Cross-Promotion of Nicotine Pouches by Leading Cigarette Brands

Tobacco-free nicotine pouches are a new class of smokeless tobacco products that experienced precipitous sales¹ increases since their national US market entry in 2016². Between 2016 and 2019, annual unit sales of nicotine pouches increased from approximately 100,000 to over 46 million. The pouches contain a powdered mix of nicotine, flavoring, sweeteners, and binders; are used in a manner similar to snus (i.e., placed between the lip and gum); and are sold in a variety of nicotine strengths and flavors. These products are marketed as containing “tobacco-derived” or “tobacco-free” nicotine and nicotine salts, and are described in product marketing as “spitless,” “smokeless,” and “tobacco leaf free.”³ The most prominent brands in today’s marketplace are owned by leading tobacco companies⁴: Swedish Match owns Zyn, British American Tobacco sells Lyft and VELO⁵ (soon to be consolidated under the single branding VELO), and Rogue is owned by Swisher International. In 2019, Altria acquired and began international marketing of the brand on!⁶

Recently, crossover advertising of nicotine pouch products was observed among leading brands of combustible cigarettes. For example, on November 4^th, 2020, routine website surveillance captured a banner ad for on! nicotine pouches on the Marlboro website. The product is described as a “smoke-free alternative” and a convenient way to find “[nicotine] satisfaction” while socializing indoors. The image shows a mixed group of younger adults, enjoying drinks and snacks in a relaxing indoor environment (Figure 1).

Figure 1.

Marlboro website capture 11/04/2020 (Source: https://www.marlboro.com).

Similarly, a direct email sent to Camel consumers in April 2021 included promotional materials for both Camel’s weekly coupon offerings and an invitation to “explore the nicotine options from our friends at VELO” (Figure 2). The image shows a person surfing, an intense activity where using combustible tobacco would not be possible; as the advertising mentions, VELO can be used “anytime, anywhere.” The ad further states that VELO is available in “4 [nicotine] strengths and 14 amazing flavors” and offers a price reduction on a VELO Welcome Bundle. “VELO” branding is used for nicotine lozenges, as well as pouches, and both are pictured in Figure 2.

Figure 2.

Direct email from Camel received 04/2021 (Source: Trinkets & Trash)

Cross promotion has been used before with noncombustible products, particularly in direct-to-consumer marketing. On various direct mail items collected in the Trinkets & Trash archive (www.trinketsandtrash.org), Camel Snus has been advertised alongside Camel Crush cigarettes. Before the brand switched to digital coupons, direct mail would include coupons for both its snus and cigarette lines⁷. A similar crossover campaign was launched for Grizzly moist snuff and Vuse electronic cigarettes, both owned by Reynolds American Inc. Emails and direct mail from the company combined coupon offers for both its smokeless and e-cigarette products. An analysis of cigar direct mail advertising found that over 70% of Swisher Sweets direct mail ads included promotions for e-cigarettes⁸.

With the co-marketing of Marlboro/on! and Camel/VELO, Altria and Reynolds American Inc. are taking advantage of combustible tobacco traffic and their large combustible tobacco customer base to advertise these newer products. Moreover, amid declining cigarette sales, tobacco companies may be attempting to shift their consumer base from cigarettes to other nicotine-containing products. Both companies have submitted Premarket Tobacco Product Applications (PMTA) for their nicotine pouch products. If they ultimately gain FDA marketing authorization, they may also seek FDA authorization to market the products as reduced risk, following Swedish Match’s success in gaining Modified Risk Tobacco Product (MRTP) authorization for General Snus. As such, adults who use the companies’ tobacco products may be persuaded to switch to the companies’ non-combustible products. Adult tobacco users who switch completely from a combustible product to a less harmful non-combustible product could experience health benefits. Conversely, the co-promotion of the companies’ combustible products with the non-combustible nicotine pouches could exacerbate tobacco-related health harms if the marketing encourages dual use and/or discourages quitting combustible tobacco use (e.g., if individuals only use the noncombustible product to circumvent smoke-free policies, or in other situations where they can’t smoke)⁹. Indeed, VELO’s website explicitly notes that the pouches “are not intended to be used as a smoking cessation aid,”¹⁰ which may impact consumers’ use behaviors.

Sales of nicotine pouches are increasing rapidly in the US tobacco marketplace¹¹ at a time when potential new product standards (i.e., a menthol ban, low nicotine standard) may further challenge cigarette sales. This context may contribute to consumers’ perceptions of advantages conferred by pouches, including the availability of multiple flavors, nicotine strengths, and reduced social stigma surrounding their use (e.g., absence of odor and exposure to second-hand constituents)¹². As the modern oral nicotine market expands, systematic monitoring of advertising and promotional practices, as well as epidemiological trends, are critical to assess the potential public health impact of these new nicotine-containing products and inform appropriate regulation.