Elevator Photo credits: Tweed and Mark Burstyn
Cannabis. It was just over 2 years ago that we landed a freshly inked contract to support the first-ever nation-wide launch of recreational cannabis for the world’s largest producer, Canopy Growth Corporation. It was a brand new consumer sector and we were starting from PR scratch.
Reflecting on best practices from virtually every sector we’ve touched – travel and technology, supplements, food and beverage, skincare and cosmetics, apparel and accessories, the list goes on – we were optimistic about our ability to craft that perfect message to reach target consumers and generate interest, excitement and support from mainstream media.
But the industry was wrought with stigma and we faced legal hurdles in real-time while trying to implement PR awareness campaigns; widespread education messaging about safety, and guidelines for recreational consumption.
Our strategy focused on sharing helpful tips, like how to shop, general expectations on product performance and all of the various formats and accessories available – really, all important topics and conversations that were never given mass legitimacy before legalization. Not to mention, how to manage doses just as one would manage alcohol intake. We resorted to creative thinking about how to break-through, without legal implications.
Cannabust. Turned out it wasn’t just legal that got in the way! Many influencers, the biggies, news networks and national print publications just weren’t ready to start building a ‘beat’, a topic for ongoing conversation. They claimed consumers weren’t ready for it, that there was still a lot of controversy (true) around the topic of legalized cannabis.
But consumers didn’t, and still don’t, have much knowledge about the benefits of pot shopping at government regulated retailers. Why? Because it’s still yet to be an acceptable topic among consumer mainstream media. Therefore, information and education is limited to those who opt to do their own digging and research, or window-shop in some of the great retail institutions that have opened. Yet cannabis is one of the most widely used substances in Canada, with nearly half of Canadians reporting having used it at some time in their lives (Statistics Canada 2020).
Cannabest. So where do we go from here? During our tenure with CGC we captured lots of good learnings and messaging loopholes. We are committed to supporting the growth of a thriving consumer sector of mainstream cannabis news. We’ll continue to work with businesses and brands who recognize the importance of PR and support the mission to continue building a recreational cannabis sector rich in conversations around education and lifestyle trends. Where the media and consumers share interest and excitement over cannabis accessory collections, new products coming to market, new flavour profiles in exactly the same manner that they do, we do with alcohol.
It’s early days yet, two years have passed. We’re not giving up. We were lucky enough to pilot the first PR launch of legal recreational cannabis. Meanwhile, analysts estimate the Canadian market will exceed CA $2.4 billion in sales this year. Now that is something to talk about.