Digital Marketing Strategies Used to Promote Waterpipe Tobacco Among Retailers and Manufacturers.

Introduction: Waterpipe tobacco (WT) is unique compared to other tobacco products. Retailers and manufacturers may promote WT products using different marketing appeals and sales propositions on popular digital marketing media. This study examined WT digital marketing content in the United States (U.S.).

Methods: In 2020, a census of WT manufacturers that sold WT products in the U.S. was created and 33 WT manufacturers and 30 WT retailers across the U.S. were identified. Business websites and the 20 most recent Facebook and Instagram posts from identified manufacturers and retailers were recorded. Marketing appeals were coded for themes including sexuality and romance, U.S. patriotism, Middle Eastern culture, WT smoking cues, health or safety, and enjoyable experiences. Sale proposition content was also coded and included price promotions, scarcity, and free products.

Results: Digital marketing content posts ( = 1,520) were recorded, including 70 webpages (primary and secondary pages), 770 Instagram posts, and 680 Facebook posts. Most content (91.0%) included at least one examined marketing appeal, including smoking cues (54.3% of all marketing content), Middle Eastern culture (29.1%), enjoyable experiences (22.4%), and sexuality and romance (19.7%). At least one sales proposition was used in 28.6% of all marketing content. The most commonly used sales proposition was a financial incentive, which was included in 11.8% marketing content.

Conclusions: Manufacturers and retailers in the U.S. use a variety of digital marketing strategies to promote WT products. Research is needed examine the impact of WT digital marketing on consumer perceptions, particularly among youth and young adults who are at greatest risk for WT smoking.