TY - JOUR
T1 - The impact of influencers on cigar promotions
T2 - a content analysis of large cigar and Swisher Sweets Videos on TikTok
AU - Wu, Jiaxi
AU - Harlow, Alyssa F.
AU - Wijaya, Derry
AU - Berman, Micah
AU - Benjamin, Emelia J.
AU - Xuan, Ziming
AU - Hong, Traci
AU - Fetterman, Jessica L.
N1 - Funding Information:
Funding: Research reported in this publication was supported, in part, by the National Heart, Lung, And Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number U54HL120163. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. J. Wu reports grants from American Heart Association. J.L. Fetterman reports grants from American Heart Association and a National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute K01 HL143142. A.F. Harlow reports grants from American Heart Association. E.J. Benjamin reports grants from NIH R01HL092577 and American Heart Association AHA_18SFRN34110082.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
PY - 2022/6/9
Y1 - 2022/6/9
N2 - Little is known about the content, promotions, and individuals in cigar-related videos on TikTok. TikTok videos with large cigar and Swisher Sweets-related hashtags between July 2016 and September 2020 were analyzed. Follower count was used to identify influencers. We compared content characteristics and demographics of featured individuals between cigar types, and by influencer status. We also examined the association between content characteristics and video engagement. Compared to large cigar videos, Swisher Sweets videos were more likely to feature arts and crafts with cigar packages, cannabis use, and flavored products. In addition, Swisher Sweets videos were also more likely to feature females, Black individuals, and younger individuals. Both Swisher Sweets and large cigar influencers posted more videos of cigar purchasing behaviors than non-influencers, which was associated with more video views. None of the videos disclosed sponsorship with #ad or #sponsored. Videos containing the use of cigar packages for arts and crafts, and flavored products highlight the importance of colorful packaging and flavors in the appeal of Swisher Sweets cigars, lending support for plain packaging requirements and the prohibition of flavors in cigar products to decrease the appeal of cigars. The presence and broad reach of cigar promotions on TikTok requires stricter enforcement of anti-tobacco promotion policies.
AB - Little is known about the content, promotions, and individuals in cigar-related videos on TikTok. TikTok videos with large cigar and Swisher Sweets-related hashtags between July 2016 and September 2020 were analyzed. Follower count was used to identify influencers. We compared content characteristics and demographics of featured individuals between cigar types, and by influencer status. We also examined the association between content characteristics and video engagement. Compared to large cigar videos, Swisher Sweets videos were more likely to feature arts and crafts with cigar packages, cannabis use, and flavored products. In addition, Swisher Sweets videos were also more likely to feature females, Black individuals, and younger individuals. Both Swisher Sweets and large cigar influencers posted more videos of cigar purchasing behaviors than non-influencers, which was associated with more video views. None of the videos disclosed sponsorship with #ad or #sponsored. Videos containing the use of cigar packages for arts and crafts, and flavored products highlight the importance of colorful packaging and flavors in the appeal of Swisher Sweets cigars, lending support for plain packaging requirements and the prohibition of flavors in cigar products to decrease the appeal of cigars. The presence and broad reach of cigar promotions on TikTok requires stricter enforcement of anti-tobacco promotion policies.
KW - cigars
KW - flavored cigars
KW - influencer promotion
KW - little cigars
KW - social media
KW - Swisher Sweets
KW - TikTok
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85131532993&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3390/ijerph19127064
DO - 10.3390/ijerph19127064
M3 - Article
C2 - 35742315
AN - SCOPUS:85131532993
VL - 19
JO - International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
JF - International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
SN - 1661-7827
IS - 12
M1 - 7064
ER -
