It’s a little early to tell if October 17th will become a national holiday in Canada, but it’s still a day for celebration. As we congratulate Canada as the first industrialized nation to legalize cannabis as they did a year ago, we want to share some of our insights on what...
In two national surveys designed to uncover American attitudes toward cannabis, legalization and development of cannabis brands, we uncovered a unique subculture of Americans who strongly support legalizing recreational-use marijuana, but do not expect to purchase cannabis or engage with cannabis brands. Except in California, home to a historically bolder and...
In order to effectively market to your target audience, it’s vital you first learn all that you can about what they think of your product or service. Their motivations, their reservations, their concerns, etc. We’ve found that one of the best ways to do this is through focus groups. What are...
A content playbook is somewhat like an extended campaign brief, it sets the direction and strategy for the content campaign and it’s designed to serve as a resource for the content team members to reference back to as the campaign is executed. Simply put, the content playbook asks these three questions:...
After reading Playing to Win: How Strategy Really Works, I finally feel I’d connected with someone who can really breakdown the meaning of strategy without giving into MBA-speak. Given the authors are legendary P&G CEO A.G. Lafley and Harvard School of Management Dean Roger Martin, it’s no wonder. While Lafley and Martin...
Whether you’re interested in becoming a digital marketer, or an agency hiring a digital marketing specialist to join your marketing team, or even if you’re a business owner hiring a digital marketing agency to take over marketing completely, there are a few commonalities I’ve noticed, and you should look for, amongst those...
One question I often get when I discuss user testing with a client is “but… we already have Google Analytics well-configured with Goals, and we do rigorous A/B testing, is that not enough”? It’s a valid question, so I thought I would address that. I recently had the opportunity to participate...
Personal Ad: Cannabis Company Seeking Long Term Relationship with Talented Marketing Agency Finding “the one” is hard, especially if you’ve never worked with an agency before. And hey, maybe working with an agency isn’t for you and your business. That’s okay. We just hope this blog post can help answer some...
During our market research on consumer motivations in cannabis brand attribute preference, we have consistently seen four segments emerge among consumers, who we call “Traditionalists,” “Outsiders,” “Indies” and “Idealists.” Of these four, “Indies” and “Outsiders” are the most likely to patronize cannabis brands on a regular basis. Today we’re going to...
Nearly three years ago we launched our first study. Colorado had a legal Adult-Use market operational for less than 6 months. Our home state of Washington had barely begun legal sales. It seems like such a long time ago now but in the short period since then much has happened. The...
When I wrote this post nearly two years ago, it was with the expectation that I would be able to update it with “good news”, that cannabis businesses are able to take advantage of the powerful AdWords platform, running ads on Facebook, Instagram and the like, and the rest of us...
On average today more than half of in-home devices are mobile, and mobile searches and purchases continue to rise. In a recent econsultancy study, businesses surveyed reported an average of 50.8% of their total digital traffic having come via mobile devices in 2020, up from 13% in 2017. This trend is only going...
Many small businesses in the cannabis industry tend to think that market research is a costly exercise that can provide knowledge and insight –both of which are pleasant in the abstract– but doesn’t provide tangible results like more sales and profits. Admittedly, there are some market research projects that don’t...
Most cannabis businesses know the importance of having good quality online content. Your website is your digital storefront. In many cases, it’s your customer’s first (or only) introduction to your brand. Good content is important not only for getting the right customers to your site, but also crucial for getting them to...
We recently provided an overview of the key cannabis events of 2015. As we turn the page and dive into 2016, it’s undeniable that the year is going to be momentous. We asked a few of our friends what they believe 2016 will bring to the wonderful world of cannabis. 6...
There’s no denying that 2015 was a monumental year for cannabis, and that the major events of this past year will have an enormous impact on the economic markets, as well as the cultural significance of, legal cannabis for years to come. Here’s a brief summary of a few of the...
As the cannabis industry continues to be one of the fastest consumer markets, the tactics used by niche companies and startups are becoming more main-stream, legitimized and professional. That doesn’t, however, mean that the scary tactics of old have disappeared. In fact, some have become so predominant in a constantly growing...
Once upon a time, not really that long ago, commerce was relatively simple: you made a product, people bought it and you made money. Sell more, manage costs and you could grow into a more substantial endeavor. Consumers based their purchase on product utility: did they need it and would they...
In its simplest terms, marketing is the communication bridge between your target audience and your brand. So once you’ve taken the critical first step and nailed down what you stand for as a brand, you then need to determine how you want to engage with your target market. This process of consumer engagement...
The leaves are changing, the temperature is dropping and the summer is officially ending. While many will pack up flag t-shirts, put away leftover fireworks and clean that deliciously-used BBQ, we’re asking that you carry one thing with you as you say goodbye to summer and everything associated with it. The...