Just two months after agreeing to no longer sell its flavored pods in stores, e-cigarette company Juul is planning to launch its first television ad campaign.
The ads, which are expected to air this summer, will feature testimonials from adults that have used Juul to help them stop smoking cigarettes, Business Insider reports.
Juul removed its flavored pods from stores amid criticism that the pods specifically target teens. It also deleted its Facebook and Instagram accounts promoting the flavored pods and has asked Twitter to “police” its social posts so they’re not shown to underage users.
The television ads will reportedly cost Juul $10 million and will air on national cable channels after 10 p.m. According to executives, the ads are targeted at adults 35 and older and include testimonials from smokers between the ages of 37 and 54.
The move is especially interesting because cigarette makers are exceptionally restricted in how they can advertise on television or in print. Those same regulations have yet to be applied to e-cigarette manufacturers.
In October, Juul was able to reach and exceed the $10 billion valuation level last month, just seven months after its first venture capital raise, the fastest any company has ever achieved the status.
According to Neilsen, Juul currently owns 75% of the e-cigarette market.
