From medical research to podcasts to documentaries, vaping is a recent phenomenon that has received tremendous attention over the past year. Usage rates among young adults are on the rise, and the Internet plays a significant role in the popularity of the product. With a market research analysis tool, we’re examining the relationship between vaping and the Internet, as well as the background and beliefs around it.
Market Research Analysis Tools Analyze the Growth Rate of Vaping Content and Conversations
For our study, we analyzed conversations about vaping in general, as well as those about JUUL, one of the most prominent producers of e-cigarettes. (Keep in mind that while people use the terms “vaping” and “juuling” interchangeably, vaping is the more general term.) Our market research analysis tool extracts not only social media data from mainstream sources, but also data from news sources, forums, websites, review pages, and more.
The trends landscape matrix below visualizes the relationship between conversation volume and growth to determine a topic’s standing and expected development over time. We found that conversations about vaping (displayed in orange) has demonstrated high growth and high volume over the past six months, and will most likely continue to do so. On the other hand, conversations about JUUL or juuling take place within a smaller, niche community.
Getting a macro perspective of global online conversations gives crucial insight to companies, researchers, and journalists alike. This context map displays the most popular words associated with a topic, which enables brands to monitor industry news and brands closely – all from a bird’s eye view. The most popular words associated with vaping and juuling include ban, kids, THC, lung, and flavor.
Pinpoint Significant Increases in Engagement
Next, let’s look at how these topics have evolved over time. Our trend detector, Signals, can analyze whether conversation volume has surpassed statistical bounds in a significant way. It found several uncommon spikes of interactions in the online conversations about juuling and vaping over the past half-year.
We clicked into JUUL’s sudden spike in late August 2019 to understand the cause and context of the unexpected interactions.
The report analyzes the top words that audiences used during the peak, which include CEO, company, e-cigarette, and pods. These keywords give us a hint of the cause of the sudden spike.
In August 2019, JUUL Lab’s CEO warned that non-smokers should refrain from using JUUL products, causing an uproar online.
Isolate the causes of positive or negative sentiment
Next, we analyzed the attitudes of online discussions about vaping and juuling. Digital content and conversations about vaping are more favorable than those around juuling. To be exact, 55% of conversations about juuling are negative, compared to only 46% of those around vaping.
Furthermore, our market research analysis tool, which alerts users of uncommon or noteworthy spikes, found an enormous surge in negative sentiment in early September.
Again, we clicked into the data point to look at the contextual report around it. Among other features, the report highlights top posts from that date.
We quickly understood that the cause of the crisis: the U.S. Food and Drug Administration sent a letter to JUUL Labs regarding its marketing practices. This move received international attention from news media and, naturally, social media.
Some people are supportive of strict regulations on vaping.
However, others are not so convinced.
For a large-scale picture of this conversation, we isolated the top keywords about the “vape ban.” These words, such as flavored, Trump, upset, firearms, dose, and tobacco, give researchers and analysts an accurate idea of what people are considering, as well as its prevalence.
Use A Market Research Analysis Tool To Analyze Audience Characteristics
Now, let’s zoom in on the audiences that talk about vaping and juuling online.
People in the U.S., the U.K., Japan, Canada, and Indonesia talk the most about this topic online.
About a quarter of these conversations take place on Instagram (27%) and Twitter (25%). Moreover, they also appear on forums (20%) and Reddit (16%).
Research, research, research
The future development of vaping is still yet unknown, but we are confident that thorough research is the foundation of any business. A market research analysis tool enables you to understand the conversations and opinions around a specific topic or product. It’s beneficial for companies, government institutions, agencies, and more. Our latest case study explains how a global beverage chain used Synthesio’s market research analysis tool to identify its top-performing products.
