Tag Archive for: cannabis marketing agency

What Does PR Do?

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Key Takeaways

  • Building Trust Through Third-Party Endorsement: As consumers grow more skeptical of direct brand messaging, public relations serves as a vital tool by leveraging third-party validation. PR can effectively communicate a brand’s story through trusted sources, enhancing credibility and engagement.
  • Consumer Expectations for Social Responsibility: Modern consumers, particularly younger demographics, expect brands to take a stand on social and political issues. A strong PR strategy can help brands authentically showcase their values and involvement in relevant causes, which can influence purchasing decisions.
  • PR’s Impact on Information Preference: Data indicates that consumers, especially business decision-makers and Millennials, prefer learning about companies through articles rather than advertisements. Effective PR campaigns can generate more goodwill and engagement, making them invaluable for purpose-driven brands looking to establish a positive narrative.

Understanding PR’s Role in Today’s Media Landscape

There are more ways than ever for brands to communicate directly with prospective customers, investors, and stakeholders. Along with traditional marketing platforms like TV, radio, print, and billboard advertising, alternative methods such as social media and YouTube give companies even more ways to tell their story to their audience.

But even with more communication channels, traditional advertising (and even social media) has limits. Being constantly exposed to promotional content has made consumers more skeptical than ever. One study from Ragan found:

  • 86% of TV viewers skip or ignore ads
  • 44% of direct mail is never opened
  • 91% of email users unsubscribed from a company email list they originally opted into

Why Consumers Expect Brands to Take a Stand

Unlike previous generations, today’s employees and consumers expect leadership to weigh in on meaningful topics. According to the Edelman Trust Barometer:

  • 67% of employees expect employers to take a stand on issues they care about
  • 71% believe CEOs should respond to social and political challenges
  • 76% say CEOs should take a leading role in addressing societal problems

Younger audiences remain especially skeptical about authenticity:

  • 37% of teens (ages 16–19) doubt brand claims about causes
  • 69% believe brands exaggerate their support

PR is uniquely positioned to help companies navigate these expectations with credibility and consistency.

How PR Can Help You Reach (and Persuade) Even More People

If marketing and advertising are the tools brands use to tell their story, PR is the art of getting others to tell that story for you. While it may seem counterintuitive for brands to put their faith in having other people tell their story, there are benefits from good PR that can’t be matched by marketing and advertising. When trust is the goal, few tools are more effective.

Does PR Really Work? The Data is Clear

There’s already plenty of data to back up these claims. The Content Marketing Institute found that 70% of consumers prefer to get information on a company from articles as opposed to ads. This is even more true among businesses; CMI also found that 80% of business decision-makers prefer to learn about a company from articles instead of ads. Lastly, HubSpot found that Millennials are 247% more likely to be influenced by blogs and social media than by traditional advertising.

Brands who take advantage of what PR can do have an advantage over those who ignore these potential benefits. Getting articles about your company into trustworthy publications will generate more engagement and goodwill than even the strongest, most effective ad campaign. For brands that are purpose-driven, this kind of PR is priceless.

Frankly, more brands should be promoting themselves as values-based and purpose-driven. It’s a good business strategy; the MediaCom report we mentioned above found that 54% of the teens surveyed said they had bought from or intentionally avoided specific brands because of their ethics and values. MediaCom also found that 63%  of teens said they were more likely to buy from a brand that supported causes or charities that the teens cared about.

But credibility requires consistency, transparency, and real action, three pillars PR helps reinforce.

How PR Shapes Your Narrative and Strengthens Trust

Brands that actively shape their narrative gain a meaningful edge. PR helps you:

  • Clarify your mission
  • Reinforce your values
  • Correct misconceptions
  • Build long-term trust
  • Position your brand with purpose

This is particularly important when communicating around complex, nuanced, or potentially polarizing topics.

How Avaans PR Can Help

Avaans Media has a strong track record of helping brands tell their story in an interesting, creative way. Take our work for a hemp-based wellness brand. We had our work cut out for us with this campaign, as we had to establish the validity of hemp-based products in the consumer packaged-goods space despite skepticism from many prospective customers. But by harnessing our media contacts and crafting a campaign across a range of business, science, and lifestyle publications, we were able to place more than 200 stories about our client over a period of three years, averaging five stories every month.

Ready to find out what PR can do for you? Contact us here. 

 

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Meet Dan Serard Cannabis Marketing Expert

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Key Takeaways

  • Industry Experience: Dan Serard has been a significant player in the cannabis marketing sector since 2018, collaborating with over 200 cannabis brands through his role at Cannabis Creative Group. His background in sales management prior to cannabis emphasizes the importance of understanding client needs.
  • Branding Challenges: One of the primary misconceptions among cannabis companies is the belief that simply having a product will attract customers. Effective branding and marketing require a well-established brand foundation, strategic positioning, and a clear understanding of where and how to advertise.
  • SEO vs. Social Media: Dan emphasizes that search engine optimization (SEO) is a crucial, yet underrated tool for cannabis branding and marketing, as it directly impacts discoverability online. Conversely, he considers social media over-rated in terms of tracking return on investment (ROI) and direct sales impact.

