The Green Repeal - A Guide to Cannabis Marketing Advertising

If you want to use digital marketing to grow your business, there's a pretty good chance your plan involves buying ads on Google and Facebook. But what happens when not just those platforms, but almost every major advertising platform, won't take your money?

Sam Hollander is determined to solve this issue. He's the Chief Data Officer, Head of Ad Sales at Enlighten–the largest cannabis retail and marketing platform. Enlighten connects brands with cannabis and CBD consumers, and Sam brings over 12 years of experience in strategy, content development, and ad tech to his role.

In today's conversation, we talk to Sam about his unique journey into the cannabis industry, how he helps brands and retailers reach their ideal customer, and how he expects to see cannabis marketing change in the years to come.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• How Enlighten grew from a digital signage and kiosk business into a powerful advertising platform.
• Why cannabis advertising is still largely prohibited in the world of streaming media.
• The tools cannabis brands can use to target and acquire customers–and how this is changing in the wake of Apple's push for privacy.
• How cannabis marketing works on the medical side.
• How brands can showcase products and even occasionally sell them at conventions, music festivals, and other events.
• Why Sam doesn't expect to see federal legalization this year–but does expect to see cannabis companies finally get the ability to work with big banks and major marketers soon.

Show Notes

For complete show notes, including transcripts, takeaways, and links to all the resources mentioned, visit SoHoExp.com/33

To learn more about the podcast and get access to all episodes, visit: SoHoExp.com/GreenRepeal

For the uninitiated, CBD can be a confounding product category. It can't simply be labeled fat-free or sugar-free, called natural or organic, and isn't reliably or consistently dosed from product to product.

Andrea Wightwick is working to change this. She's the Founder and CEO of Hapsy–a CBD brand that puts power back in the hands of the consumer. Andrea has a long, storied career working with brands you probably use daily, and she used her experience to create a CBD brand that's pure, discreet, true, and transparent.

Today, Andrea joins the podcast to share the story of how she discovered CBD, created a unique brand that rethought the positioning and ideas behind CBD products, and what she's doing to educate and empower her customers.

P.S. Andrea is running a promotion until July 31, 2021. Please use the Promo Code "HEYHAPSY20" and enjoy a 20% discount on the wonderful products she has available over at Hapsy.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• What Andrea learned from 15 years of brand development with Coca-Cola and other major companies creating packaged goods.
• How the COVID pandemic derailed Andrea's launch–and why this proved to be a blessing in disguise.
• What makes Hapsy's CBD products different from others–and, more generally, how to shop for CBD products for your unique needs.
• Why so many CBD products are inconsistent in dosage or performance.
• The common myths about CBD and its effects.
• Why Andrea thinks we'll see full federal legalization in 2025.

Show Notes

For complete show notes, including transcripts, takeaways, and links to all the resources mentioned, visit SoHoExp.com/32

To learn more about the podcast and get access to all episodes, visit: SoHoExp.com/GreenRepeal

How does one cross over from working in the corporate world to the cannabis industry? What does that journey look like, and what are the common challenges along the way? And how can you identify opportunities to lend your skills and transform a fast-growing but still nascent industry?

Dasheeda Dawson is a global cannabis advocate, award-winning executive strategist, and the author of How to Succeed in the Cannabis Industry, which is now in its third edition. At The WeedHead & Co., she's parlayed two decades of experience in business development, strategic management, and marketing to educate and empower people who aspire to work in the cannabis industry.

She's also the host of She Blaze, an award-winning cannabis news and culture podcast, the co-founder of the Cannabis Education Advocacy Symposium and Expo, the founding chair of the Cannabis Regulators of Color Coalition, and was most recently named as the cannabis program supervisor for the city of Portland, Oregon.

Today, Dasheeda joins the podcast to share the story of how she became a patient, an advocate, and a leader, what she learned from her years as a consultant in the cannabis space, and the work that needs to be done to address the lasting and systemic damage created by decades of harmful drug policy.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• How Dasheeda went from working on the corporate side at Target to becoming a consultant within the cannabis industry.
• Why Dasheeda uses stigmatized language in the names of her blog and her podcast–and the marketing trick she's using to eliminate that stigma through her work.
• Why it's so important to integrate the legacy cannabis market–and what needs to be done to make this happen.
• How New York's cannabis law sets a new gold standard that Dasheeda would like to see rolled out across other states.
• What it means to be a cannabis czar, and some of Dasheeda's policy recommendations in this position for Portland.
• Why Dasheeda thinks federal legalization could happen by 2023.

Show Notes

For complete show notes, including transcripts, takeaways, and links to all the resources mentioned, visit SoHoExp.com/31

To learn more about the podcast and get access to all episodes, visit: SoHoExp.com/GreenRepeal

For some consumers, going into a dispensary for the first time can feel scary. The retail environment rarely caters to first-time buyers, and there are still countless stigmas associated with cannabis and "weed culture" that feel like they should have died out years ago, but still persist today.

Mimi Lam is on a quest to change this. She's the CEO and Co-founder of Superette, which creates immersive atmospheres that feel fresh and familiar to consumers. She's also involved in the Ontario Cannabis Policy Council and Canadian Chamber of Commerce's National Cannabis Working Group, where she advocates for sustainability and works to minimize the impact that the cannabis industry has on the planet.

Today, Mimi joins the podcast to share the story of how she took the leap from venture capitalist to cannabis entrepreneur, how the Canadian cannabis industry works, and how she and her co-founder Drummond Munro have worked within a series of strict (and often changing) rules and regulations to create unique customer experiences.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Why there's a massive gap between product and consumer in the cannabis industry – and how this allows innovators to create better customer experiences.
• How Mimi has integrated giving back and positive social impact into every aspect of her business.
• Why federal legalization in Canada doesn't solve everything - and the unique challenges Mimi's business faces regularly.
• How Mimi took inspiration from delis, diners, and bodegas to create a different kind of retail cannabis experience.

Show Notes

For complete show notes, including transcripts, takeaways, and links to all the resources mentioned, visit SoHoExp.com/30

To learn more about the podcast and get access to all episodes, visit: SoHoExp.com/GreenRepeal

420 is a perfectly natural holiday for the cannabis industry. It's also a great opportunity to look back on past episodes of this podcast, what we've learned along the way, and to examine the state of the industry.

We started this podcast in September of 2019 to explore the cannabis industry, to educate ourselves, and to bring others along on our journey. In this special episode, we're touching on themes that have come up time and again with our guests: issues of representation, the restorative justice that needs to come with full legalization, and which of our guests' predictions have come true.

We also dig into what the next year will look like for The Green Repeal, who we want to talk to in upcoming episodes, and how we see the perception of cannabis changing in the years to come.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• How women are becoming a growing force in the cannabis industry much faster than in spirits or alcohol.
• How access to capital has made the modern cannabis industry overwhelmingly white - and what needs to change to open access to minority entrepreneurs.
• What needs to happen with the word "stoner" and the stigma it carries.
• Our guest's predictions on when federal legalization is going to happen, why it hasn't happened yet, and what needs to change in order for it to happen.

Show Notes

For complete show notes, including transcripts, takeaways, and links to all the resources mentioned, visit SoHoExp.com/29

To learn more about the podcast and get access to all episodes, visit: SoHoExp.com/GreenRepeal

There are many talented people working to demonstrate the link between positive health outcomes and cannabis use, but what about in sports and athletics?

To help us answer that question, we're speaking to Jim McAlpine. Jim is a snowboard company executive and an early advocate for cannabis use among athletes. He created the 420 Games – a multi-sport event company for cannabis users to destigmatize stoner stereotypes and network of professional athletes and advocates working to demonstrate the connection between weed and wellness.

Today, Jim joins the podcast to talk about why skiing and snowboarding go with cannabis like peanut butter and jelly, the power of great live experiences, and his mission to prove that elite athletics and cannabis can go hand-in-hand.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• What Jim didn't like about conventional ski and snowboard events as a young entrepreneur - and the unconventional strategy he used to poach huge numbers of prospective customers.
• How the 420 Games forged authentic connections with customers in the yoga, ski, and snowboarding spaces.
• How the perception of elite athletes' cannabis use has changed since the infamous photo of Michael Phelps smoking a bong, how athletes are now advocating for cannabis use as part of their training, and why cannabis is not a PED.
• The do's and don'ts of incorporating cannabis into events of all kinds.
• Why Jim believes the differences between indica and sativa are a myth and everyone's reactions are different.
• How the perception of cannabis in the media has become more realistic over the last decade.

Show Notes

For complete show notes, including transcripts, takeaways, and links to all the resources mentioned, visit SoHoExp.com/28

To learn more about the podcast and get access to all episodes, visit: SoHoExp.com/GreenRepeal

The audience for cannabis content has grown rapidly over the last decade - but who writes it, what value does it provide, and what challenges make this niche so unique?

Here to answer these questions is Lauren Yoshiko. She's a writer, cannabis journalist, magazine editor, and the host of Broccoli Talk, Broccoli Magazine's official podcast. She's a cannabis speaker on branding and women in weed, a budtender, the harvest manager of Cannabis Farm, a copywriter, and a well-respected advocate for women, minorities, and small businesses within the cannabis space.

Twice a week, she publishes the Broccoli Report, where she writes about topics including industry news and stoner lifestyle accessories, giving both entrepreneurs and users the inside scoop.

Today, Lauren joins the podcast to talk about how she entered the cannabis industry, and what cannabis tourism may look like post-COVID.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• The stigmas and myths around cannabis that Lauren encountered in her early twenties, the cultural shifts that helped her get her first cannabis column, and why she had to write under a pseudonym to protect her corporate job at a Fortune 500 company.
• Why so many brands are looking to shake the legacy of stoner imagery while retaining parts of it - and why so many brands are crashing and failing.
• How illegal dispensaries successfully operate while masquerading as legitimate ones.
• What cannabis tourism and consumption spaces may look like.
• How working as a grower helped Lauren better understand the labor that goes into cannabis production and led her straight into her career in journalism.
• How Broccoli differentiated itself from publications like High Times, and why Lauren's work stands out in a culture that can be very "bro-y."
• Why Lauren hopes to see interstate commerce before full federal legalization.

