2019, which seems to utilize similar approaches used by tobacco companies to effect research on vaping. research paid for by juul is displayed on jli science's website. in 2019, a review in the translational lung cancer research journal stated: the industry continues to fund pro-vaping opinion, for example, 'moderate' doctors misreporting evidence, reaffirming their 'divide and conquer' strategy again in 2014, lobbying groups, sham supportive campaigns and front groups coordinated by tobacco companies particularly in economically wealthy countries with falling cigarette consumption, whilst at the same time continuing to aggressively market cigarettes in africa and asia. marketing related to vape shops an e-cigarette advertisement sign "a majority of vape shops primarily use social media outlets (e.g. 100% facebook, 86% instagram and yelp, 65% twitter, 38% youtube) and special events open to the community (57%) for marketing. few stores reported using print or broadcast media, with radio being the most popular venue (19%). about half (51%) of stores had external advertisements, and almost one-third had no signage related to sales to minors," according to a 2017 report. e-cigarette retailers may use youtube to engage with customers and to disseminate largely unmonitored promotional messages. vape shops have used the game pokémon go to market their products. "vape shops in general have received a bad rep for their social element and for allegedly marketing toward children," chris bouton, a vape shop owner in ypsilanti, michigan, said in 2016. marketing of e-cigarettes by tobacco shops was limited, with most responding that they do not market e-cigarettes, according to a 2018 report. almost half have used social media, with others relying on word of mouth and price promotions. vape shops utilized more diverse marketing channels, including radio, print media, and word of mouth. in-store marketing has been increasing, as of 2016. the most common form of marketing by vape shops is social media, which all vape shops cited using for marketing, the 2018 report concluded. anecdotal evidence suggests that vape shops currently do not have readily visible branded signs and displays that characterize the retail marketing of other tobacco products. even though the relationship between the vape shop industry and the tobacco industry can be adversarial, a 2015 study found that the marketing practices of these establishments closely resemble the current and former strategies that tobacco companies have used to market other tobacco products. according to this study, vape shop owners and managers in oklahoma used free samples, loyalty programs, sponsored events, direct mail, advertising through social media, and price promotions targeted at particular consumers, such as college students. in 2013, a billboard on interstate 95 in miami, florida, us portrayed santa claus using an e-cigarette. the text on the billboard read, "i don't always vape, but when i do, i choose vapor shark." vapor shark's billboard was criticized by vaping opponents. some e-cigarette users opposed the advertisement. aaron frazier, an e-cigarette user, had stated on vapor shark's facebook page, "showing santa vaping, globally recognized as a children's icon, is irresponsible and is and will be seen as a ploy to appeal to underage customers." the billboard featuring santa claus was reminiscent of the vintage tobacco advertisements, which for a number of years portrayed santa clause using a pipe or cigarette. cloud-chasing contests appear to be intended to bring in new shoppers and increase e-cigarette business. this marketing event may result in more teenagers being interested in e-cigarettes as well as traditional cigarettes. a 2018 report assessed the packaging and labeling of 25 randomly selected e-liquids available for sale on online shops in the netherlands. they found that nicotine content was often indicated in the advertisement text, but health warnings were generally not visible on product photos of the outer package nor on the website of the shop selling them. this is in contradiction to packages of regular cigarettes, almost all of which display a visible health warning on the package. verification of age of the buyer and information on health effects of the product upon purchase were not clearly present when buying either tobacco or e-cigarette products online. in only a quarter of the visited online shops, an age verification was requested to gain access, which can still easily be circumvented by people under 18 years. packaging and labeling of 25 randomly selected e-liquids available for sale in dutch online shops. information on packaging or website not present (%) present (%) health warning visible on packaging 84 16 health warning on website 80 20 nicotine content indicated 0 100 age verification 60 40 notes: packaging and labeling information of e-liquids upon online ordering from several dutch online shops. information as visibility of a health warning on the package or on the website as well as nicotine content and age verification are reported. a total number of 25 online shops were randomly selected; from each online shop, at least 2 products were assessed. information was obtained before the eu tobacco products directive came into force. a sign outside of a vape shop suggesting vaping is safer than smoking. marketing to young adults the united states centers for disease control and prevention released a 2016 report titled e-cigarette ads and youth which concerned marketing towards adolescents. themes in e-cigarette marketing, including sexual content and customer satisfaction, are parallel to themes and techniques that have been found to be appealing to young adults and youth in traditional cigarette advertising and promotion. e-cigarettes are marketed by promoting flavors and using a wide variety of media channels and approaches that have been used in the past for marketing traditional tobacco products to young adults (as well youth). e-cigarette advertising approaches have successfully spread to young adults. the money spent in e-cigarette marketing has been accompanied with a rise in vaping in young adults. young adults receptive to e-cigarette advertising are more likely to go on to use traditional cigarettes, a 2018 study indicated. a small number of studies have investigated the influence on adolescents (as well as children) resulting from e-cigarette advertising and promotions. several e-cigarette businesses have begun offering college scholarships to students in order for their company name to appear on university websites. the scholarship offerings has garnered criticism as being a poorly hidden scheme to entice young shoppers. a 2017 study showed an e-cigarette business marketed their products to youth via advertisements