THE 2017 ANTI-SMOKING
CAMPAIGN HAS SEEN
A TREMENDOUS RISE
IN E-CIGARETTE
STARTER KIT SALES
The sixth annual Stoptober campaign was a special
moment for vapers and advocates, as it marked the
legitimisation of vaping as a smoking cessation tool
from a government institution.
Public Health England not only expressed their
support for vaping as an effective solution to bringing
down the number of smokers, but cited the relative
safety of e-cigarette use, and even featured the
activity in its television advertising.
The endorsement went a long way, further than we
could have hoped. Symbolic gestures and olive
branches are good, but was Stoptober a measurable
success and do we have the facts and figures to
prove it?
The answer is a resounding yes.
The most encouraging statistic comes to us courtesy
of Vape Club, who are the largest online retailer
of vapour products. Fresh off such a milestone
endorsement, the retailer offered a 15% discount
with the code STOPTOBER and saw an immense
37% rise in sales of its e-cigarette starter kits.
Vape Club Director Dan Marchant said: “It’s fantastic
to see the NHS finally backing vaping as a pathway
to quit smoking. The industry has been backing this
alternative for a long time, but with the evidence
provided by Public Health England, endorsements
from the likes of Cancer Research UK and the
figures which are produced by Action on Smoking
and Health, there can be no doubt that vaping is the
most effective method to give up tobacco.”
With just one NHS and Cancer Research-backed
Stoptober under our belts, there’s no telling how
many more breakthroughs are ahead for the UK’s
many vape companies. Marchant added: “The NHS
advocating vaping as an alternative to tobacco is an
enormous breakthrough and will do an outstanding
amount of good for public health and tobacco control
in the UK.”
It’s a huge confidence booster for the vaping industry
to see that the backing of PHE and a revolutionary
step forward of e-cig use in TV advertising, marked
so much more than just an indication of goodwill. After
years of making the case for vaping to the powers
that be who reside over the political and medical
spheres, we saw that their cooperation made a
tangible difference in people’s lives. Every new starter
kit purchased is a potential smoker saved from the
ravages of a devastating and addictive habit, and now
vape companies can continue to escalate and reach
out to would-be vapers and industry enablers in every
relevant sector.
One little nudge – be it a personal recommendation,
an individual choosing to make the switch, an
ambitious brewer starting to make their own liquids
etc. – is all it takes to get the ball rolling. From now on,
vape companies can mark the month down in their
calendars as essential, knowing that, once again,
we’re a net gain for public health and once again, we
have the numbers to prove it.
VM14 | 17