While there are good reasons behind the anti-vaping push for policies and budgets to stem vaping, Dr Sandy Fitzgerald, Senior Lecturer in Marketing at Victoria’s RMIT, says that we need to acknowledge, particularly for people under 25, that these government-led interventions “can be perceived as paternalistic, revenue-raising by the government and punitive in orientation”.
Instead, she says, an anti-vaping marketing campaign that taps into adolescent desire to avoid the subversive sway of huge corporations could have more impact.
The difference clear marketing messages make
“The government needs a different approach to their previous anti-smoking campaigns, as this is a whole new generation they are targeting,” Dr Fitzgerald says. “Firstly, we need to understand the perspective of vapers and why they try vaping in the first place. Young people can gain social capital from vaping. It may be socially rewarding for vapers (especially those under the age of 18), as they will be perceived as ‘cool’ and belonging to a self-selected in-group among their peers.”
Dr Fitzgerald adds that, “we also need to recognise that once a habit or addiction is established, it takes effort, the right support and social messaging to change”.
For any anti-vaping campaign to be successful and sustainable, she believes that it must be “communicative and make vapers feel that they are not singled out and made to feel that they are stupid or dumb just because they were curious to try vaping in the first place”.
Celebrating autonomy
“An anti-vaping campaign must also respect that the target audience are curious young individuals with full autonomy to choose and determine their future,” she says. “Anti-vaping campaigns need to present a convincing value proposition for this age group to quit — that vaping robs you of your autonomy and turns you into a pawn.”
Delivering targeted information about Big Tobacco to young vapers to present them with the concept that they are simply pawns being controlled by this industry, Dr Fitzgerald believes anti-vaping messaging could be more effective.
“Vapers (who we know are typically under 25) may find that information confronting and perhaps start questioning if they wish to be controlled and have their autonomy stripped away by Big Tobacco because they vape,” she says. “This idea of vaping robbing them of their freedom (once they are addicted) to a successful future (from a monetary perspective), will get them to question who they are vaping for.”
Dr Fitzgerald believes that communicating that message in a school context, by appointing student leaders (who peers look up to) as opinion leaders, could deliver powerful outcomes. Her tip is to shift the perspective to focus on how is about being controlled, rather than being in control.
And her suggested tagline for this proposed peer-led marketing mission?
“You are vaping your freedom away.”
