Ban on the horizon for e-cigarette ads

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is likely to propose in October a ban on television advertising for electronic cigarettes, according to a story by Michael Sebastian for Advertising Age quoting a report from the financial services group CLSA Americas.

A ban would hobble the dissemination of information about these products, which are relatively new, which many people believe are hugely less risky than are traditional cigarettes, and which have proved successful in getting smokers to quit their habit.

It would also put the brakes on an emerging source of revenue for television networks, where spending on e-cigarette commercials climbed 17.9 percent between 2011 and 2012, according to a Citibank report earlier this year.

The Citibank report said, too, that print advertising spending among electronic cigarette marketers had increased by 71.9 percent between 2011 and 2012.

E-cigarette makers have said they plan to continue marketing their products across a range of media unless and until a ban is introduced.

The FDA is expected to issue a proposed rule in October that would allow it to regulate electronic cigarettes. At that time, the proposal will be open for public comments, a process that is expected to last for months.