E-cigarette influencer marketing on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok significantly impacts Generation Z, as exposure to celebrity promotions is linked to decreased harm perception, increased susceptibility to use, and initiation of nicotine products among adolescents and young adults. Influencers are often more persuasive than direct brand advertising due to their perceived authenticity and relatability, and the promotional contexts they use—such as lifestyle settings or brand sponsorship disclosures—affect how youth perceive both the influencers and e-cigarettes themselves. The present study aims to examine how 18-year-old high school graduates distinguish between different types of e-cigarette portrayals (explicit promotion, implicit promotion, and casual depiction) by influencers and how these contexts shape their perceptions of both the influencers and e-cigarettes.
This study conducted six online focus group interviews, each lasting approximately one hour, with 23 students from nine Los Angeles high schools participating in a University of Southern California longitudinal survey. Participants viewed three sets of Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube stimuli presented on PowerPoint slides, featuring three types of influencers: those who explicitly promoted e-cigarettes, implicitly promoted e-cigarettes, or casually depicted e-cigarettes as part of their daily lives without promotional indicators. The stimuli included screenshots of influencers’ social media profile pages and 2-4 images and/or up to 20-second videos per profile. Data were collected through a semi-structured discussion guide exploring content recall (the most memorable elements after viewing each stimulus set), positive or negative perceptions of influencers, perceptions of e-cigarettes featured in the stimuli, and recognition of promotion. The collected data were analyzed using thematic analysis.
Participants found influencers who casually incorporated e-cigarettes into their daily lives or appealing lifestyle contexts to be more relatable and trustworthy than those who overtly promoted e-cigarettes for commercial purposes, although such casual depictions were perceived as contributing to the normalization of vaping and potentially enticing never-users through peer pressure. Influencers who explicitly promoted e-cigarettes, particularly when brand names were shown, were viewed as financially motivated or addicted, yet high-quality production and detailed narratives about e-cigarette features enhanced the appeal of their content. While some participants reported that follower count did not affect their perceptions, others indicated that high follower numbers contributed to negative views of influencers. Despite exposure to various types of e-cigarette content, participants’ negative attitudes toward vaping remained largely unchanged, either due to existing personal values among never-users or past experiences with addiction among former users. Participants also noted that they more frequently encountered cannabis and alcohol content than e-cigarette content on their Instagram and TikTok feeds.
Takeaway: While casual e-cigarette content and high-quality audiovisual elements elicited favorable responses, participants’ intentions to use e-cigarettes remained unchanged, with perceptions of addiction and normalization potentially offsetting these positive impressions, underscoring the importance of continued youth education on e-cigarette health risks and marketing strategies.