Show Notes

For complete show notes, including transcripts, takeaways, and links to all the resources mentioned, visit SoHoExp.com/27

To learn more about the podcast and get access to all episodes, visit: SoHoExp.com/GreenRepeal

In the age of social media backlash and deep distrust in "influencers," how can one be a responsible ambassador and advocate for cannabis?

Here to help us answer that question is Brooke Burgstahler. She's a writer, producer, host, and actress in TV, online media, and film. She's the star of BigMike and Advanced Nutrients' show, Marijuana Morning News, which she hosts daily. She conceptualizes and shares stories covering everything from pop culture to politics, history, and social justice reform.

Her work has reached millions of viewers, and she's also a 500-hour certified yoga instructor. Her latest venture is Budding Mind, a cannabis and wellness startup designed to expand the mind and heart through the exploration of plant medicine, alternative healing, science, and spirituality.

Today, Brooke joins the podcast to share the story of how she became a cannabis content creator, showcasing the "softer side" of what can be a grungy and male-dominated industry, and the amazing ways she's building a singular brand in the space.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Why Brooke identifies as an authenticator in the cannabis space and not an influencer.
• The similarities between cannabis edutainment and yoga - and what Brooke is doing to create inviting spaces to learn and have fun at the same time.
• How Brooke is using Instagram to responsibly share accurate, vetted information with her audience while avoiding takedowns.
• Why it's so difficult for cannabis brands to share content on TikTok.
• The common myths around cannabis that Brooke is on a mission to debunk.
• How cannabis does (and doesn't) fit into a wellness and self-care regimen.
• The unique intersection between cannabis and yoga.

Show Notes

For complete show notes, including transcripts, takeaways, and links to all the resources mentioned, visit SoHoExp.com/26

To learn more about the podcast and get access to all episodes, visit: SoHoExp.com/GreenRepeal

In the early days of legal cannabis edibles, it was hard to find anything that seemed "healthy." Most products were full of sugar, dyed with synthetic colors, and prone to leaving their consumers completely incapacitated.

This is why Gillian Levy, the President of Humboldt Apothecary, set out to change things. She holds a degree in biology and botany from Humboldt State University and advocates for healthy lifestyles rooted in good food, exercise, and holistic use of plant-based medicines. She's a foodie and a mixologist with a deep understanding of not just traditional cocktail ingredients, but less traditional nonalcoholic and herbal drinks.

Today, Gillian joins the podcast to share the story of how her dreams of being a doctor led her to a career in plant-based medicine, creating a product portfolio that walks a line between wellness and lifestyle, and what it means to be one of a small number of fully female-owned cannabis companies working today.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• How Gillian launched her apothecary business to help represent cannabis in the way she thought it deserved.
• Why cannabinoids have so much unique healing potential.
• How sun-grown, small-batch craft cannabis reduces the crop's ecological footprint.
• Why the cannabis industry remains so male-dominated - and the advantages and disadvantages of operating a female-owned cannabis business.
• The significant challenges of selling mixed drinks containing alcohol and CBD or THC.
• Why Gillian believes federal legalization won't happen until each state individually legalizes.

Show Notes

For complete show notes, including transcripts, takeaways, and links to all the resources mentioned, visit SoHoExp.com/25

To learn more about the podcast and get access to all episodes, visit: SoHoExp.com/GreenRepeal

In one sense, the cannabis industry is like any other: when you identify a gap in the market, there's an opportunity to achieve success by filling it.

Space Coyote's high quality pre-rolls, available all over California, do just that. Today's guest, co-founder Libby Cooper, has helped to create a truly unique brand that marries the highest-quality flower with well-established branded extracts. In just a few years, she has built an impressive company and created a curated, top-shelf cannabis experience for her many fans.

In this episode, Libby shares the story of how she built a premium company and a high-end category on her terms in just a few short years, the changing perception of adult-use cannabis usage, and how Space Coyote's marketing has adapted in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• How Libby "came out" as a cannabis user to her friends and family.
• Why Libby and her co-founder Scott alternate their titles of President and CEO annually - and how they delegate who handles what while maintaining a balance of power.
• The importance of destigmatizing the word "stoner" - and why Libby's brand is all about celebrating the psychedelic cannabis experience.
• How Space Coyote's branding changes every time the company enters a new state.
• The many different flavors and experiences that can be created in cannabis pre-rolls - and why Space Coyote's prerolls are the equivalent of farmer's market fresh tomatoes.
• Why Libby is optimistic we'll see federal legalization within the next four years.

Show Notes

For complete show notes, including transcripts, takeaways, and links to all the resources mentioned, visit SoHoExp.com/24

To learn more about the podcast and get access to all episodes, visit: SoHoExp.com/GreenRepeal