UK’s first e-cig “vaping” advert to be televised tonight

There are mixed emotions towards tonight’s first ever e-cigarette “vaping” advert on ITV.

E-cigarette adverts have been permitted up until now, but never with a visible device or someone using it.

VIP is the company behind the advert that will air for the first time in the UK after the 9pm watershed. The ad will run for a duration of five weeks.

Dave Levin of VIP said: “E-cigarettes have attracted a lot of controversy recently, which has largely been due to concerns over safety, so it will be interesting to see how people respond to our advert’s debut.”

The current rules regarding the marketing of vaporisers and cigarettes, devised by the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP), state the ads should not:

• Appeal particularly to people under 18, especially by reflecting or associating with youth culture.
• Encourage the use of e-cigs to non-smokers.
• Claim that e-cigs are a healthier or safer option than tobacco.
• Make any health claims about the use of e-cigs without the authorisation of the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency.

NHS doctor Daisy Bennett commented: “There are different flavours coming out with e-cigarettes and flavours such as candy flavours, pop-corn flavours I think are, seem like they are targeting children.”

Simon Clark, from the lobby group Forest, told Sky News: “The evidence suggests that the only people using e-cigarettes at the moment are current smokers or smokers who wish to cut down or quit… for that reason, we should encourage the advertisements to be as attractive to them as possible because if they’re not attractive, they’re not going to quit.”

Medical experts collectively agree that e-cigarettes are too new to ascertain their health effects at present.

Ninette Osei Wilson

Watch the full version of the VIP advert here: