Marijuana Business Magazine January 2020

Marijuana Business Magazine | January 2020 78 “They’re smoke-free, sugar-free and easy to add to a wellness regimen, Verghese said. “Seniors are already used to taking pills, so it fits in with their regimen.” Slang Worldwide, a consumer pack- aged goods company that owns, licenses and markets cannabis brands, recently staged a two-night party—Far Out Factory—in a large warehouse in north Denver. While cannabis consumption was forbidden, representatives from a number of Slang’s cannabis brands were at the party, which featured music, local artists and interactive installations such as a large mural that people could add to with Slang-provided markers. “It takes the intersection of music and art and brings them together,” said Britta- ny Hallett, vice president of brands, me- dia and events at Slang Worldwide. “We really feel like cannabis has a symbiotic relationship with music and art. It fosters moments for enjoyment and connection.” Slang brought its space- and exploration-themed brand District Edibles to life through a silent disco that made participants feel as if they were in space because the outside world was blocked out by music playing through their headphones. For its wellness supplement brand Pressies, which combines THC with nutraceuticals, Slang created a large-scale Lite-Brite-style board that encouraged partygoers to press colored pegs into a board to create shapes or convey thoughts. “In marketing, we talk about im- pressions—how many impressions are we able to make through our efforts?” Hallett said. “Far Out Factory is creating a sticky impression. It’s not just handing out a coupon that ends up in a trash can a few days later.” Sometimes, marketing firms use CBD products to promote something other than the benefits of CBD. Grandesign Experiential, for example, created a campaign that offered CBD-infused coffee as part of a cross- promotion with the Season 3 premiere of HBO’s “High Maintenance.” Grandesign partnered with North Hollywood coffee shop JoeCoffeeLA to supply its signature CBD powder- infused drip, cold brew and espresso blends from coffee trucks emblazoned with the show’s logo and brand ambassadors dressed as “The Guy,” a bike-riding, marijuana-delivery salesman portrayed by Ben Sinclair in the HBO comedy. CBD-infused beverages were served in branded cups with branded napkins and hot sleeves. After all 2,000 cups were distributed, Grandesign estimated 12,000 impressions were made over two days when people saw someone carry- ing a branded cup. That campaign worked both ways: promoting the CBD-infused coffee business as well as the HBO show, Grandesign’s Omahen said. “This was a great campaign to open that conversation up and reach consum- ers,” Omahen said. “It comes down to education and getting people to engage with the brand and learn more about CBD. People loved the coffee, and it was a brand experience people loved.” Creating an experience is also a great way to engage potential customers at trade shows without appearing to do a hard sell to people visiting your booth. “You can treat it like a sales environment, but we all know how that feels,” said Zack Schwartz, founder of Chicago-based marketing firm Abstract Actual. “We’re beyond the one-way sales strategy of being constantly bombarded by sales and advertising, and we’re more interested in having a connection and finding a mutually beneficial relationship. That’s why I’m focused on and really committed to face-to-face in general but also face-to-face marketing.” EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING Margaret Jackson is a reporter for Marijuana Business Magazine. You can reach her at margaretj@mjbizdaily.com . A group tours Seed & Smith's cannabis operation in Denver. Courtesy Photo