and, in the near future, nicotine inhaler technology – as an excuse to engage with and influence policymakers, scientists and advocates in tobacco control with a view to undermining the who fctc, while at the same time building credibility in corporate social responsibility initiatives. world health organization an area of concern for the us food and drug administration (us fda) and other health organizations is with respect to how e-cigarettes are marketed to people, among other things. the marketing of e-cigarettes is common, and it is partly responsible for e-cigarettes becoming growingly popular. the entrance of traditional transnational tobacco businesses in the marketing of such products is a significant threat to restricting tobacco use. big tobacco transitioning from smokers to vapes has rekindled excitement in a formerly inactive marketing sector. "it's a marketer's dream," brice o'brien, r. j. reynolds tobacco company's executive vice president of consumer marketing, said. "continuing the long tradition of designing products that appeal explicitly to new users, in recent years, tobacco companies have significantly stepped up the introduction and marketing of flavored non-cigarette tobacco products, especially electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) and cigars," the campaign for tobacco-free kids stated in 2017. e-cigarette businesses have been using intensive marketing strategies like those used to publicize traditional cigarettes in the 1950s and 1960s. e-cigarette advertisements are found in all forms of media, including television and radio where traditional cigarette advertisements were banned more than 40 years ago. some e-cigarette advertisements from about the last two years leading up to 2013 looked very similar to tobacco advertisements appearing in the 1960s, 1950s, and 1930s. although the marketers of e-cigarettes have made claims that differ from those made for traditional cigarettes (such as use for smoking cessation, which is illegal without being an approved cessation drug or device), a 2014 content analysis of e-cigarette marketing and the observations of tobacco marketing surveillance systems point to several similarities, including the use of young, attractive models; lifestyle claims; and celebrities. other claims made in e-cigarette advertising have been used in the past by traditional cigarette brands (such as having fewer carcinogens, lower risk of tobacco-related disease) or by smokeless tobacco products (such as the ability to use them where smoking is prohibited). however, under the deeming rule that was published in may 2016, after august 8, 2016, e-cigarette manufacturers cannot make modified risk claims (although this provision has been challenged in pending lawsuits). the use of e-cigarettes or heated tobacco products is heavily affected by the marketing approaches of tobacco companies, is an area of concern. this is due to the large tobacco companies own a part of all the main nicotine-based products, including traditional cigarettes, as well as snus, e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, as of 2019. there is a fair amount of controversy surrounding the marketing of e-cigarettes. the advertising and marketing of e-cigarette products has generated skepticism among public health professionals and legislators, who have noted many similarities to the advertising claims and promotional tactics used for decades by the tobacco industry to sell traditional tobacco products. e-cigarette businesses are using methods that were once used by the tobacco industry to persuade young people to starting using traditional cigarettes. some e-cigarette marketing mimics the highly profitable tobacco advertising advocating, among other things, an independent existence and a freedom of choice. e-cigarette products are marketed with a variety of unsubstantiated health and quitting smoking messages, with some websites featuring videos of endorsements by physicians (another reprisal of old tobacco industry advertising). stuart elliot, a writer for the new york times, stated in 2013 that "some of the slogans, like 'a perfect puff every time,' echo classic tobacco cigarette taglines like 'not a cough in a carload,' or 'a treat instead of a treatment.'" marketing messages and advertising e-cigarette samples provided at an event marketing messages echo well-established traditional cigarette themes, including freedom, good taste, romance, sexuality, and sociability as well as messages stating that e-cigarettes are healthy, are useful for smoking cessation, and can be used in smoke-free environments. these messages are mirrored in the reasons that adults and youth cite for using e-cigarettes. large tobacco businesses have purchased some of the e-cigarette businesses and greatly increased their advertising expenditures. large tobacco businesses are investing tremendously in these products and are utilizing polished marketing techniques mimicking those formerly used to glamorize and encourage young people to smoke. this marketing trend may normalize the use of a questionable product. moreover, since they are intended to replicate the action of smoking; it may contribute to the re-normalization and re-glamorization of the action of smoking. e-cigarette companies do not use the word cigarette in advertisements because of its stigma. in addition to television, e-cigarette advertisements are on the radio, magazines, newspapers, online, and in retail stores. early on, e-cigarettes were mainly advertised online. from 2011 to 2013, e-cigarette television advertisement frequency rose 256%. at least 40 unique advertisements for e-cigarettes appeared on us television in 2013 and early 2014. between 2010 and 2014, e-cigarettes were second only to traditional cigarettes as the top advertised product in magazines. the three most common media were print, television, and e-mail, and spending was highest for print advertisements, as of 2014. e-cigarettes are routinely marketed as a substitute to traditional cigarettes. e-cigarette advertisements regularly make claims. for example, they are advertised as being effective for quitting smoking. the most frequent advertised claims for e-cigarettes were, depicting them as a healthier substitute compared with traditional cigarettes, and as a tool to get around smoke-free policies. in addition to some e-cigarettes are designed to look like traditional cigarettes and be used in a similar way; the marketing of them in television and other venues encourages using them in a way that simulates using traditional cigarettes. permitting vaping in working areas and public areas contributes to the re-glamorization of smoking, of which e-cigarette businesses are trying to accomplish via their marketing tactics. a blu e-cigarette advertisement appeared in the sports illustrated swimsuit issue in 2014. without showing the model's face, it depicted a bikini bottom adorned with the firm's name. it included the phrase "slim. charged. ready to go." "the