Is the Vaping industry not watching it's own back

You guys will have to excuse my rant this morning, but I do my best ranting in the morning. And I think it is more of A warning than a rant. If you disagree that is O.K., I am in no way trying to tell people what to do, but I think it is time someone put this out there for general consumption.

First off, Why are we using sex to sell Electronic cigarettes, especially magazines? Is our memory so bad that we forget the days gone by of cigarette manufacturers using sex to sell cigarettes. How did that go for big tobacco when the FDA did NOT regulate tobacco back then. I honestly do not understand the "glamorization" of vaping.

I realize that if someone is going to start using nicotine, vaping is a better alternative, but I think some of us need to get back to our roots and remember why we started vaping, an alternative to the many poisons that comes with combusting paper, leaves and stems that we had been putting in our bodies for decades.

Most of us started before we even got out of high school,and some even earlier. was it glamorization of smoking that got us started, or peer pressure. In most cases if we are honest it was peer pressure. Maybe if a nude woman or male were on the pack we may of been more inclined to buy that pack, and why, to be cool of course and say "this is what I smoke". But the proof as we all know, who grew up with choices like carlton, marlboro, or winston, is in the pack and is all about taste. It was not the packaging. I see kittys, on labels, gumballs, you know what I am talking about, you all have seen the packages out there as well.

Disclaimer: I am all about freedom of speech and, hey, you want to put that on your packaging because you think it looks cool, go for it. I am all about freedom of expression. But I want you to think about what sort of impression you are making out there to the ones fighting this so hard, and say we are marketing to young people, but even worse than that, that we are marketing to non-smokers over 18. Yes, I know if you can vote and die for your country,etc..etc.. Just remember when the regulators come down on us and say plain black and white, or if we are lucky, some color on our labels is the RULE. we brought it on ourselves.

What I do not like, and I am sure I am not in the minority, is when I show a child under 12 a picture in a magazine of an E-liquid line, and their eyes light up from the WOW factor because it looks enticing.

My point is, we are reliving the history of the tobacco industry , and if we have forgotten what happened to them we will go down the same path. Well actually it is too late, we are.

Most of us are smart and very intelligent as far as addicts go. If we think the public is going to put up with alluring labeling, and glamorization of an addictive substance, then we are sorely mistaken. Hell, even states where weed is legal HATE's vaping and wants to destroy it, and of course tax it if they cant do that.

Just stop and think about your labeling, your packaging, your marketing angle from the point that you want to stay in business and have an alternative to smoking that people will use instead of smoking. If your E-liquid is REALLY as good to the masses as YOU think it is then you do not need any type of ALLURING material associated with it, it will sell itself, and do that through peer pressure more than likely.

And is the content in a vape magazine so boring, or not getting enough advertising revenue, that there is a dire need to put "MODELS" scantily clad between the covers to sell magazines?

I will re-interate, put anything you like on or in whatever trips your trigger. Just remember this industry is still relatively speaking, very young, and you are laying the groundwork for disdain, negative opinion from the public,( lord knows we get enough of that already ). And more regulation.

Well said...

Great post, thanks for sharing!

Demonizing ecigs and vaping was already going full bore before vaping became more mainstream. The ecig marketing tactics are now the typical cute and sexy themes, but I think those lobbying against us got the fix in at local, state and federal levels before most people even heard of vaping.

In the wild west of this oversaturated industry, most vendors are looking for any advantage to survive. I don't think that will have any effect on the regulations in the future. Massive campaigns against ecigs started long ago, and the false studies and negative press have swayed the uninformed to just nod along as these regulations roll out. Labeling and advertising don't really matter at this late date.

We can argue about whether or not to shut the barn door, but the tornado is fast approaching.

MC5 said:

Demonizing ecigs and vaping was already going full bore before vaping became more mainstream. The ecig marketing tactics are now the typical cute and sexy themes, but I think those lobbying against us got the fix in at local, state and federal levels before most people even heard of vaping.

In the wild west of this oversaturated industry, most vendors are looking for any advantage to survive. I don't think that will have any effect on the regulations in the future. Massive campaigns against ecigs started long ago, and the false studies and negative press have swayed the uninformed to just nod along as these regulations roll out. Labeling and advertising don't really matter at this late date.

We can argue about whether or not to shut the barn door, but the tornado is fast approaching.

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The problem is, we just keep giving them more ammo to use against us. The funny thing about juice vendors, is they have to use alluring packaging and I mean not age appropriate .. They have maybe been mixing for 6mos. to a year.? Labeling and advertising will always matter, and I believe it is only a matter of time before the cute gets knocked out of the market.

To the point of regulations
Since most smokers started as teenagers and the 2009 FSPTCA - http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-111publ31/pdf/PLAW-111publ31.pdf
The Congress finds the following: (4) Virtually all new users of tobacco products are under the minimum legal age to purchase such products.

Advertising that appeals to youth will be strongly attacked.

