The article under consideration is entitled “How Vaping Giant Juul Explains Everything That’s Wrong with Our World.” It was written by David Dayen and appeared in an online journal, The Intercept. The article was about the rapid growth of Juul, a company producing vaporizers, its contribution to the increase in nicotine addiction among young adults, and the probable results of its cooperation with Altria. This paper will provide a summary and evaluation of the article.
Summary
The article analyzes the reasons for the growth of Juul, the popularity of its products for teenagers, and the possible consequences of the merger between Juul and Altria. The author states that Juul, established in 2015, intended to manufacture products that would help smokers switch from cigarettes to less harmful vaporizers (Dayen, 2018). Since this market niche was developing, and “America has effectively abandoned competition policy,” Juul managed to become a leader in the market (Dayen, 2018, para. 6). It caused Altria, a large producer of tobacco and related products, to buy a 35% stake in Juul.
The article explains that although Juul devices were expected to help adult smokers, their design appeared to be appealing to teenagers. Juul e-cigarettes are made in the shape of a flash drive and have different flavors. Even though the company follows the FDA restrictions as to selling tobacco products to people under 21 years, adolescents find indirect ways to purchase vaporizers. The article also emphasizes that Altria’s share in Juul allows the latter to occupy more shelf space and open new retail locations.
Evaluation
The article by Dayen was chosen because it describes the growth of Juul not in isolation but in connection with its rival companies and regulatory organizations. The author seems to blame regulators for letting the tobacco company grow into a monopolist in its market niche and attract adolescents to its products. It is possible to agree with Dayen’s point of view that Juul’s devices are appealing to young adults not only because of their design but also due to their promotion in social media. Furthermore, the author is correct in his assumption that cooperation with Altria will only expand Juul’s business. However, Dayen does not suggest how to cope with these circumstances; he just states the facts. Thus, it may be concluded that this article is intended to apprise readers of the current situation rather than provide solutions.
This article is of value to the retail industry because it promises that Juul devices will become even more widespread than they are now. It may encourage retailers to do business with this company. However, this article may also be a warning to regulatory organizations that may decide to struggle with nicotine addiction among adolescents. In addition, the style of the material is convincing since the author managed to convey his message clearly by using the right words, as well as relevant quotes, and avoiding excess numbers.
Conclusion
To sum up, the article is concerned with the drastic growth of Juul and the popularity of its tobacco products among young adults. It pays attention to the causes of the company’s rapid development and the prospects of its cooperation with Altria. It seems that the author wants the expansion of Juul to be stopped, but he does not suggest any specific ways of doing it.
Reference
Dayen, D. (2018). How vaping giant Juul explains everything that’s wrong with our world.The Intercept. Web.