continue to do business.
Dr. Scott Gottlieb, who is the commissioner of the FDA quoted "Voluntary action is no substitute for regulatory steps FDA will soon take. But we want to recognize actions by Juul today and urge all manufacturers to immediately implement steps to start reversing these trends." This statement comes off almost as threatening to me, and I stand behind it because it's clear that the FDA is truly trying to fix the problems being created by E-Cigarette companies and they are trying to make it clear that the problem goes far beyond just Juul, it's the entire industry. I worry that the FDA getting stricter and having higher restrictions for these E-Cigarettes will only increase the demand for them. I know that so many young kids smoke now because they aren't allowed to and they find a joy in doing something they aren't supposed to do, and now that's only enhanced by three additional years forcing 18-20 year old kids to have even more of a reason to try and get there hands on a Juul. Gottlieb later said "Make no mistkae, if policy changes don't reverse this epidemic, and if the manufacturers don't do their part to help in this cause, i'll explore additional actions."
Jon Patrick Allem who is a research scientist at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California said "Juul's removal of its Instagram and Facebook accounts is a good first step." He also mentioned however that Juul plans on keeping its Twitter account which he said "They create little communities to discuss which products or flavors they like and when and where they are using their Juuls" .
There have been mostly positive comments online, encouraging that the actions being made by Juul are made out of good intentions and that it's a good first step for the industry, but there are certainly a fair share of negative responses. People are very upset that Juul is temporarily banning distribution in store because they truly believe it's helping the smoking issue among adults, and that with the Juul being regulated so heavily, it wouldn't surprise them if cigarettes got more popular and you saw an increase in cigarette sales.
It seems so ridiculous that a problem like this is as extreme as it is, but looking at the numbers of high school and middle school kids who vape is terrifying.
Sources:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2018/11/15/fda-ban-vaping-flavors-electronic-cigarettes-menthol-cigars-scott-gottlieb/2003219002/
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/13/health/juul-ecigarettes-vaping-teenagers.html
https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/13/health/juul-flavor-social-media-fda-bn/index.html
Mrs Renzuuli is 100% correct when saying that the kids that are using the Juul are doing the social media marketing fore the product. Everywhere you look on instagram or twitter you can see someone using a Juul. This is especially the case for the college population. I think it would be important to mention the health risks for people that Juul are putting themselves at risk to experiencing. Yeah it helps people quit smoking cigarettes but it doesn't mean that it is good for you. Its just a healthier alternative.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it amazing that social media provides a place for people to market for companies. They don't have to pay anyone and yet people post thousands of posts a day about this product just to fit in.
DeleteWow, I believe this is the most surprising post. For the degree of harm JUUL has done social media has not expressed JUUL in a negative spotlight. The only public outcry against JUUL is the FDA. The FDA has released governmental documents in an attempt to portray JUUL in a harmful way. I bet if JUUL came out in a public way to shame social media portraying JUUL'ing as cool the activity on social media would hinder greatly. What do you think? Would JUUL shaming social media glorification help?
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Joey. I think Juul needs to step up and release something saying that they don't agree with underage people smoking and that it isn't cool.. It will abasolutely negatively impact their company but if they truly stand behind this movement they would be more than willing to do it.
DeleteYou are completely right when you say that Juul does not even need social media to market their products anymore. Famous celebrities and friends of young kids are the best marketing they could have since people like to keep up with trends and FOMO (fear of missing out). I applaud Dr. Scott Gottlieb's for putting out a statement to let the whole e-cigarette industry know that Juul is not the only one that should be trying to make it so that minors and young adults under 21 have a harder time getting access to e-cigarettes. I'm actually surprised that there isn't a more bigger outcry from young adults and minors on twitter about this situation because they are the ones that are being affected the most from it. It could be that they are afraid of being in the spotlight and pointed out though. Who knows? Do you think that people's thoughts about how Juul's temporary ban will make it so that cigarettes got more popular? Personally, I think don't think so.
ReplyDeleteI honestly think that Cigarettes won't ever be too popular again. People are too smart and have too much information about cigs. I think people love vaping because they truly believe it's harmless. However, its a good question because if vapes were to be banned, the only source of nicotine would be chewing tobacco or cigarettes.. so it's a possibility.
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