Want create site? Find Free WordPress Themes and plugins.

Up until now, electronic cigarettes existed in a weird advertising limbo in the United Kingdom. Although advertisements for the products were legal, an electronic cigarette could not appear on-screen during them. This made for some creative advertising, but didn’t make the most sense in the world.

Well now the Committee of Advertising Practice — the group that writes and updates the rules for appropriate advertising in the UK — is saying that this is being changed. Electronic cigarettes were not in existence when tobacco advertising rules were set — namely, when all tobacco ads were banned outright. As such, e-cigs fell into a weird space which meant they could be advertised but couldn’t appear.

As of November 10th, that will change and on-screen advertising of electronic cigarettes will be legal provided ads adhere to a few rules. The rules require that the ads not appeal explicitly to youth and youth culture, they not encourage use by non-smokers, they not claim to be safer or healthier than smoking, and they not make claims to be approved by any medical regulatory group.

These rules could certainly be a hindrance to companies — in particular, almost any ad could be argued to appeal to teens. Still, the amounts to a loosening of the rules rather than a tightening of them, which suggests the CAP plans to play fair with the industry. Certainly is seems unlike that an ad for e-cigs won’t take 14 months to get approved the way this one did. Even after 14 months of work with regulators, the ad was quickly banned after being aired.

But as the research of electronic cigarettes, the regulation of them, and the rules surrounding their sales and marketing change, it seems likely these rules may eventually change as well. While stating that e-cigs are safer than smoking isn’t kosher right now, that may change in a matter of years. They may also receive the approval from medical regulatory and watchdog groups in the same time.

The simple fact that the CAP went a different direction with e-cigs than it did with tobacco is very promising. They could have just as easily dug in and said no e-cig ads ever and made it into a serious fight. But ultimately, they chose to give the industry a chance.