advertising just hit a new high in terms of chutzpah," stanton glantz, director of the center for tobacco control research and education, said. the sports illustrated bikini advertisement entices youth, vince willmore, a representative from the campaign for tobacco-free kids, stated. blu ran printed advertisements that looked like warning labels in 2017. those were "important: contains flavor", "important: vaping blu smells good"; and "important: no ashtrays needed". the mocking warnings appeared in the june–november 2017 issues of well-known magazines such as esquire, espn, rolling stone, and us weekly. although e-cigarette advertisements are not allowed to make direct claims that they are a lower risk in contrast to traditional cigarettes, some of blu's advertisements had other kinds of reduced-harm statements such as "important: less harmful to your wallet". e-cigarette marketing targets diverse groups including older smokers but also young people. some e-cigarettes are marketed as socially appropriate or even ethically better. for competitions in magazines, e-cigarettes have been offered as prizes. using flavors in the marketing of e-cigarettes are areas of concern. e-cigarette marketing advocate weight control and emphasize use of nicotine with many flavors. these marketing angles could particularly entice overweight people, youth, and vulnerable groups. e-cigarette advertisements have had marketing messages containing pseudoscientific health claims. several e-cigarette brands are stating in their advertising about vitamin vaping and help with weight management for reduced appetite. e-cigarette marketers are stating on their websites that vitamin vaping may assist with controlling weight. vitaminvape, vapefully, vitastik, and nutrovape offer products that are similar to e-cigarettes that they say do not contain nicotine and that they provide vitamins and nutrients. nutrovape states that its product provides "nutritional supplements," and vitaminvape suggests that the effects of vaping vitamin b12 is like getting an injection of vitamin b12. in new york city in 2016, neon signs were used to advertise the most recent flavors. a marketing tactic may be packaging an e-cigarette to look like a traditional cigarette pack. marketing approaches employed by e-cigarette businesses include giving out samples free of charge. gamucci set up a 323-square foot designated vaping area in 2013 in a departure room of terminal 4 at heathrow airport. the vaping area allows people to vape and sample gamucci's products. some marketing specialists stated that product features such color seem to be directed at women. vmr products designed an e-cigarette called vapor couture that is directly targeted at women. vapor couture comes in colors such as "deep purple" and "rose gold." flavors such as "bombshell" and "strawberry champagne" are intended to appeal to women. vapor couture has been promoted through point-of-sale marketing and engaging with bloggers. a video advertisement for vapor couture e-cigarettes directed at women stated, "break free from the pack" with the "slim, sleek, sparkling" devices in shades that come "straight off the runway." vaping vamps designed an e-cigarette that is unambiguously targeted at women. anna breslaw, a writer for the website jezebel, "argues that the vaping vamps are problematic – not because they're targeted to women, but because they don't offer anything new to consumers besides a 'girly' package." marketing on social media the manufacturers of these products have established a massive online presence, many apparently from individual users (self-styled as 'vapers') whose enthusiasm for these products is such that they seem to spend many hours each day blogging and tweeting their benefits free from the constraints that would be imposed if they were producing official advertisements. more worryingly, they also engage in grossly offensive online attacks on anyone who has the temerity to suggest that ends are anything other than an innovation that can save thousands of lives with no risks. postgraduate medical journal e-cigarettes are heavily promoted across all media outlets. e-cigarette businesses promote their e-cigarette products on facebook, instagram, youtube, and twitter. promotional content created by people are seen on facebook, instagram, and youtube. online blogs and forums contain promotional content created by e-cigarette users. a 2017 review found "the rise of new media has enabled the tobacco industry to penetrate channels such as twitter and youtube with information offsetting tobacco control denormalisation strategies, of which the electronic cigarette industry is now capitalising on." e-cigarettes are being promoted at popular events and venues, in addition to, on business websites, social media, and via other online places, including groupon. e-cigarette brands use websites to interact directly with their customers through direct-to-consumer marketing (e.g., direct mail and direct e-mail). a cartoon character called mr. cool appeared on blu's website as well as on youtube in 2014. vapestick designed an old-fashion looking pc game dubbed electronic cigarette wars. in 2013, an e-cigarette advertisement was seen in an ipad game designed for children. in october 2013, british american tobacco, owner of vype e-cigarettes, was notified by educator graham brown-martin with a tweet to british american tobacco's business account about the advertisement in the my dog my style hd children's game. the company withdrew its advertising and stated: "we've investigated and found a breach of protocols by third party used by ad agency. it's unacceptable and we're taking the issue seriously." marketing firms are tweeting on twitter to promote vaping and regularly include links to where they can be purchased online. some business twitter accounts have promoted vaping as a quitting smoking aid. e-cigarettes have been heavily marketed across twitter feeds, offering discounts, "kid-friendly" flavors, algorithmically generated false testimonials, and free samples. they are also marketing online through promotional videos that provide information on how to use such products. e-cigarette businesses, such as eonsmoke, have paid youtubers to have their products reviewed on youtube. most of the youtube videos associated with vaping portray this activity as a safe and cool replacement to smoking. e-cigarette businesses have advertised online on google search, yahoo! search, and bing. the evidence indicates e-cigarettes are being marketed on social media as a harm reduction alternative, with retailers and manufacturers utilizing marketing techniques historically used by the tobacco industry. an important determinant of the popularity of the product is product marketing. for instance, previous research has shown that product marketing plays an important role in the perception of the product for potential users of e-cigarettes. factors that increased the likelihood of potential users to try an e-cigarette