Study reveals marketing tactics of tobacco-free nicotine pouches in the UK

White nicotine pouches that taste like strawberries, are good for your health and evoke a sense of freedom - are as free as only Swedes can be.

Lauren O'Hagan, a researcher at örebro University and Open University, shows in a study how a Japanese-owned tobacco company is marketing white pouches of tobacco-free nicotine in the UK as Nordic Spirit.

Marketing campaigns on Instagram are primarily aimed at young women and non-smokers and serve as a pathway to becoming addicted to nicotine."

Lauren O'Hagan, researcher at örebro University 

In the UK, the sale and marketing of tobacco-free nicotine pouches is unregulated. These white mini pouches of nicotine taste like candy and occupy a no man's land between tobacco products and foodstuffs regulations - leaving the field open for tobacco companies to operate freely.

In June 2019, Japan Tobacco International (JTI) began selling tobacco-free nicotine in the UK.
"Nordic Spirit's marketing was extensive, in social media and via free samples. The company has cooperated with major music festivals, many of which have an audience under 18," says Lauren O'Hagan, a visiting postdoctoral researcher at örebro University in Sweden and research associate at Open University in England.

She reviewed nearly 500 Instagram posts by JTI from 2019 to 2023, marketing white nicotine pouches. These posts typically displayed images of strawberries and apples springing from a can when the lid opens.

"Since the company cannot explicitly claim that their nicotine pouches are healthy, they use images of fruit and berries instead. JTI claims that the marketing targets adult smokers, but the images suggest otherwise," says Lauren O'Hagan.

In another example targeting young people, free boat rides were offered to a music festival on the Isle of Wight. JTI was in central London for nearly three weeks in October 2020, promoting its "sensational multi-sensory experience." The company's "Nordic Spirit Nights" was open to everyone, and it used Sweden and Swedishness to sell its nicotine pouches.

"There was Swedish nature and the scent of forests. Visitors were invited to sit by a campfire by a large lake and sample typical Swedish food, along with the natural flavours of nicotine pouches," explains Lauren O'Hagan.

Her analysis of the nearly 500 Instagram posts reveals four main messages in the advertising of nicotine pouches to young people:

• fun and free
• Nordic bliss
• discreet and trouble-free
• healthy and scientifically sound

"Nicotine is never mentioned in their marketing. Instead, it's all about a trendy lifestyle with midsummer celebrations, crayfish parties, and beach life. Young women can easily and discreetly use nicotine pouches. This approach is similar to when tobacco companies once targeted women by calling cigarettes their 'torches of freedom'," observes Lauren O'Hagan.

In the UK, various organizations have raised concerns about the health risks of nicotine pouches and the danger of targeting vulnerable groups like children and young people.

"Politicians must act by regulating the marketing of nicotine pouches in social media to protect young people from being exploited," concludes Lauren O'Hagan.