We’ve certainly covered enough cigarette developments (innovative new products and packaging, even the cult of the mobile ashtray) to demonstrate that a lot of people in Japan still smoke. So it is a notable change to come across an interesting product campaign that encourages the opposite.
While we all know that smoking isn’t the healthiest activity, the campaign for TaEco takes the angle that it can also have a negative effect on the environment.
TaEco, a contraction of the Japanese spelling of tobacco (“tabako”) and the oh-so-trendy word “eco,” is one of those plastic fake cigarettes with an LED light at the tip to simulate the burning ember.
It also comes in a variety of flavors, like vanilla, menthol, and strawberry, but the main sales point is that the TaEco is an environmentally friendly alternative to the real thing (which is a good thing, since the appeal of a drag of artificial strawberry essences isn’t wholly convincing).
The marketing even goes as far as to position the TaEco as a fashion item by offering a “deco” version.
Another similar product, the Mismo (a contraction for “mist smoke”), in addition to also offering deco versions, boasts of health and therapeutic benefits. The flavor cartridges come in “stimulating mint” or “soothing grapefruit,” both spiked with vitamin C and co-enzyme 10.
A Mismo starter kit costs ¥12,600 (about $115) while the TaEco comes out to ¥18,900 (about $180).
I want one of those. XD