Nicotine pouch ads follow e-cigarette marketing playbook and risk appealing to young people

Advertisements for nicotine pouches often highlight flavors, emphasize the “freedom” of using nicotine pouches, and suggest that they are less harmful than traditional tobacco products – themes that may appeal to youth and young adults, according to new research co-authored by Truth Initiative® published in Tobacco Control. The study, among the first to examine advertising for nicotine pouches in the U.S., finds that the popular nicotine pouch brands On!, Zyn, and Velo spent nearly $25 million on ads between January 2019 and September 2021, and build on marketing methods that helped recruit a generation of young people to new nicotine-containing products like e-cigarettes. The study underscores the need to monitor marketing and enforce regulation of new youth-appealing nicotine products.