E-cigarette marketing on Social Networking Sites

Effect on Attitudes, Behavioral Control, Intention to Quit,

And Self Efficacy

INTRODUCTION

E-cigarettes use is an increasingly serious health issue. Harm-reduction advocates research evidence
finding e-cigarettes to be efficacious cessation aids in a step-down approach from conventional tobacco
(Benowit, Donny, and Hats kami, 2017), but abstinence-only advocates argue that e-cigarettes, like
conventional tobacco, contain cancer-causing toxins and pollutants and therefore are not safer tobacco
substitutes (Huerta, Walker, Mullen, Johnson, and Ford, 2017). . Effective August 8, 2016, the U.S. Food
and Drug Administration began regulating e-cigarettes, requiring health warnings on packages, banning
free samples and vending-machine sales, and restricting sales to those 18 years and older (U.S. Food and
Drug Administration, 2016). According to a 2016 U.S. Surgeon General’s report, use of social networking
sites by e-cigarette brands for marketing is increasingly prevalent, because of the ability to reach
teenagers and young adults, who are most susceptible to peer and media influence (U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services, 2016). In a 2016 special report on social media success metrics, the
American Marketing Association (AMA) outlined three prominent types of social network-based
marketing. Sponsored advertisements (paid media posts advertising a brand’s products) brand pages
(owned media posts, which let a company craft a consistent brand message, allowing users to like,
follow, and comment) User-created groups (earned media in which users engage in electronic word of
mouth and pass along user-generated content; AMA, 2016).

The current research therefore is important, because e-cigarettes marketers mainly use these three
types of social networking site-based marketing to engage their target audiences (i.e., sponsored
advertisements, brand pages, and user-created groups). To date, no prior studies have examined
whether exposure to these three types of marketing, on their own or in combination with one another,
can have an impact on e-cigarette attitudes and behavioral intentions.

Current investigation the author applied the elaboration likelihood model (Pety, Cacioppo, and
Schumann, 1983), the theory of planned behavior (Ajzen, 1991), and online information-seeking
strategies (Ramirez, Walther, Burgoon, and Sunnafrank, 2002) to assess whether consumers’ exposure
to these three types of social networking site-based e-cigarette marketing would exert a significant and
additive effect on attitudes and behavioral intentions toward e-cigarette use.

Social networking sites allow marketers to purchase sponsored advertisements—paid media that users
see on their news feeds. Consumer interaction with social networking site-based advertisements has
been found to influence brand preferences (Gensler, Völckner, Liu-Thompkins, and Wiert, 2013).
Marketers also use social networking site brand pages (owned media) to engage consumers through
brand-related posts. These posts facilitate liking, sharing, and commenting on messages, which is earned
media (Taylor, Lewin, and Struton, 2011).

Because marketers use three major types of social networking site-based marketing to engage their
target audiences— sponsored advertisements, brand pages, and user-created groups (AMA, 2016)—it

therefore is important to assess empirically each type’s effect on atitudes and behavioral intentions
toward e-cigaretes and e-cigarete brands.

Future research should continue to explicate social networking site e-cigarete advertising with potential
negative effects on consumer health, basically the I choose the variable Celebrities endorsing e-cigarette
brands on social media may exert a strong influence on e-cigarette. that celebrity endorsers significantly
increased positive attitudes towards e-cigarettes and smoking intentions, compared to non-
celebrities or products only. celebrity endorsers transfer their distinct personalities to endorsed
brands, influencing brand attitudes and perceptions consistent with the celebrity’s image (Jin and
Phua, 2014; Salmon and Atkin, 2003). he selection of appropriate celebrity endorsers reflecting
normative behav-iour and social cues can significantly influence

advertisement viewers (Jankowski et al., 2016). Studies on cigarette advertising contend that when
celebrities are seen smoking in candid pho-tos, films, TV shows or as brand endorsers, they significantly
influence fans to use tobacco (Basil, 1997; Sterling et al., 2013). tobacco advertising, including
celebrity endorsements, is banned or strictly regulated in the United States and many other
countries.

Model for E-cigarette marketing on Social Networking Sites Effect on Attitudes,

Behavioral Control, Intention to Quit, And Self Efficacy

Attitude towards
quitting e-cig
Exposer to e-cig Celebrity endorsement
advertising

Perceived behavioral
control

The theory Applying social cognitive theory (Bandura, 1986), source credibility (McCroskey and
Teven, 1999) and social identity theory (Tajfel and Turner, 1986), results reveal that celebrity
endorsers on SNS e-cigarette brand pages exert a significant effect on attitudes and e-cigarette
smoking intentions, particularly for teenagers and young adults who see celebrities as role
models from whom to learn behavioural cues (Choi and Rifon, 2012; Jankowski et al., 2016; Jin
and Phua, 2014). Celebrity endorsers were rated higher on expertise, trustworthiness, good-will and
attractiveness compared to regular peo-ple. Identification moderated between endorser type and
trustworthiness, whereas attention to social comparison, health consciousness and degree of SNS
use each interacted with endorser type to influence attitudes and e-cigarette smok-ing intentions. The
potential negative effects of SNS-based e-cigarette advertising, particularly celebrity endorsements,
on e-cigarette use should be further examined in future research, so as to help guide regulation of
SNS-based e-cigarette advertising messages and other online websites.

LITERATURE REVIEW

In previous research, celebrity endorsers act as role models whom fans look to for social and
behavioural cues (Boepple and Thompson, 2016; Tatangelo and Ricciardelli, 2015). We hypothesized
that an e-cigarette SNS brand page with celebrity endorsers would more strongly impact
attitudes towards e-cigarettes and smoking intentions, compared to non-celebrity endorsers or
products only.

The elaboration likelihood model (Petyet al., 1983), a frequently used theoretical framework in
traditional advertising research, proposes two major routes by which atitude change occurs. The central
route requires individuals to process messages cognitively, which leads to high message elaboration.

H1: Celebrity endorsers on an e-cigarette advertisement and social media page run will result in
significantly (a) more positive attitudes towards e-cigarettes and (b) greater e-cigarette smoking
intentions than non-celebrity endorsers or prod-ucts only.

In advertisements, celebrities act as credible endorsers because consumers transfer their feelings
towards the celebrity to advertised brands (Jankowski et al., 2016; Till and Shimp, 1998). When
celebrities are matched to congruent brands and products, advertising persuasiveness is enhanced due
to greater perceived source credibility (Choi and Rifon, 2012). Due to the potential social cognitive
effect of celebrities on consumers’ perceptions of social norms, we hypothesized that
celebrities. Celebrity endorsers to advertisement to convey the message about e-cigarette not used
cigarette because the e-cigarette cause health problem. Even people influence and attract the celebrity
face and follow and accept the message. And that’s why the effect the behavioral control and also
quitting the e-cigarette.