I think its time to regulate ourselves

Maybe make our own commisison that says what is and is not acceptable

from where you should or shouldn't vape, to marketing, to labeling, putting ingredients on bottles, etc etc.
then manufacturers vendors and plain old joe vape that complies get the badge of honor saying you are endorsed by the said organization

Then the only regulation needed by govt besides excessive taxation is to be endorsed by said organization

Well said. I found vaping as a miracle 'cure' to break a 40 year smoking habit. I vape to keep from smoking. The pictures of 'models' on labels make me think of used cars, teen cloud chasers who vape zero nic, and mens lockers rooms. But then again, I vape so that I don't smoke, not because it's cool (and in my generation it's more 'odd' than cool) Those of us who vape to break milenniums of smoking could be a good and steady market but many will be put off by some of these advertising trends that are obviously aimed at a different market (my opinion of course).

SEE HERE: http://www.vapefreeyouth.com

We are finally moving forward.

When you look at everyones reason for doing what they are doing (state/federal govt, big tobacco, juice companies, magazine makers, and promoters of all types), you will find that its MONEY! Why is there a cute kitty on a juice bottle? Money. Why are there girls in vape magazines? Money. Why is the govt trying to tax and regulate vaping? Money. All other issues fall away when marketing and sales drive an industry. Likewise, when a govt relies on stolen money to fuel its empire, well, money is the answer there too.

All of this is fine, its how successful business operate and theres nothing wrong with it, UNTIL there is a centralized entity hell bent on slandering and destroying it. Remove the false narratives and bogus claims seeded by big tobacco and pushed by the state, and we have no problems.

I dont see this as a 'vapers need to straighten up' issue, I see it as an 'out of control govt' issue.

Pauly,
Govt. is not printing and putting the labels on the bottles, we are.

The thing is.
No senators are complaining about a Vape MAGAZINE
The are complaining about a BLU AD in PLAYBOY!!!
Where all the middle schoolers can see?

Or a Vuse add on TV that doesn't even show the product in use.

At the same time you have dipshits like Stanton Glantz getting Disney to go in and digitally remove smoking from 40 year old cartoons

Vaperstek said:

Pauly,
Govt. is not printing and putting the labels on the bottles, we are.

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No, they are not. But they are not being truthful about why they are going after vaping either.

This 'for the kids' excuse is simply bullshit. It would not matter if every label was black and white and all flavors were tobacco and menthol, because their concern is not for the children, its for the tax revenue. In the same sense, it doesnt matter if theres kittys and bright colors on labels, because the results will be the same. They will throw every piece of shit at the wall and find the one that sticks, because their buddy 'big tobacco' and the money he brings in, is more important than the health of millions of human beings.

It doesnt matter what any vape related company does, they are coming after us just the same. Maybe some acts are easier to demonize than others, but since money is the goal, fucking us is the solution, and there doesnt need to be factual, actual reason behind it.

Mattp169 said:

I think its time to regulate ourselves

Maybe make our own commisison that says what is and is not acceptable

from where you should or shouldn't vape, to marketing, to labeling, putting ingredients on bottles, etc etc.
then manufacturers vendors and plain old joe vape that complies get the badge of honor saying you are endorsed by the said organization

Then the only regulation needed by govt besides excessive taxation is to be endorsed by said organization

Click to expand...

I think they call it AMESA they do all that stuff you say. Right after you pay your first $5000 in "dues"

You can surely guess from that why most of the mid to small size juice makers don't go for it.

You ever hear the saying "There is an asshole in every bunch"

It means no matter what, every group has an asshole in it.

So true, i could name the asshole(s) right now in my group of friends from up north.

The assholes in the vaping bunch are the ones putting bugs bunny on the label or a picture of a girl scout cookies with the trademarked "Thin Mints" name on the bottles in the small to mid juice vendor group.

5150sick said:

I think they call it AMESA they do all that stuff you say. Right after you pay your first $5000 in "dues"

You can surely guess from that why most of the mid to small size juice makers don't go for it.

You ever hear the saying "There is an asshole in every bunch"

It means no matter what, every group has an asshole in it.

So true, i could name the asshole(s) right now in my group of friends from up north.

The assholes in the vaping bunch are the ones putting bugs bunny on the label or a picture of a girl scout cookies with the trademarked "Thin Mints" name on the bottles in the small to mid juice vendor group.

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I can see how the cheap juices in this group would have an easier time getting into kids hands, and infringing copyrights at the same time.
I get it. I realize this gives valuable fuel to the commies who are trying so hard to demonize vaping.
However, you dont blame a battered wife for being beaten, you blame the out of control husband. Any shirt she wears makes him mad, everything she does costs him money, and he will always blame everything on her, even when hes completely to blame.
I lay blame squarely where it belongs, with the almighty entitys who are losing money.

I for one am not "enticed" by any sort of elaborate labeling. Shitty juice in a colorful wrapper is still shitty juice. It wouldn't bother me at all to buy a juice in plain ol' black and white or plain brown paper, long as it tells me what it's supposed to taste like and maybe a nice slogan to the effect of "A safer alternative to smoking....". Throw in nic content and an ingredient label and I'm good. In my opinion, THAT'S the regulation they need to pass, that all labels look the SAME and fairly generic.

OP: An outstanding post! AND, you deploy Age Verification on your site. Kudos! Stay tuned for some well deserved "ink" from yours truly. Why? When a vendor has the cahones to step up to the plate and speak the truth, I'm all in. Even if we might have different views on what I like to call "niggle issues" the overall tone and thought is what I LOVE!