Understanding Vape Marketing Study

Key messages and message-delivery strategy will be developed, potentially comprising of short-form videos. The study team will ask working group members to rank draft messages and strategies for delivery in addition to eliciting qualitative information.

Self-reported data and/or qualitative data elicited from participants by prompting: Which Instagram advertisement made you interested to join this study?

Qualitative data elicited from participants by prompting: How participants feel about relevance to and representation of age group and e-cigarette use status (e.g., "this message is not for me since I don't vape" or "I would not be interested," helpfulness of content to achieve different tobacco prevention goals such as raising awareness, prevention)

Qualitative data elicited from participants by prompting: How would you improve the messages? What changes would you make?

Qualitative data elicited from participants by prompting: How helpful was it to include [key message in development] to raise awareness about e-cigarettes and e-cigarette marketing?

Qualitative data elicited from participants by prompting: How helpful was it to include [key message in development] to prevent adolescents from liking e-cigarette products?

Qualitative data elicited from participants by prompting: How helpful was it to include [key message in development] to prevent/reduce e-cigarette purchase?

Qualitative data elicited from participants by prompting: How helpful was it to include [key message in development] to prevent/reduce adolescent e-cigarette use?

Qualitative data elicited from participants by prompting: Device most commonly used to access similar online/video content

Average time in minutes to engage with draft messages, and study activities

A survey will ask participants, "Have you ever tried any of the following products, even one or two puffs?" (Yes/No). If "Yes," participants will see the question, "During the past 30 days, did you use any of the following products, even one or two puffs? (Yes/No)." If "Yes," participants will see the question, "On how many days out of the past 30 days, did you use a…" with a numeric response from 0-30 (drop-down option where participants could select only one response). If participants provided an answer from 1-30 to this question, the survey will ask, "In the past 7 days, on how many days did you use an e-cigarette or vape?" with a numeric response from 0-7 (drop-down option where participants could select only one response).

(Products include:nicotine vape, THC (marijuana) vape, some kind of vape (don't know what was in it), cigarette, and nicotine pouch).

A survey will ask participants 4 questions adapted from the Enhanced susceptibility to smoking index, (1) "Have you ever been curious about e-cigarettes/vapes?; (2) "Do you think you will try an e-cigarette/vape in the next month?;" (3) Do you think you will try an e-cigarette/vape in the next year?; and (4) "If one of your best friends were to offer you an e-cigarette/vape, would you try it?" with responses on a 4-point Likert-type scale (Definitely yes; Probably yes; Probably not; and Definitely not). Across all 4 questions, any participant response except "Definitely not" will be classified as susceptible to using e-cigarettes.

The facilitator will ask participants about perceptions of anti-vaping ads, specifically inside and around retail stores

A survey and the focus group facilitator will ask about perceptions of e-cigarette brand recall among adolescents, appealing locations of advertising, ownership of merchandise, and receipt of free samples

The facilitator will ask participants: 1) Could you describe what was interesting or engaging? Probes: How would you improve what you just saw? What changes would you make? Comments on: a) individualized delivery; b) influencer-style; c) message? 2) Are there parts you would recommend excluding? Why? 3) How relevant was it to you? To people your age? 4) Was the language used easy to understand? 5) How does this messaging compare to what you have already seen? 6) How helpful was it to include the messages on marketing? a) raise awareness; b) prevent adolescents from liking products; c) prevent/ reduce e-cigarette purchase (in stores); d) prevent/ reduce e-cigarette purchase or sharing (with friends/family); and prevent/ reduce e-cigarette use? 7) If you were trying to prevent someone from starting to vape, what could be effective: a) aspects about vaping that you could bring up?; b) language that you could use?; c) images that you could use?; d) appeals that you could use?