The Danger of Flavor: E-Cigarettes, Social Media, and the Interplay of Generations

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-1-2020

Publication Title

Journal of Business Research

First page number:

1

Last page number:

13

Abstract

© 2020 Elsevier Inc. This study evaluates the effects of social media advertisements of e-cigarettes on consumer perceptions. We first use netnographic data to explore e-cigarette comments (n = 1900) and next conduct an experimental study on a randomized sample of cigarette consumers (n = 525) to assess the effects of e-cigarette features (i.e., flavor) and social influence (i.e., social tie and popularity of the advertisement) on consumer beliefs. Our findings show that the influence of e-cigarette flavor on perceived relative risk and negative beliefs has an opposite pattern for generation X consumers versus millennials. Millennials perceive cherry-flavored e-cigarettes as less risky, and perceive tobacco-flavored e-cigarettes as less risky when they are associated with close social ties. Our mixed methods study contributes to the marketing and public health disciplines by uncovering health-related perceptions and beliefs as outcomes of e-cigarette flavor and social influence. It also contributes empirically by showing the differential influences of close and far social ties.

Keywords

Advertising; Digital marketing; E-cigarettes; Mixed Methods; Social influence; Social Media

Disciplines

Marketing | Public Health

Language

English

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