ALL POSTS

Resiliency & the Canadian Cannabis Industry
The plant itself is pretty tough – it’s called “weed” for a reason. But what about the industry itself?

Garo as a Guest on Juana Niche
This podcast with Kelsey Parker digs into the lessons I learned during the early days of cannabis marketing and the importance of budtenders. Give it a listen!

How to Eliminate the Social Stigma Surrounding Cannabis
Educate yourself about the science of cannabis. Tell personal stories. Be transparent and honest. By removing the stigma, cannabis can help improve the lives of many more people.

Garo as a Guest on ADCANN’s Trailblazer Series
This interview with the ADCANN team talks about the challenges , restrictions, and effective marketing techniques that I’ve observed in the cannabis industry today. Give it a read!

Garo as a Guest on Thinking Outside the Bud
This podcast with Bruce Eckfeldt digs into my thoughts about the Canadian cannabis landscape, among other things. Give it a listen!

Making Cannabis an Enjoyable and Safe Ritual in Your New WFH Life
Article first appeared in Muse by Clio. With many of us working from home, we have some extra time on our hands. Maybe cannabis can be used to improve the quality of your new WFH life.

Cannabis LPs have Invested in New & Differentiated Products, but they are Still Not Allowed to Market them in Canada
Over six months into Cannabis 2.0, we are finally seeing some interesting products that are not offered by the illegal black market – but the legal cannabis industry can’t really tell you about them.

During this Crisis, Cannabis Marketers should Stay the Course (and Learn Along the Way)
During this unprecedented crisis, the industry needs to continue to responsibly promote the health benefits of safe and sensible use of cannabis, but also have an eye on consumer behaviour

Marketing in the Dispensary is one of the best ways to grow your Cannabis brand
Investing in in-store marketing is a cost-effective way to communicate the brand story throughout the lower part of the path to purchase.

The Good, Bad and Ugly for Cannabis Marketing in 2020
If you thought 2019 was disruptive, hang on to your hat as 2020 looks even more turbulent.

Cannabis legalization isn’t working in Canada – government ignored the basics of marketing
Despite federal government promises to the contrary, the black market continues to supply weed to most Canadians, including our youth.

Using Drake’s Influence in Cannabis Marketing
You can call it Drake turning his love of weed into a business, but he may have just viewed the industry as another channel for his marketing. Why are influencers so important to cannabis marketing?

Making Cannabis More Convenient – Marketing Home Delivery
Technology has disrupted many industries, so it makes sense that cannabis would join the list. Competition with the black market and the relatively low number of bricks-and-mortar cannabis retail stores in many markets should open the door to home delivery.

Restrictions on the marketing of legal cannabis help the black market pot dealer
Legal cannabis faces an uphill battle against a very strong competitor – the black market. Tough to beat, made even tougher in jurisdictions where regulations prohibit the most effective forms of marketing.

Why I’ve started a blog about opportunities & challenges in the marketing of cannabis
My career in marketing spans over 30 years, 16+ with my own agency. I’ve worked in categories from beer to banks, tea to tourism, and fast

Legal cannabis – a threat to big pharma & a marketing opportunity?
The purported health benefits of cannabis has created a competitor to the Rx and OTC products offered by Big Pharma, a significant opportunity (and challenge) for marketers.

Marketing and the people in the lineup at my local cannabis dispensary
A marketer’s lens on the customers that are buying from a retail cannabis shop.

Going out for a few cannabis beverages – can marketing help make it a ritual?
The beverage industry shows great promise, but will people use cannabis beverages like they use alcohol? This marks an opportunity for cannabis marketers.

Cannabis education plays a vital role in marketing to budtenders
We’ve all heard that a significant percentage of purchase decisions are made in-store. I suspect it’s a really high number in cannabis selling stores, so give your budtenders a unique story to sell.

Cannabis marketing & CBD cosmetics
As the public perception of CBD continues to evolve, consumers will look forward to CBD beauty products to weave into their personal care routine. However, CBD is still technically an illegal ingredient to include in products. What’s a marketer to do?

Education & cannabis marketing
A major theme within cannabis legalization is education of consumers. Licensed producers and retailers are looking to guide consumers unfamiliar with cannabis with educational material rather than promotional.

Marketing cannabis and the ever-changing U.S. legislative environment
Here is the most up to date listing, by state, as of September 2019. We will update this chart whenever further changes take place.

Marketing and the cannabis supply chain: extraction technology
Ancillary opportunities are emerging in the Cannabis supply chain, this one powered by the demand for Edibles and Oils.

Medical cannabis marketing: Germany as an opportunity?
A quick look at Germany suggests it will be a key export market for Canadian manufacturers and producers from other countries – and could be a model followed by other European countries.

Synthetic CBD and its impact on cannabis marketing
Synthetic CBD is poised to impact the medical marijuana business and create another opportunity for cannabis marketers.

Canada’s National Cannabis Survey – a marketing tool
These surveys provide a gateway into knowledge about an emerging and untapped industry.

Keep an eye on marketing opportunities from cannabis reform
The Marijuana Justice Act: One of many potential regulatory changes that the industry, investors and marketers need to watch with the U.S. 2020 election looming.

Celebrities and cannabis marketing
Add “Chief Brand Strategist” to Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter’s bio as he joins up with Caliva, a leading California-based cannabis consumer products company.

Marketing cannabis beverages – friend or foe to the alcohol industry?
Are THC and/or CBD-infused beverages the cannabis products that will really challenge the alcohol industry? Well, they’re beverages too.

Cannabis marketing & the evolving business ecosystem
While the licensed cannabis producers (LPs) seem to attract most of the attention from investors and consumers, don’t overlook the significant business opportunities within the growing and evolving ancillary businesses that service and supply the cannabis ecosystem.

Cannabis marketing and the foggy regulatory landscape
It’s my belief that the FDA will turn a blind eye to CBD-based products, especially at the national retailers as long as the manufacturers do not make unsubstantiated therapeutic claims.

Marketing cannabis as a lifestyle brand
Is it a product or a distinctive lifestyle? I dive into how cannabis companies today need to be extra creative when it comes to marketing their brand and messaging, ultimately changing the perception of the stigmatized industry.