Showcasing Key Findings – Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Report on Oral Nicotine Pouch Marketing and its Implications for Sustainable Development Goal 3

Executive Summary

A recent analysis of marketing strategies for oral nicotine pouches in the United States from 2021 to 2023 reveals trends that pose significant challenges to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG 3), which aims to ensure good health and well-being for all. Research from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health indicates a strategic shift in advertising that emphasizes flavors and discreet use, potentially increasing product appeal among adolescents and new users. This report outlines these findings and their direct conflict with public health objectives enshrined in the SDGs, particularly Target 3.4 (reducing premature mortality from non-communicable diseases) and Target 3.a (strengthening tobacco control).

Analysis of Marketing Trends (2021-2023)

The study identified several key shifts in the marketing of oral nicotine pouches, including products from leading brands such as Zyn, On!, Velo, and Rogue. These trends diverge from previous harm-reduction messaging and align with strategies known to attract younger demographics.

• Emphasis on Flavors: A primary marketing feature was the promotion of various flavors, a tactic historically used to attract new and young consumers to nicotine products.
• Promotion of Discretion and Convenience: Brands, particularly the market leader Zyn, increasingly highlighted the ability to use pouches discreetly in any setting. This marketing angle positions the products as convenient lifestyle accessories, distancing them from traditional tobacco products and their associated stigmas.
• Decline in “Tobacco-Free” Messaging: The analysis noted a significant decrease in terms like “smoke-free” or “tobacco-free.” This shift suggests a deliberate move to create a distinct product category that avoids direct comparison with cigarettes while downplaying health-related claims.

Implications for Sustainable Development Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being

The identified marketing strategies directly undermine progress toward global health targets by fostering nicotine addiction, which is a primary driver of non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

1. Threat to Youth Health and Well-being: The focus on flavors and discretion is a considerable threat to the health of adolescents. By making nicotine use seem harmless and easy to conceal, these marketing tactics may increase initiation rates among youth, creating a new generation of nicotine-addicted individuals and directly opposing the SDG 3 objective of promoting well-being for all ages.
2. Undermining SDG Target 3.4 (NCD Prevention): While nicotine pouches may offer a harm-reduction alternative for established heavy smokers, their marketing to a broader, younger audience risks increasing the overall prevalence of nicotine addiction. This trend could reverse progress made in reducing the burden of NCDs, such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and chronic respiratory disease, for which tobacco and nicotine use are major risk factors.
3. Challenge to SDG Target 3.a (Tobacco Control): The evolving marketing landscape for novel nicotine products complicates the implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. The industry’s strategic distancing of these products from traditional tobacco requires that public health surveillance and regulatory frameworks adapt quickly to counter marketing that can influence consumer perceptions and normalize nicotine use, especially among vulnerable populations.

Conclusion and Recommendations for SDG Alignment

The marketing of oral nicotine pouches from 2021-2023 shows a clear pivot towards strategies that appeal to youth and new users, posing a direct risk to public health and the achievement of SDG 3. To mitigate these risks and align with global health commitments, the following actions are recommended:

• Enhance Surveillance: Continuous and robust surveillance of all nicotine product marketing is essential to understand its influence on consumer behavior and inform timely public health interventions, in line with SDG 3’s focus on prevention.
• Strengthen Regulation: Regulatory bodies must address marketing tactics, such as flavor promotion and messaging around discretion, that have a demonstrated appeal to young people. This action is critical for upholding the principles of SDG Target 3.a.
• Promote Public Education: Public health campaigns must be funded and deployed to counter industry messaging and educate youth on the significant health risks associated with nicotine addiction from any source, thereby contributing to the long-term goal of reducing NCDs as outlined in SDG Target 3.4.

SDGs Addressed in the Article

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

• The article directly addresses public health concerns related to the marketing and consumption of oral nicotine pouches, a product from the tobacco industry. It highlights the potential health risks, particularly the product’s appeal to “adolescents and other new users of nicotine,” which is a core concern for ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages.

Identified SDG Targets

1. Target 3.4: By 2030, reduce by one-third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being.

   • The article discusses a nicotine product that can lead to addiction. Nicotine use is a significant risk factor for non-communicable diseases. The concern that these products “may appeal to adolescents and other new users of nicotine” relates directly to the prevention of future health problems and the reduction of risk factors for NCDs.

2. Target 3.5: Strengthen the prevention and treatment of substance abuse, including narcotic drug abuse and harmful use of alcohol.

   • Nicotine is an addictive substance. The article’s central concern is that marketing tactics focusing on flavors and discretion may lead to an increase in nicotine use, especially among young people. The text explicitly notes that the study period “corresponds with the years when nicotine pouch use among youth increased,” directly highlighting an issue in the prevention of substance abuse.

3. Target 3.a: Strengthen the implementation of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in all countries, as appropriate.

   • The WHO FCTC includes articles on regulating the contents, packaging, and advertising of tobacco products. The article’s focus on analyzing “marketing features in nicotine pouch ads” and the call for “ongoing surveillance to understand how marketing can potentially influence consumer perceptions” align with the FCTC’s mandate to monitor and counter tobacco industry marketing strategies. The study’s findings on the “emphasis on promoting flavors” and the “shift in distancing oral nicotine pouches from other tobacco products” are relevant to the implementation of tobacco control policies.

Implied or Mentioned Indicators

1. Prevalence of nicotine use, particularly among youth.

   • The article explicitly mentions this as a key concern and a measurable trend, stating that the analysis covers a period “when nicotine pouch use among youth increased.” This serves as a direct indicator for measuring the success of prevention efforts under Targets 3.4 and 3.5.

2. Content and strategy of nicotine product marketing.

   • The study itself is an “analysis of marketing features in nicotine pouch ads.” The article identifies specific, measurable marketing characteristics used as indicators of industry strategy, such as the “emphasis on promoting flavors,” the “use of convenience and discretion as key marketing features,” and the frequency of terms like “smoke-free” or “tobacco-free.” The call for “ongoing surveillance” of marketing implies that tracking these features is a key indicator for monitoring the implementation of Target 3.a.

Summary of Findings

Source: publichealth.jhu.edu