vaping and men’s health | vape magazine

After Regulation, E-Cig Brands Have Another Huge Hurdle: MEN’S COMPLACENCY ABOUT THEIR HEALTH By Steve Hong, Roebling Research, LLC Let’s imagine a world where all the regulation matters over e-cigs are settled. In fact, let’s heighten the fantasy and also imagine that in this world, long-term studies have proven that vaping products pose minimal health risk and are effective smoking cessation aides. If you’re thinking, “Certainly this is a perfect world where tobacco cigarettes no longer exist,” you’d probably be wrong. Even if e-cigarette use was normalized, the next great hurdle for the industry is men’s complacency about their own health. It has been well documented through the years that women tend to take better care of themselves. They see the doctor more often, they have better eating habits and partly for those reasons they tend to live longer. “Women receive encouragement to be nurturers … a woman is so used to giving and taking care of others it’s not too much of a leap for her to take care of herself,” Robert Sobut, M.D., a clinical instructor of psychiatry at Northwestern University, said. “For men the act of nurturing can be an unfamiliar concept, therefore they tend to be more neglectful of themselves.” A recent study concluded that young men of today know what healthy behavior is, but social cues in their lives trigger unhealthy choices. The prevalence of obesity, binge drinking, sedentary lifestyles and smoking among men are evidence of this. The study goes on to say that sports can be a conduit by which men take an interest in their health. Specifically, the promise of better performance or opportunity to emulate an athlete can prompt healthy behavior. A recent Roebling Research report Churn in the E-Cigarette Market confirms that adult male smokers who have tried e-cigarettes make up 63 percent of all triers and are less likely to continue vaping than their female counterparts. Thus they comprise most of the triers who are churning out of the market, presumably to go back to smoking. So, it’s possible that we’re seeing male smokers exhibit this same complacent attitude about quitting smoking by substituting e-cigs for analogs. This is the big marketing challenge that the industry will face. The brands that can crack this nut will likely be market leaders. A few random observations: Downside: If e-cigs are subjected to the same advertising limitations that tobacco brands are, then sponsorship of sports or entertainment events would be illegal. Thus, e-cig brands could not use a forum through which men learn healthy behaviors. Upside: Vaping culture may provide those social cues that men need to quit tobacco. What do you think? Roebling Research, LLC Vaping and Men’s Health | VAPE Magazine http://vapenewsmagazine.com/february-2014/after-regulation-e-... 1 of 2 3/11/15, 1:08 PM

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Page 1: Vaping and Men’s Health | VAPE Magazine

After Regulation, E-Cig BrandsHave Another Huge Hurdle:MEN’S COMPLACENCY ABOUT THEIR HEALTH

By Steve Hong, Roebling Research, LLC

Let’s imagine a world where all the regulation matters over e-cigs are settled.In fact, let’s heighten the fantasy and also imagine that in this world, long-term studies haveproven that vaping products pose minimal health risk and are effective smoking cessation aides. Ifyou’re thinking, “Certainly this is a perfect world where tobacco cigarettes no longer exist,” you’dprobably be wrong. Even if e-cigarette use was normalized, the next great hurdle for the industry ismen’s complacency about their own health.

It has been well documented through the years that women tend to take better care of

themselves. They see the doctor more often, they have better eating habits and partly for thosereasons they tend to live longer.

“Women receive encouragement to be nurturers … a woman is so used to giving and taking care of others it’s not

too much of a leap for her to take care of herself,” Robert Sobut, M.D., a clinical instructor of psychiatry at NorthwesternUniversity, said. “For men the act of nurturing can be an unfamiliar concept, therefore they tend to be more neglectfulof themselves.”

A recent study concluded that young men of today know what healthy behavior is, but social cues in their lives trigger

unhealthy choices. The prevalence of obesity, binge drinking, sedentary lifestyles and smoking among men are evidence ofthis. The study goes on to say that sports can be a conduit by which men take an interest in their health. Specifically, thepromise of better performance or opportunity to emulate an athlete can prompt healthy behavior.

A recent Roebling Research report Churn in the E-Cigarette Market confirms that adult male smokers who have tried

e-cigarettes make up 63 percent of all triers and are less likely to continue vaping than their female counterparts. Thus theycomprise most of the triers who are churning out of the market, presumably to go back to smoking. So, it’s possible thatwe’re seeing male smokers exhibit this same complacent attitude about quitting smoking by substituting e-cigs for analogs.

This is the big marketing challenge that the industry will face. The brands that can crack this nut will likely be market

leaders. A few random observations: Downside: If e-cigs are subjected to the same advertising limitations that tobacco brands are, then sponsorship of sports

or entertainment events would be illegal. Thus, e-cig brands could not use a forum through which men learn healthybehaviors.

Upside: Vaping culture may provide those social cues that men need to quit tobacco.

What do you think? Roebling Research, LLC

Vaping and Men’s Health | VAPE Magazine http://vapenewsmagazine.com/february-2014/after-regulation-e-...

1 of 2 3/11/15, 1:08 PM