Five months ago, we saw job postings for Juul ($PRIVATE:JUUL) fall 37% as politicians and local governments began cracking down on e-cigarette sales. Yesterday, co-founder James Monsees announced plans to step down as adviser and board member, and the company’s new management will determine the fate of the company.
Juul job openings hit a peak of 685 in August, then dropped 72% to 191 by November. Since then, that number has gone down 55% to 86.
The company’s social media engagement has also suffered. Juul’s Facebook ‘Talking About’ count has dropped a whopping 85%, indicating that mentions of the brand — either through status updates or selfies — has tumbled. In other words, Juul is far from cool as of late.
Vaping has also been mentioned with negative connotations as a complicating habit when it comes to Coronavirus. That could compound the slowdown we're seeing here. Once Juul is affected by Coronavirus, business could go up in smoke.
About the Data:
Thinknum tracks companies using the information they post online - jobs, social and web traffic, product sales and app ratings - and creates data sets that measure factors like hiring, revenue and foot traffic. Data sets may not be fully comprehensive (they only account for what is available on the web), but they can be used to gauge performance factors like staffing and sales.
Further Reading:
- Target sees social media chatter soar amid Coronavirus pandemic
- Coronavirus puts cleanliness - and Clorox - center stage on social media
- Hospitality hiring crushed by Coronavirus pandemic
