The well-documented harmful effects of cigarettes have resulted in higher taxes on tobacco and advertising bans. You might recall the tobacco advertising of old glamourised smoking through celebrity endorsements. And it worked. Remember when you tried your first cigarette? Cool factor, baby.

The introduction of e-cigarettes is widely acknowledged as a healthier alternative to tobacco smoking, but they generally suffer from a combination of looking incredibly lame, and being inconvenient to manage.

But the celebrity endorsement is back in a big way. An e-ciagrette company called BluCigs has roped in Stephen Dorff to endorse their product, and sales are going mental.

Simon Cowell and Kate Moss are also riding that e-cigarette endorsement train, by the way.

Jenny McCarthy

Stephen Dorff

Consumer analyst Nielsen predicts the sales of electronic cigarettes could reach the R2 billion mark by year end. British American Tobacco became the first tobacco company to launch electronic cigarettes. Andy Morton, commercial director of Nielsen said:

Tobacco companies, which are experiencing a long-term decline in demand for factory-manufactured cigarettes, are moving to cash in on the new trend.

Some countries are already  drafting bills to have the electronic cigarette banned, with countries like Norway, Singapore, Brazil and France already affording electronic cigarette smokers the same restrictions attached to regular smokers.

[Sources: YouTube, DailyMail]