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RNZ News
21 hours ago
- RNZ News
Vape brands bypass regulations on marketing to young people by using global social media accounts
By Lucy Hardie, Becky Freeman, Christina Watts and Judith McCool of In 2024, 21.3 percent of people aged between 15 and 24 vaped daily. (File photo) Photo: Unsplash / Tbel Abuseridze Youth vaping is a major public health concern in many countries, with New Zealand's youth vaping rates among the highest in the world, and rising. In 2017, 3 percent of New Zealanders aged between 15 and 24 vaped daily, but by 2024, this was up to 21.3 percent . Globally, one of the main drivers is the promotion of vapes on social media. Like many other countries, New Zealand introduced vape advertising restrictions , including on social media, as part of efforts to curb this problem. But vape manufacturers mirror the techniques of traditional tobacco marketing, including stylish branding, flavours and sponsorship, and use global channels to get around domestic regulations. This raises the question of whether New Zealand's rules can be effective in a globalised digital world. Our new study investigates the content posted to the global Instagram account of British American Tobacco's vape brand Vuse, which holds more than 25 percent of the global market. We identify and describe the marketing strategies used to promote the brand to a global audience. We assessed the marketing strategies used by the account by analysing all posts made by @ - including imagery, audio and text - during the year from August 2023 to 2024. British American Tobacco have a vaping brand called Vuse. (File photo) Photo: AFP We looked for brand and influencer collaborations and posts with high engagement (likes and views). We found the company formed several high-profile collaborations as a major part of its marketing strategy. The most notable collaboration is with the Formula 1 motor racing team, McLaren. As a key sponsor, the car is heavily emblazoned with the Vuse logo and is frequently promoted on the Instagram account. Sharing content between the McLaren and Vuse Instagram accounts increased the @ audience from around 17,000 followers to the nearly 14 million followers of the McLaren race team. The four most viewed video posts in our study featured the motorsport partnership, with one clip viewed more than 225,000 times. British American Tobacco has maintained a decades-long partnership with Formula 1, dating back to when traditional cigarette advertising was still allowed. The Vuse Instagram account also features other lifestyle and entertainment collaborations. In a series of posts related to music festivals, Vuse employed DJs, artists, digital content creators and social media influencers to create engaging and stylish videos and photographs. The tobacco industry has undertaken music festival marketing for generations as an effective strategy to reach young people. "Get ready with me" videos are popular on Instagram, especially among young women. Four of the ten most viewed posts on the Vuse account were in this style, featuring young women filming themselves selecting fashion, makeup and hairstyles, and explaining their choices or setting the video to popular music. In these videos, the vape may appear only briefly, for example slipped into a handbag as the final touch before a night out. Yet this placement connects the product and brand with glamorous, fun or exciting settings, creating an important association between the brand and appealing lifestyles and experiences. The influencers often shared this content directly with their existing followers. Instagram policy requires users to disclose paid partnerships with the #ad hashtag or paid partnership tag. Of the nearly 700 times an influencer or brand was tagged in the posts, only 14 were disclosed in this way. Vape companies often use workarounds to bypass restrictions on marketing to maintain a presence in youth-oriented settings. Instagram lists @ as a verified account, based in the UK, where advertising standards permit only "factual" vape content on a company's social media account, but paid influencer marketing and "imagery unrelated to the product" are banned. The official @ account appears to align more clearly with these parameters. Instagram's own policies on vape marketing are difficult to decipher, with complicated rules that leave significant loopholes. For example, vape advertisements and paid influencer marketing for vape products are banned on Instagram. However, these rules do not extend to the brand content on a company's own account. Our research shows Vuse uses the worldwide account to promote brand associations, an indirect but powerful form of marketing that sits outside Instagram policies. Cross-posting to other accounts enables Vuse to reach new audiences without paid advertising on the platform. Researchers suggest social media policies are intentionally unclear to enable platforms and the industry to capitalise on lucrative, instant and borderless sharing of digital content to new audiences. Dealing with these issues will require global cooperation to require social media platforms to prohibit vape marketing more broadly. It will also require active monitoring and enforcement of breaches to hold social media platforms and vape brands to account. Domestic laws and rules must also apply to international content. - This story was originally published on The Conversation.
