The Marlboro Men of E-Cigarettes

A rather lengthy published in Sunday’s New York Magazine covers the marketing challenges facing e-cigarette companies. They compare the challenges to the ones faced by Marlboro in 1955, a time when filters were seen as something less than manly. Similar challenges are being faced today by e-cigarettes, with many see as too trendy, too hipster, and maybe a little wimpy. It raises the question, “would James Dean smoke one of these?”

James Dean

The article focuses on NJOY, going into great detail about what NJOY has done to combat the image, and to make their product as realistically cigarette-like at possible, from testing various flavors and construction, to coming to the discovery that one of the things people appreciate most about an e-cigarette is big, fluffy clouds of vapor.

“To see people’s faces and reactions when this big plume of vapor is coming out, we knew we were getting close.” – Mark Scatterday, NJOY creator

The piece closes with an explanation of how a tweet from Courtney Love to NJOY praising their product turned into a commercial for NJOY, and suggests that what e-cigarette marketing needs to appeal to smokers might just be a little less emphasis on health, and a little more on attitude.

Has NJOY Resolved the E-Cigarette’s Image Problem? — New York Magazine.

The Marlboro Men of E-Cigarettes