Juul To Launch Ads Featuring Smokers Who Quit, Thanks to Their Device

Besides facing criticism about their fruity flavors being designed to entice teenagers and that the level of nicotine in their pods is too high, a recent CNN investigation has also suggested that Juul Labs had been paying social media influencers to promote their USB-like device to under age users.

In response to this, the San Francisco-based e-cigarette company has announced the launch of a new TV campaign, set to commence over the Summer, which will feature testimonials from adults who have successfully used Juul in order to quit smoking.

Spending almost $10 million for TV slots

Juul will initially spend almost $10 million for TV slots airing on national cable channels after 10 p.m. local time. The ads, a series of three different commercials, are aimed at adults 35 years and older, and feature three former smokers between the ages of 37 and 54, who talk about their experience with cigarettes, and how Juul helped them quit.

 

The campaign, which will no doubt be met with controversy, marks the start of a year where Juul strives to prove to regulators such as the FDA, that its on the side of smoking cessation. This will be harder now, following the recent infamous deal with Altria.

“It’s clear that we’re focused on the mission of the company to convert people off combustible cigarettes,” said Ann Hoey, Juul’s vice president of marketing. “This is campaign that is a sort of an honest, straight down the middle of the fairway, very clear communication about what we’re trying to do as a company.”

Juul’s actions towards rectifying previous marketing missteps

Aside from the aforementioned criticisms, Juul has also faced backlash against its previous marketing tactics, as its first ad campaign featured bright colors and youthful looking models. Juul has said it regrets the ads but denies it intentionally targeted teenagers, and has taken actions towards rectifying such missteps.

Last Summer the e-cig manufacturer had announced that it would be spending $30 million to support US state and federal initiatives to raise the minimum age to buy tobacco products to over 21, and towards research on how to prevent youth access to the products.

Additionally, the San Francisco-based company had also stopped promoting its devices online, and had announced for the first time, that it would only advertise by using images of former smokers who have successfully switched from smoking regular cigarettes to vaping the Juul device

Read Further: CNBC