Vaping and the nicoteens: All just smoke and marketing?

What do you think of this animation, which aims to stir up indignation against the marketing tactics employed by vaping manufacturers among the teenage demographic? The organisation behind it isTruth Initiative, a non-profit tobacco control movement "dedicated to achieving a culture where all youth and young adults reject tobacco." While we can all appreciate the good intentions of alerting youngsters to the dangers of slick marketing as well as of vaping itself, is it possible or even desirable that 'all' of them should reject any one product? Obviously not in terms of finance: Grand View Research puts the global e-cigarette and vape market value at USD 22.45 billion in 2022, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 30.6% from 2023 to 2030. Vaping is on the up globally among teens, who are attracted by the bright colours and names like 'cotton candy', 'raspberry sherbet' or 'lemon tart' used to market the products. Studies show that teens who have never smoked traditional cigarettes are drawn to vaping and may even be transitioning from that to smoking cigarettes over time. E-cigarettes and vaping were originally promoted as helpful health pathways to quit smoking. They allow the user to inhale nicotine - the primary addictive component of tobacco cigarettes - as a vapour rather than as smoke, hence the term 'vaping'. A UK government article says that: "E-cigarettes work by heating a liquid that typically contains nicotine and flavourings among other chemicals. They do not burn tobacco and do not produce tar or carbon monoxide, two of the most damaging elements to health in tobacco smoke". However, the use of nicotine and chemical flavourings also raise health concerns. The fact that Big Tobacco companies are vigorous promoters of vaping products has led to criticisms that they are cynically promoting vaping products to young people. This Truthorange campaign sets out to 'spark anger towards vaping companies and inspire young people to quit vaping by tapping into an insight about their mental health.... vaping can actually amplify the feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression that they’re trying to soothe'. Some viewers have already panned the ad, saying things like 'it's so awful it makes me want to start vaping', or 'this ad gives me more stress than vaping could', but then one can't please all of the people all of the time. Your thoughts on how it might go over with the intended audience?

Keywords: Truth Initiative Breath of Stress Air, anti-vaping, teen vaping USA, teen mental health, Truthorange, nicotine and teenage health, Mojo Supermarket agency