They are still loosely regulated by the FDA, claim to be safer than the traditional cigarettes, are environmentally friendly, have started to sign up celebrity endorsers and have the large budgets for marketing that could all be part of a new category on the rise, especially amongst a younger demo. So will vaping now find its way into the sports sponsorship mix?
With flavors like chocolate and “cherry crush,” and a wide ranging radio campaign and print and digital to match, e-cigs are definitely becoming a tempting play for media salespeople starved for new revenue sources. Sports gambling is moving closer to widespread acceptance, most hard liquor is in the regular rotation, Cannabis and CBD are winding their way through issues, condoms have not yet taken hold in the sports and action space, and now the massive vaping lobby is poking its million dollar budgets to see where it can potentially work its way in.
Now for sure the top American sports leagues, and probably circuits like golf and tennis, are going to take a long hard look at vaping before taking the money that is growing in the sponsorship pool. Recent reports have also shown E-cigarette and vaping use has doubled among middle- and high-school kids — and experts fear the devices are creating a new generation of smokers rather than helping people kick the habit. Factor in that a growing majority of US high-schoolers admitted having tried e-cigs last year, up from 4.7 percent in 2011, according to a survey by the National Youth Tobacco Survey, and the number of middle-school students who tried them also doubled.
Even with the team market probably off limits for now, fight sports, maybe now auto racing could embrace the big dollars of the e-cigarette market, one which appeals to a less traditional and sometimes a bit edgier marketplace. While the UFC or Bellator might not let e-cigs in the cage, there is room for on-site offers and other promotions that could be tied to athletes, much like they are now tied to a rising list of celebrities. And while athletes have shunned, or been forced to shun, direct endorsements of tobacco products for years, that has not stopped athletes and celebs from cigar ads and promotions, and e-cigs could fall into that allegedly slightly less addictive area where cigars reside to this day. There also remains a huge global event audience, which could draw eyeballs in the plethora of broadcast offerings now out there, where e-cig promotions could also pop up. Formula 1 has taken a look at where this massive play can go, with brands like JUUL and BLU wanting into a market where they can talk prevention and education but still play to a consumer audience who may be amenable to vaping.
So while we won’t suddenly see e-cig promotions in the manner of Joe Camel or The Marlboro Man tied to game promotions or signage for the foreseeable future, the lucrative vaping market will continue to test the waters to see what the response will be from sports business partners always looking for acceptable marketing dollars. Those producers’ pockets are deep and creative, and with some celebs now on board, the push to ask athletes and teams beyond the U.S. shores, and maybe on some screens away from team sports for now, may not be very far behind.
