About our Addiction Economy Research

Nicotine creates the sort of customer loyalty most CEOs could barely imagine even in their wildest dreams. So loyal, that even when they know there is a 50:50 chance they will die from long term use of your product, customers are compelled to continue.

It’s why cigarettes companies still kill 8 million of their customers every year. They die from the tar in the tobacco, the nicotine is what makes them unable to stop before it’s too late.  

Vapes are the next vehicle for Nicotine and the tobacco playbook is being used again: 

  • Get people while they are young for life-long customers — target children and young adults first

  • Position your product as part of a fun lifestyle through advertising, promotion and sponsorship

  • Create ways of generating social cues and embed it in social interactions eg – creating multiple flavours to promote sharing and conversation

  • Tap into psychological fears and aspirations – like cigarettes vapes are a great social prop, something to do in a social situation, an experience to share with friends, and one which makes you feel left out of an in-group if you don’t.  

  • Unlike cigarettes, vapes are unobtrusive, easy to use and usable indoors, no waiting outside in the rain, smelling bad. Young people we spoke to think nothing of keeping one under their pillow, and having a quick puff during the night. 

So, addictive products are very good business.  And companies are very much aware of that. 

The Addiction Economy doesn’t begin and end with nicotine 

We are exploring how other sectors have applied the chemically addictive ingredients in mainstream products for commercial gain. Opioids is an obvious one, but also think alcohol, perhaps even coffee, and most recently ultra-processed foods are shown to stimulate based on their physically addictive properties.

Then there are those sectors which seek to addict by manipulating human psychology. Think gambling, social media, computer gaming.

The project will identify common themes, explore criteria of addiction and consider how society can respond better than we have to date to prevent these addictions, many of which are cause the largest preventative health and mental health problems we face.  

 

For more about the project and to partner with us on workshops and research, contact Hilary on hilary@societyinside.com