RNZ News
a day ago
- RNZ News
Rural Tasman highways drop to 80km/h
McShane Road in Richmond has also dropped to 50km/h from 80km/h. Photo: Max Frethey / LDR Several key rural roads across Tasman have had their speed limits dropped. As of Monday, the Motueka Valley and Moutere Highways, as well as Dovedale, Edwards, and Neudorf Roads, have fallen from 100km/h to 80km/h. In Richmond, McShane Road has also lowered to 50km/h from 80km/h, while Lower Queen Street immediately northeast of McShane saw sections drop to 50km/h and 60km/h from 60km/h and 80km/h. These reductions come after speed limits were reduced and variable limits installed around several schools in late July and earlier in August. The lower speed limits are expected to reduce the number of crashes in the district, especially on the two local highways, which are some of Tasman's most crash-prone roads. Reducing speeds on targeted roads around the district has been a challenge for the council after a government rule change largely invalidated its original speed plan, forcing it to re-consult on the changes and frustrating many local communities who have been wanting the changes for years. "It's great to see that these important changes are finally in place to help keep our communities safer," said Jane Murray, Tasman District Council transportation planning advisor. She likened road safety to Swiss cheese. "Each safety measure - like road design, vehicle safety, or driver behaviour - acts as a layer of protection, but no layer has no holes. Crashes happen when the holes in the layers line up," she said. "Safe speeds are a vital layer. They help prevent crashes and reduce harm when crashes happen. Even if other safety measures fail, safe speeds can save lives." Drivers should watch out for the new speed signs, especially near schools where 30km/h speeds now applied during pick-up and drop-off times, she added. About 300 signs needed to be replaced for the speed limit reductions. Several key rural roads across the Tasman District have dropped from 100km/h to 80km/h. Photo: Max Frethey / LDR While the council aimed to align the changing signs with the official implementation dates, some were put up earlier which led to confusion and anger from some residents. "We've been working with Police on this and appreciate everyone's patience," Murray said. Senior sergeant Christopher Brooks, Tasman District road policing manager, warns motorists to drive to the conditions and take particular care of the changed speed limits. "The posted speed limit is just that - a limit - not a target," he said. "Even a small change in speed makes a big difference to injury severity in a crash - for you and everyone else involved. Motorists should expect to be stopped by Police anytime, anywhere." Brooks added that there was an increase in the number of roadworks happening locally after the recent severe weather and reminded drivers to follow directions and respect workers. "Reduced speed limits are a warning that there is a hazard on or near the road approaching. Whether you're heading out of town or staying local, we want you to get to your destination safely." The council will be considering a second phase of speed limit reductions on Thursday, which would affect narrow or winding unsealed roads, rural residential and peri-urban streets, urban roads without footpaths, along with other specific roads around the district. If approved, those changes will be made between 2026 and 2028. Lowering speed limits around the district has been difficult for Tasman after its regional speed plan was largely invalidated by a government rule change. Local Democracy Reporting is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
RNZ News
2 days ago
- RNZ News
New metal on roads near Dargaville tearing up tyres, say locals
Motorists believe the wrong grade and size was used for resurfacing of the road south of Dargaville Photo: Supplied / Rachael Gedye Kaipara motorists are demanding compensation after their car tyres were ripped up by razor sharp road metal, which they said was wrongly laid, and left them with big bills. Since fresh metal was laid on Arapaoa, Hamlin and Neems Road, south of Dargaville last month a number of residents have had punctures. Some have suffered multiple flat tyres and wheel damage, and as rural residents, they rely heavily on their vehicles. Motorists believe the wrong grade and size was used for resurfacing and that has caused the problems. Local resident Rachael Gedye told Checkpoint her car had extensive damage from the road, first getting a flat tyre on the day the new seal went down. "I've had two damaged tyres as a result and two punctures." The road surface - which she described as sharp, bulky and thick - has also caused issues for her neighbours. "My immediate neighbour, she's had four tyre replacements, another neighbours had three punctures and I just found out another neighbour, who is a daily commuter as well for work, has had six punctures." Gedye said the damage had been incredibly expensive for both her and her neighbours. "They've gone to a lot of expense, inconvenience that they can't afford, we've got superannuants on our road. "My elderly neighbour who's a superannuant, she's had to replace a couple of tyres as well as several punctures, and is just frustrated, absolutely frustrated." So far Gedye has spent $430 on two lots of tyre and puncture repairs. She said herself and others in the area commute daily, meaning damage to their cars was less than ideal. Gedye sent a letter to the council complaining about the state of the road on 24 July, and did not receive a response until 12 August. She said the response was an acknowledgement of her letter, offering not solutions or compensation for her and her neighbours. "[It's] terrible, it's shocking. I've had to follow and chase them up. My initial was a phone call, then I followed up with the letter, a formal letter, and then I've only received that reply acknowledgement." Gedye said she had heard nothing else from the council and she was still left with a long list of concerns. "Where was the material originated from? What steps will be taken to ensure this incident doesn't happen in the future? Is the council prepared to reimburse affected residents? There's quite a few of us for the cost of punctures and tyre replacements. "Does the increase in our rates justify the poor quality of the roading?" Gedye said on Arapaoa Road some of the sharp rocks and metal has been washed away, due to the heavy usage - but on Hamlin Road, which only has two users, the surface remains hazardous for driving. The Kaipara District Council told Checkpoint it was clear the metal used on these roads did not meet expectations, and they have since had the roads rolled and graded to compact the material. It said its roading maintenance contractor was investigating the aggregate that was put down and will report back to council. Meanwhile, there is a formal claims process underway for affected residents which involves the council and contractor assessing claims on a case-by-case basis, and in accordance with their liability processes. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
