E-Lites Electronic Cigarette Ad Tests UK Ban on Smoking Promotion

E-cigarette manufacturers plan to test the United Kingdom's strict laws against smoking advertisements by airing ads for their nicotine vaporizing products on British television.

"E-Lites, which makes electronic cigarettes which do not contain tar but do use addiction-forming nicotine, is to launch a national TV advertising campaign on Saturday, 19 January," wrote The Guardian. "The national campaign will run on high-profile TV channels including ITV, Channel 5 and Sky, as well as in print and online."

Cigarette advertisements have been banned on television in Britain since 1965, but e-cigarettes may be able to get around the ban. E-cigarettes are electronic devices that deliver a dose of nicotine without the harmful tar, additives, and carcinogens of cigarettes or other smoking paraphernalia.

However, nicotine is still highly addictive, and scientists and medical professionals are split over whether e-cigarettes are harmful to human health or promote smoking, or if they could be useful smoking cessation products like nicotine gum or patches.

The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is preparing for controversy.

"As tobacco and smoking are areas we are keen to ensure that advertising upholds high standards of responsibility, we also have rules restricting products similar to tobacco products, references to smoking or tobacco products and the promotion of smoking in general," said a spokesperson for the ASA.

"As it stands, it is our view that the advertising of e-cigarettes on TV is likely to be severely restricted, so the kinds of claims and images that could be used to promote them is incredibly limited," the ASA added.

The makers of E-lites have admitted that they are not trying to get people to quit smoking.

"We appreciate that it is better to quit smoking altogether but there are over 10 million smokers in the UK, many of whom are unwilling or unable to quit," said Trevor Field, marketing director at E-Lites. "E-Lites offer a harm-reducing alternative and we know that we can give smokers a healthier, cheaper and more socially acceptable option to tobacco cigarettes."

The ad itself features a smoker who misses his baby's first steps because he was outside sneaking a cigarette. The baby performs dance moves similar to "Gangnam Syle."