Vaping has become one of the biggest trends in the past five years. As a vaper myself, I find the industry quite fascinating because there is more to it than what meets the eye. Vaping brings together a wide-spectrum of demographics across the United States. At any given moment, you may see a stockbroker from Wall Street or an aspiring musician vaping on the sidewalk in Los Angeles, plus everyone in between. In 2017, there is no sign of the market slowing down. In fact, it seems to be on the rise. I had the opportunity to interview a few notables within the vape industry about their predictions for the year ahead.
Marketer's Point of View
I had the pleasure of interviewing Alexei Alankin, Founder of Eventige, who represents clients within the vape space. We discussed what's in-store for the industry from a marketer's point of view. "Innovation at the product-level is definitely going to be a big ticket item for manufacturers moving into 2017; but what we will definitely see is a lot more of, is a focus on the lifestyle from a community-building aspect. Vapers want to have authentic conversations on social media, attend events, and enjoy their experiences with category products. The same as with wine-tastings for adults, the vape industry will continue to shift toward a customer-focused industry, creating exciting new opportunities for people to learn about brands, products, and further engage lifestyle programs centered around vaping," Alexei explained. I have to agree. The sense of community is very apparent, which brings me to my next point.
Sense of Community on the Rise
The sense of community is developing within the vape industry. Vapers are coming together with the common love for music, art and fashion. In 2015, menswear designer Richard Chai passed out PAX vaporizers to all of his front row attendees during New York Fashion Week. New York Magazine spoke to Richard about his inspiration, which stemmed from his childhood days in a New Jersey suburb. This is something you don’t see everyday. It was enlightening to see a fashion designer combine the two worlds of fashion and vaping.
Auster launch event at the Villain
Another brand bringing a sense of community to the table is Auster, a monthly e-liquid & lifestyle subscription-box company that reflects culture through live experiences and premium products. In November 2016, the brand collaborated with musicians and artists alike to execute a memorable event in NYC. I spoke with MEMBA, a dynamic DJ duo, about the event, "One of the highlights for us last year was playing at Villain for the launch of Auster. Everything was done right - from decor to the free vapes to the people. One of the dopest crowds we've played for." The event also featured a pop-up exhibit by renowned artist Sam Chirnside who explained the brand as…, "A forward thinking label that embraces the concept of collaboration, Auster sees no boundaries when bringing an artist's vision to life."
Artwork by Sam Chirnside for Cypher by Auster.
"It's cool to see a company (Auster) bringing back the basics with high quality fruit base flavors. It's been a long time since I've found a whole line I can vape all day," social media influencer, King Titus.
Influencer's Predictions for 2017
You can't talk about an industry without asking social media influencers. Just like fashion and fitness, the vaping industry has it's own set of influencers who help potential consumers make the best purchase decisions within the market place. I interviewed Drew Drips, a social media influencer with over 50,000 followers on Instagram, about his role in the industry, "2016 was a major year for vape influencers as many people gained a substantial amount of followers at a very quick rate. As we head into 2017, most influencers are showing no signs of slowing down their following base. The larger the following the more exposure vape companies will receive. Most companies I represent are like a family to me. They take care of me and always show me love. In return I show my followers the love I receive. As a ‘Vape Trick Influencer’ it's very critical that in 2017 we keep the relationships between influencers and companies such as 'My top sponsor' Ruthlessejuice, to keep bringing them more exposure."
How will the industry be supported as a whole? Drew elaborated, "Companies have joined together to create juice lines such as H.O.F. Three major companies coming together to raise money for advocacy. Advocacy was a huge part of 2016 and I predict that it will be even bigger in 2017. We have advocacy associations such as "The Consumer Advocates Smoke-Free Alternatives Association" (CASSA) "The American Vaping Association" (AVA) and "The Smoke-Free Alternatives Trades Association" (SFATA)."
So what does this all mean for the vaping industry for the year to come? I asked Alexei Alankin what he sees for the near future, " Vaping is something that will continue to grow as a category, and adults looking for alternatives will be the fuel behind that movement. As with any emerging category, positive word-of-mouth will help spread the message to friends, and family, as well as drive further education on products, devices, and new alternatives now available on the market. Manufacturers are also listening; with continual feedback loops from customers driving their innovation at the product level. Vaping is definitely here to stay, as there is no going back once technology touches a product sector. With so many new devices, tank systems, and flavor profiles on the market, adults are finally experiencing the variety of options necessary to keep the product category growing with innovation. Brands will keep responding to heightened consumer awareness of their needs in convenience, product engineering, as well as exceptional flavor delivery.”
Let's see if our predictions are right. Look out for my update in December 2017.
About the Author
Jenny Miranda is the Founder & CEO of Jenny Miranda Public Relations, LLC (New York, NY) & the Editor-in-Chief of The Manhattanite News. Add Jenny Miranda PR on Snapchat for daily tips @JennyMariePR