Entercom Bans E-Cigarette Advertising
• UPDATED: Entercom has become the first major radio group to ban the advertising of vaping or e-cigarette products.
In a brief internal memo obtained by RAMP, Entercom Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer David Field, announced, “Entercom has a long-standing commitment to being a responsible corporate citizen serving our communities. In light of the concerns posed by vaping products (or e-cigarettes), we are revising our policy on this matter and we will no longer accept advertising in this category.”
Entercom’s ban comes on the heels of the news that Juul Labs, maker of the industry-leading Juul vape brand, has agreed to stop advertising its popular e-cigarettes in the U.S. and announced that its CEO Kevin Burnsis stepping down as state and federal regulators examine hundreds of cases of people who are sick from what appears to be a vaping-related lung disease.
As AdWeek reports, last week CBS, WarnerMedia and Viacom all announced a decision to drop all e-cigarette advertising amid health concerns related to a series of vape-related lung illnesses and concerns over still-rising levels of teen vaping.
