E-cigarette companies claim their products are key to improving health outcomes by providing smokers with lower-risk alternatives. However, the rapid uptake of e-cigarettes among young people has prompted concern about company marketing practices. In 2019, there was no legislation to govern e-cigarette marketing in New Zealand. This period provides an ideal context for examining how e-cigarette companies promoted their products before the introduction of marketing regulations. We conducted a content analysis of the Instagram accounts of five prominent e-cigarette retailers based in New Zealand during 2019–2020. We assessed health- and risk-related claims and marketing techniques. Less than 10% of Instagram posts refer to smoking alternatives or risk of nicotine addiction. E-cigarette devices were more likely to be promoted for stylistic features such as colours and ease of use (29.7%). Music festival sponsorship (19.1%), social media influencers (9.2%), and lifestyle marketing (41.5%) were identified as youth-oriented promotional strategies. E-cigarette retailers claim to promote harm-reduction tools to smokers, yet this study finds few references to smoking alternatives in any content. Instead, retailers utilised strategies to engage with a young audience, including festival sponsorship and stylish influencers. This youth-oriented marketing, in combination with weak and delayed government action, may have contributed to the high use of e-cigarettes among young New Zealanders.

Disposable devices are popular with young people due to their ease of use, low prices, effective nicotine delivery3 and appealing flavours.4 The new disposable vape regulations require (1) a removable battery, (2) a child safety mechanism and (3) nicotine levels capped at 20 mg/mL.5 These regulations leave many opportunities for the industry to adapt and continue to push youth-friendly products.6

Social media has been instrumental in the promotion of electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) brands globally. As a result of concerns around these types of promotions, many countries have introduced policies to restrict aspects of digital e-cigarette marketing, along with some restrictions introduced by social media platforms. This paper critiques the Instagram account of the leading global e-cigarette brand ‘Vuse’, owned by British American Tobacco. Focusing on the Instagram account @Vuse.Worldwide, this study explores the strategies and techniques used in this account to promote the Vuse brand in an international context. Using content analysis methods, we extracted images, videos, and metadata for the posts made by the Vuse account between 1 August 2023 and 31 July 2024. We identified the most viewed and liked content, associated social media influencers, and brand collaborations and assessed the potential reach of these strategies. We identified 405 posts for the study period: 128 images and 277 Reels (short-form videos). We found that content that tagged Formula 1 race team McLaren had the most views and likes. Other popular content linked to music festivals, DJs, art, and designers (n = 65) who were frequently tagged in the study sample. The Vuse Worldwide Instagram account used brand collaborations, such as a ‘principal partnership’ with Formula 1 team McLaren, to extend its brand reach and capitalize on the racing team’s extensive global audience. Other collaborations with music festivals and influencers show that the company continues to deploy its product marketing strategies to position products within youth culture.

Objectives: Scientific evidence to support the development of appropriate policy for electronic cigarette use is limited by rapidly changing technology and a lack of long-term data. Perceptions of risk and benefits determine diverse framings of the e-cigarette debate and complicate policy decisions. E-cigarette use by smokers who are attempting to quit may result in improved health outcomes, while their use among young people and non-smokers may lead to adverse health consequences. The purpose of this study was to identify the types of evidence used during public consultations on proposed revisions to New Zealand’s e-cigarette legislation in 2020. Methods: Using submissions to parliament made by the tobacco/e-cigarette industry and the health sector, we assessed the cited evidence for quality and independence measured by publication type and tobacco industry connections. We identified themes from a sub-sample of frequently cited evidence to understand how stakeholders and organisations used evidence. Results: The sample consisted of 57 submissions from the e-cigarette and tobacco industry (n = 21) and health organisations (n = 36). A total of 442 pieces of evidence were cited at least once. Health organisations were more likely to cite peer-reviewed evidence (OR = 2.99). The industry was more likely to cite evidence outside of peer review and sources with tobacco industry connections (OR = 4.08). In the sample of frequently cited evidence, youth prevalence and flavours were the most common themes. In some cases the same evidence was used by both groups to support opposing policy positions. Conclusions: The industry continues to rely more heavily on evidence published outside of the peer-review process, which is, therefore, subjected to less scientific scrutiny. By using a smoking-cessation or harm-reduction narrative, the industry could be seen as a legitimate stakeholder in policy development.

Aims: In 2024, New Zealand had one of the highest rates of e-cigarette use among youth globally. In this article, we aim to examine key developments in e-cigarette policy that may have contributed to high uptake among young people in New Zealand between 2015 and 2024. By identifying key policy-relevant documents by government agencies and interactions with the industry, we aim to offer insights for jurisdictions looking to implement or strengthen e-cigarette policies. Methods: We searched publicly available New Zealand government websites to identify documents related to e-cigarette policy between 2015 and 2024 (Ministry of Health, New Zealand Parliament, Beehive, Courts of New Zealand and New Zealand Customs). We included key policy-related documents for analysis. Documents were organised and summarised sequentially into a timeline graphic and chronological narrative results. Results: New Zealand introduced policies aimed at reducing youth e-cigarette uptake slowly compared to other high-income countries such as the UK and Australia. When policies were introduced, they lacked strength, which enabled the e-cigarette and tobacco industry to oppose, bypass and, ultimately, weaken the impact of such policies. The e-cigarette industry had multiple interactions with public health actors that may have positioned the industry as a legitimate partner in tobacco harm reduction. Conclusion: This study highlights that jurisdictions must move quickly to introduce effective measures on e-cigarettes to protect health. Policies must be sufficiently comprehensive to prevent the industry from opposing and bypassing laws. Governments must protect policy processes from companies that profit from nicotine addiction in line with the WHO Framework on Tobacco Control.