“I know the perception of who we are and what we stand for,” Ms. Cordisco said, adding later, “We’re here to make sure we can put this industry on the right side of history.” She continued: “We’re trying to redefine tobacco enjoyment and give smokers an alternative, one that potentially reduces harm.”

Still, Ms. Cordisco took a shot at Lorillard and Altria for what she said was irresponsible marketing. She said the “Let It Glow” tag line was “terrible,” and that she found Lorillard’s advertising for Blu “distasteful,” which included a sexy advertisement in the annual swimsuit edition of Sports Illustrated. She also criticized the use of celebrity advertising.

“Those running the most irresponsible campaigns are the ones who know better,” Ms. Cordisco said. The marketing campaign for Vuse, which is built around the slogan “a perfect puff” every time, is not aimed at children, she said.

David B. Sutton, a spokesman for Altria, which owns NuMark, the seller of MarkTen e-cigarettes, said the “Let It Glow” campaign that began this month was aimed at adults. Robert Bannon, the head of investor relations at Lorillard, defended Blu ads as “trying to make the products as attractive to consumers as possible, and we don’t think there’s a problem with that.” Echoing the views of companies in the e-cigarette industry, including small players, he said that such advertising is the way to tell consumers about “a viable alternative to combustible cigarettes.”

Lorillard has said it spent $40 million last year marketing Blu, mostly on TV ads. Mr. Bannon said the company planned to keep spending at about that level in the near term. The ads have paid off, but only to an extent. Sales of Blu hit $54 million in the fourth quarter of last year, but slipped to $51 million in the first quarter. Part of that might reflect changing consumer tastes, including the emergence of new e-cigarette technology, called tank systems, which present an alternative to e-cigarettes.