Instagram and Youtube are also becoming increasingly popular with vapers because when looking for the latest trends and products, you can hardly avoid the relevant social media. But that can be over sooner than we all would like. We explain to you what the debate about steam influencers is all about and whether Instagram and Co will soon really be a steam-free zone.
What is an influencer?
A crucial question arises to roll up the topic from the back: what is an influencer? Influencers are people who advertise products on their accounts, either for money, a free product, or to increase their number of followers to increase their market value. Especially when it comes to vaping, the influencer collect vape kit from vape supplier in China and advertise them on their accounts. But now not only vaping enthusiasts have ended up on YouTube and other platforms over the years who want to present their latest favorite item, but also a large number of influencers who have an advantage through skillful product presentations, be it financial or immaterial kind of want to pull. So far so good, and so far no problem at all.
To protect young people, particularly from unrecognizable advertising, TPD was passed and parts of the rules are stipulate that advertising of all kinds in social media, including product presentations and photos on which the brand can be read, must be marked Need to become. Especially with many followers, the suspicion of surreptitious advertising for a specific company or product can easily arise. So far so good, though many vape enthusiasts like to post pictures of themselves and their vape on social media or put product presentations online on YouTube: Now, we also mark everything that could seem suspicious in any way and are therefore definitely on the safe side. But far from it came the case of Vreni Frost.
Known and popular on Instagram with over 50,000 followers, the well-known and popular blogger who mainly deals with fashion has just been warned by the Social Competition Association. The influencer faces a fine of 250,000 euros or 6 months in prison if she does not comply with the new requirements. That’s pretty intense, you might think, especially since Vreni Frost always makes her advertising recognizable and regularly posts about things she has bought herself. But the problem with e-cigarettes, advertising, and social platforms is much more profound because, according to the court, every influencer post is advertising.
The Law
According to the law, absolutely “any behavior of a person in favor of one’s own company or that of another company” is already advertising and thus pursues a commercial intention. Now you might think, OK, that’s why we now all dutifully mark our posts as advertising. Still, unfortunately, it’s not quite that simple: Advertising for e-cigarettes and nicotine-containing liquids is prohibited, just like advertising for tobacco products. To put it more precisely, this means that, in principle, every influencer who increases the reach of an e-cigarette company is liable to prosecution.
Will, we soon run out of influencers, and then what?
Based on the current situation, one could assume that it will soon be a bit bleak on the relevant platforms in the e-cigarette sector. But suppose you are afraid of not getting any more information about your beloved vape devices and news about current products. In that case, you can rest easy: Even before the influencer takeover via vape online communication, enthusiastic vape lovers were happy about a new device on forums, and relevant sites announced this without any free products, smaller or larger financial injections, or an increasing number of followers. Exactly these vapor enthusiasts still exist. They are guaranteed to share their extensive knowledge about vaporizers, battery carriers, and entire starter sets and give you valuable tips on products they love. Of course, editorial contributions on the subject of vaping are by no means prohibited. So you can inform yourself calmly about the advertising ban and maybe unknowingly decide on a steamer that suits you, impressed by the chic pictures.
What does the ban mean to me and my pictures?
It all depends on how much and how often you post pictures with your steam engine, how many followers you have, and whether the product can be identified as a specific brand. No one will cause problems, and no one will prohibit you from posting a photo of yourself and your vape kits. But it would help if you were careful as soon as a brand name is visible, you post publicly and also name or mark the manufacturer. Because, as discussed in more detail above, no advertising whatsoever may be made for e-cigarettes, or the manufacturer’s reach may be increased.
For most vaping connoisseurs, the following still applies: Indulging in the happy vaping pleasure and taking one or two cloud pictures is perfectly fine and permissible.