Makers of nicotine gum and patches have historically viewed January as a key marketing month thanks to all the smokers making new year resolutions to quit - and now e-cigarette makers are looking to grab some of the action too.

Birmingham-based Nicolites launched a national cigarette amnesty roadshow this week encouraging visitors to shopping centres across the UK to drop their cigarettes and tobacco into amnesty totaliser bins in exchange for free e-cigs.

“Every year, thousands of tobacco smokers make a new year promise to quit smoking,” said Nicolites MD Nikhil Nathwani. “The cigarette amnesty aims to give smokers the motivation and support that they need to give up tobacco products completely.”

Meanwhile, leading US e-cig brand Njoy has launched its first UK TV ad. The ad, which has a strong anti-tobacco message, first aired on Boxing Day and will continue to be shown throughout January. The campaign targets smokers who have made a new year resolution to quit tobacco.

“Our goal at Njoy is simple: we want to make cigarettes entirely obsolete,” said Njoy global chief marketing officer Geoff Vuleta.

“While other e-cigarette brands have focused advertising on salacious or shocking content or have promoted continued dual use of electronic cigarettes with combustion cigarettes, we think it’s important for the product category to demonstrate the value of e-cigarettes as an alternative to tobacco for existing adult smokers.”

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