Advertising the leading US nicotine pouch brand: a content analysis of ZYN advertisements from 2019 to 2023.

Background: ZYN is the leading nicotine pouch brand and a predominant driver of nicotine pouch advertising. In November 2022, Philip Morris International (PMI) acquired Swedish Match, the manufacturer of ZYN.

Methods: We conducted a content analysis of 207 US-based consumer-facing ZYN advertisements (ads) from January 2019 to June 2023 to delineate the characteristics of ZYN ads and compare them before and after Swedish Match was acquired by PMI.

Results: Most ZYN ads were on digital media, and nearly all included information on nicotine strength and flavour. Peppermint was the most advertised flavour across time. After the acquisition, ZYN ads included significantly fewer 'tobacco-free' claims, whereas 'spit-free' claims significantly increased. The most common marketing claims were that multiple choices of products were available, followed by easy to buy, change, sales success, ability to use anywhere and improved social interaction before and after the acquisition. The percentages of ads with easy to buy, change and sales success claims, reward programmes and those linked to websites significantly increased after the acquisition.

Conclusions: After PMI acquired Swedish Match, ZYN ads used 'tobacco-free' claims less frequently. The most advertised marketing claims remained unchanged but were made more frequently in post-acquisition ads. Such claims, together with the promotion of reward programmes and links to websites for easy purchase, may attract young people or those who do not use tobacco to ZYN, indicating a need for increased monitoring and potential restrictions.