Elise M Stevens1, Amanda L Johnson2, Glenn Leshner3, FuWei Sun4, Seunghyun Kim5, Eleanor L S Leavens6, Alayna P Tackett2, Emily T Hébert2, Theodore L Wagener7. 1. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard University, Boston, MA. 2. Oklahoma Tobacco Research Center, Stephenson Cancer Center, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK. 3. Edward L. and Thelma Gaylord Chair in journalism, Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK. 4. Department of Journalism, Fu Hsing Kang College, National Defense University, Taiwan. 5. Department of Marketing and Advertising, College of Business, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Little Rock, AK. 6. Department of Population Health, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS. 7. Center for Tobacco Research, The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Internal Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Minimally regulated electronic cigarettes (e-cigarette) advertising may be one potential factor driving the increasing prevalence of young adult e-cigarette use. Using eye-tracking, the current study examined which e-cigarette advertising features were the most appealing to young adults as a first step to examine how e-cigarette advertising may be regulated. METHODS: Using a within-subjects design, 30 young adults (M age = 20.0 years) viewed e-cigarette ads in a laboratory. Ad features or areas of interest (AOIs) included: 1) brand logo, 2) product descriptor, and 3) people. During ad viewing, eye-tracking measured participants' dwell time and time to first fixation for each AOI as well as each ad brand. Harm perceptions pre- and post-viewing were measured. RESULTS: Participants spent the longest dwell time on people (M = 2701 ms), then product descriptors (M = 924 ms), then brand logos (M = 672 ms; ps < .001). They also fixated fastest on AOIs in that order. Participant sex significantly impacted dwell time of ad brand, and harm perceptions decreased after viewing the ads (ps < .05). CONCLUSIONS: This study provides initial evidence about which e-cigarette ad features may appeal most to young adults and may be useful when designing evidence-based policy.
OBJECTIVES: Minimally regulated electronic cigarettes (e-cigarette) advertising may be one potential factor driving the increasing prevalence of young adult e-cigarette use. Using eye-tracking, the current study examined which e-cigarette advertising features were the most appealing to young adults as a first step to examine how e-cigarette advertising may be regulated. METHODS: Using a within-subjects design, 30 young adults (M age = 20.0 years) viewed e-cigarette ads in a laboratory. Ad features or areas of interest (AOIs) included: 1) brand logo, 2) product descriptor, and 3) people. During ad viewing, eye-tracking measured participants' dwell time and time to first fixation for each AOI as well as each ad brand. Harm perceptions pre- and post-viewing were measured. RESULTS: Participants spent the longest dwell time on people (M = 2701 ms), then product descriptors (M = 924 ms), then brand logos (M = 672 ms; ps < .001). They also fixated fastest on AOIs in that order. Participant sex significantly impacted dwell time of ad brand, and harm perceptions decreased after viewing the ads (ps < .05). CONCLUSIONS: This study provides initial evidence about which e-cigarette ad features may appeal most to young adults and may be useful when designing evidence-based policy.
Entities:
Keywords:
electronic cigarettes; eye-tracking; tobacco advertising; young adults
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