Culture JAM

JUUL is a very popular e-cigarette brand. They claim that vaping is a better choice than smoking tobacco cigarettes. The reason for that is that it does not clog the lungs up with tar like cigarettes do. Although that is the case, both cigarettes and e-cigarettes still contain nicotine which is a highly addictive substance. The problem with JUUL is a good percentage of their market are minors and youth. In most places, there is a certain age that people need to be able to have access to these kinds of products. It is illegal for minors to be using such. It does not help when their ads cater to the younger crowd as they aim to look cool and hip. The part in the ad that addresses the fact that people need to be of age to use e-cigarettes is barely seen. The model is wearing clothes that resembles fashion of  people at a young age. The bright colors make their device trendy and of all the people to follow trends, it’s the young ones. When kids use products like these, they compromise the developments of their brains especially during their teen years. The nicotine can be a cause for addiction. I believe JUUL needs to find better ways to market their product away from the youth. They should address the matter by spreading more awareness in the same way that cigarette boxes have little warnings of possible outcomes for smoking. They need to broadcast that smoking underage is illegal and not promoted. Their ads should cater more to smokers looking for a healthier option and people of age. 

Breaking down what I have changed between the original ad and the edited one, first off, the “JUVI” brand title, this represents the illegality of underage access to e-cigarettes. It resembles the word “juvie” which is the expression for the jail minors end up. It is also short for juvenile which means young. I believe this was impactful as it did not differ much from the look of JUUL’s logo. Another change I made was the hashtag on the right corner. From “#SMOKINGEVOLVED,” I wrote #SMOKINGFORKIDS because JUUL does not exactly pay too much attention to the fact that minors are using their products. In fact, as mentioned earlier, the nature of their ads make it seem okay. The hashtag also represents trends so I believe the real trend that JUUL is making is that smoking is okay for kids, not that they have evolved the way to smoke. Lastly, I added “BRAINS” to their slogan of “VAPORIZED.” I thought this was appropriate because nicotine is a dangerous substance and that it can lead to complications later on if consumed at a young age. Again, kids may develop an addiction, or their minds may not grow properly. I believe my ad show JUUL for what it really is, a business enterprise making profits who have no concern whatsoever with feeding on the youth.