on college admissions message boards, among other things. e-cigarette scholarships have appeared on economic-aid listings that includes harvard, the university of california at berkeley, and the university of pittsburgh. this also includes schools who have opposed vaping. independent e-cigarette businesses seem to be directing marketing efforts at younger people who have never smoked (or smokers who socialize), as well as positioning them as lifestyle products. young adult exposure to e-cigarette advertising vaping is proliferating in young adults and youth as a result of the enticing marketing approaches positioning them as being safer substitutes to traditional cigarettes. an online panel of us young adults aged 18 to 21 (as well as youth age 13 to 17) conducted in february 2014 found that awareness of e-cigarette advertising was greatest for retail advertising, followed by awareness of advertising on television and online. since 2011 young adults seeing e-cigarette television advertisements has risen, as of 2017. from 2011 to 2013, young adult seeing e-cigarette television advertisements rose 321%. television e-cigarette advertising reached 64% of young adults aged 18 to 24 in the us, as of 2015. an analysis of industry marketing data by the american legacy foundation (now called truth initiative) reported that 82% of young adults aged 18 to 21 (as well as 47% of us teens aged 12 to 17) were exposed to magazine advertising for e-cigarettes in 2014; popular venues included tabloids, entertainment weeklies, and men's lifestyle magazines. 57% of young adults aged 18 to 21 had seen e-cigarette advertising online in the us, as of 2015. evidence indicated that young adults regularly had seen marketing associated with e-cigarettes on social media. a 2013 study suggested that younger people were more exposed to e-cigarettes advertisements than older adults, which provided a possible interpretation of the greater effect of cigarette smoking on e-cigarette use among adolescents. in 2018, the forum of international respiratory societies released a position statement, stating "electronic cigarette manufacturers employ diverse and creative strategies to target marketing to adolescents and teens despite widespread bans on the sale of these products to persons less than 18 years of age. advertising near middle and high schools, in neighbourhoods with high youth traffic, and on television commercials that appeal to youths are common approaches. packaging and display choices, such as candy and fruit iconography on the packaging, displays close to candy, and marketing materials at or below 3 feet (1 m) all enhance interest by youths. for older adolescents and young adults, claimed safety benefits with flavoured electronic cigarettes have encouraged experimentation." e-cigarette marketing, including product design and packaging, appeals to a young audience. for example, many e-cigarettes feature bright colors and fruit, candy, alcohol or other flavors that youth find attractive and interesting. many themes in e-cigarette marketing, including sexual content and customer satisfaction, are parallel to themes and techniques that the tobacco industry aimed at youth and young adults in their advertising and promotion of traditional cigarettes. marketing to youth e-cigarette use among youth is rising as e-cigarette advertising increases. tobacco businesses intensely markets e-cigarettes to youth. e-cigarette advertising approaches have successfully spread to youth. in many countries, e-cigarettes are marketed using various methods that are attractive to young people. with deliberate industry strategies like using cartoon characters and candy flavors such as fruit loops, it is not unexpected studies demonstrate a rapid rise in youth vaping. a 2017 review stated, "an area of great concern is the rapid rise in use of ecigs, even if it only reflects occasional use, among adolescents. this rise may be due to in part to targeted marketing that includes advertisements, sponsorships, and social media, not to mention an array of attractive flavors that mimic those of candies, desserts, and alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages." the marketing of flavored e-cigarettes, that impacts youth curiosity in trying them, is a major concern. cartoon characters, which are also prohibited in traditional cigarette advertising for their youth appeal, are used by some brands and there are numerous youth-oriented designs for e-cigarette products, including "hello kitty." e-cigarette businesses state that their marketing is not geared towards children. despite this, e-cigarettes are available in flavors such as bubble gum, cookies and cream, gummy bear, and strawberry. commonly available fruity and sugary e-liquid flavorings are used to target children. marketing approaches that may entice youth are the positioning of e-cigarette products in conveniently located places in stores, and social networking and the use of other technologies that are not associated with their use. e-cigarettes are promoted on youtube by movies with sexual material and music icons, who encourage minors to "take their freedom back." the outcome of e-cigarette marketing on youth is not known. the impacts of intensive marketing strategies for e-cigarettes on future youth experimentation are not known, though decades of observation with traditional cigarette marketing would indicate greater use in youths is a distinct possibility. e-cigarette marketing has been aimed at children, the us fda stated. a 2016 review stated, "aggressive marketing includes claims that these products are 'safe' or 'harmless' alternatives to cigarettes. such promotional tactics can be misleading, as these products are associated with tobacco use initiation and progression to regular use, with resulting nicotine addiction, especially among vulnerable populations, such as youth." intensive marketing that presents e-cigarettes as "new and improved" nicotine products are directed at adolescents. e-cigarette marketing tactics have the possibility to glamorize smoking and enticing children and never smokers, even when such outcomes are unintended. areas of most concern associated with vaping by adolescents include mass marketing strategies. e-cigarette companies had used a marketing tactics that invited high schoolers to write articles about the health benefits of e-cigarette use. the winner would receive a scholarship of at least $250 or up to $5,000. this is an indirect form of marketing, although e-cigarette companies state their target audience is only adults. it is recommended that children should not be exposed to misleading promotion of e-cigarettes because the enticement of 'youthful cool' to their use does not benefit the public health. a 2018 meta-analysis of three studies