Efforts to secure nicotine and cannabis product placements in popular media by Ploom, Pax, and Juul: an analysis of tobacco industry documents.

Introduction: Tobacco companies advertised cigarettes in popular media to increase social acceptability. Most research on e-cigarette product placement has been content analyses of music videos. We explored the motivations, activities, and results of product placement activities of the e-cigarette company Ploom and its successors, Pax Labs and Juul Labs, in music videos as well as film and television.

Methods: Case study using internal industry documents released in litigation and housed at the UCSF Truth Tobacco Industry Documents Library. Relevant documents were cataloged, summarized, and placed in chronological order.

Results: We identified 451 relevant documents. Ploom sought product placements to expand its audience and enhance credibility. After Ploom split into Pax Labs and Juul Labs, they pursued free product placements by establishing relationships with prop masters in the entertainment industry and loaning devices to media productions using a placement agency. Later, Pax devices secured placements in music videos, film, and television; Juul appeared to secure only one placement.

Conclusions: Ploom and its successor companies secured free product placements in music videos, films, and television. Pax devices associated with cannabis were placed more frequently than Juul. Given that tobacco advertising causes youth initiation, stronger regulation of product placement practices may be warranted.

Implications: Ploom, Pax Labs, and Juul Labs used entertainment industry firms and outreach to prop masters to obtain free numerous product placements as consumers in general increasingly ignore or avoid traditional advertising. Product placements, which can improve brand recall, are better liked than commercials, and contribute to youth smoking uptake, appeared in popular and culturally relevant movies, shows, and music videos. E-cigarette industry product placement practices reflected those successfully used by major tobacco companies in the past.