Meet Dan Serard, Director of Business Development and Strategic Partnerships for Cannabis Creative Group, one of the most respected cannabis marketing agencies in the U.S., Dan has worked there since 2018 and has worked with an impressive 200 cannabis brands.

 

First, a little background about you:

I started working in the cannabis industry in 2018 and have worked with over 200 different brands! I live in Massachusetts and am originally from the Northeast. I spent some time traveling around the US and landed in Los Angeles for a little while, where I became ingrained in some of the legacy market up in Humboldt county.

When did you first start working in cannabis?

2018, when I started with Cannabis Creative Group.

What were you doing prior to cannabis?

I managed sales teams for health clubs and worked in enterprise sales for a genetic testing company.

Do you sit on any industry boards or associations that you’d like to mention?

I’m a member of Cannabis Marketing Association, Business Owners Hemp and Cannabis Association, and National Association of Cannabis Businesses. I’m also a committee member of the National Cannabis Industry Association’s Marketing and Advertising Committee and Co-Chair of the Education and Content Committee and a member of the Rolling Stone Cultural Council.

What lesson did you learn BEFORE cannabis that’s been most valuable in cannabis?

Sales is all about listening to the prospect and learning what really matters to them and how to assist them.

Is there a particular cannabis project you’d like to highlight?

There are many! We have an amazing portfolio [at Cannabis Creative Group].

What’s the biggest misconception cannabis companies have about cannabis branding, advertising, marketing, PR, social media?

Many people think that “if you build it, they will come”, especially dispensary owners.

 

In your view, what is the biggest cannabis branding/marketing/advertising challenge facing cannabis companies today?

Where and how to advertise!

What will get easier in cannabis PR/marketing/branding and what will get harder?

Easier – other media outlets opening up to cannabis. Television, radio, Google, social media channels, etc.

Harder- Competing on cannabis-specific platforms. If you’re a new business and competing against established businesses that spend much more money on apps like Weedmaps, your money is not spent appropriately.

 

What can companies do to ease their cannabis PR branding/marketing/advertising challenges?

 

Take the time, effort and energy to establish a TRUE brand foundation. Not just a logo, but think about your voice, position, messaging, etc. so you can scale that message across all platforms.

 

In your view, what is the most under-rated tool in the branding/marketing/advertising/PR toolbox for cannabis companies?

SEO!!!! The adult-use market is using search engines, just like any other industry, and if you can’t be found on Google, then you’re going to have a tough time!

In your view, what is the most over-rated tool in the cannabis branding/marketing/advertising/PR toolbox for cannabis companies?

Social media. It is very difficult to track direct ROI from social media. It is great to have but doesn’t correspond to many sales. Also, advertising on cannabis-specific platforms. It is tough to compete with many other cannabis businesses and many consumers in adult markets don’t even use these platforms compared to Google.

What’s the BEST piece of advice you give everyone you work with?

Start slow and grow! Find a niche market that really associates with your brand, grow within that market, then expand from there if needed.

What’s your advice for people who want to get into cannabis marketing/advertising/pr/branding?

NETWORK, NETWORK, NETWORK!!! Get yourself out there to meet people, join groups, and walk a tradeshow. The industry is open to many people, and it’s important to make connections.

 

Thanks for sharing your insights with us, Dan. How can people get in touch with you?

 

www.cannabiscreativegroup.com

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Cannabis Marketing Stats Answer: How Much Should You Spend on Cannabis Marketing?

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Key Takeaways

  • Invest Early and Strategically: To establish a strong foothold in the competitive cannabis market, brands should allocate a significant portion of their budget (ideally 15-20% of sales) to marketing and branding efforts, particularly during the launch phase.
  • Target Beyond the “Stoner” Image: To attract a broader consumer base, brands need to think like lifestyle marketers and invest accordingly. A marketing budget that aligns with growth goals is crucial for moving past niche markets.
  • Adapt to Advertising Limitations: Given the strict advertising regulations in the cannabis industry, brands may need to shift funds from traditional ad spend to alternative strategies like community building, content marketing, and public relations to effectively reach their audience.

Cannabis Marketing Stats that Help You With Your Cannabis Marketing Budget

You can see the Turning Cannabis Event Marketing into Public Relations Opportunities changing daily and yet we haven’t even reached anywhere close to a zenith in cannabis purchases. It’s easy to be lulled into thinking that a growing market allows you to limit your marketing budget. Unfortunately, no. Despite the growing businesses, success in the cannabis industry is no sure thing.  So how can you take advantage of this growing market by really developing a foothold?

Establishing your brand and investing in marketing is going to be the difference between success and failure in the cannabis industry.

The cannabis industry is growing, but you need to establish your brand and foothold now to ensure you’re able to withstand the inevitable maturation and consolidation of the industry as regulations ease.

Fundamentally, the wine market is a great comparison to the Why Cannabis Brand Trust Matters More Than Ever because it’s an industry built around an agricultural product that’s highly regulated. There’s one glaring difference between the two: wine is a mature product, the market is educated about it and those who drink wine, know they like drinking wine. Drinking wine carries with it a certain life-style sophistication that some people aspire to, in other words, it’s a lifestyle product. Wine companies know investing in branding can make all the difference because the market is highly competitive and they generally budget 15%-20% of sales for marketing, this is a mature product with an established cannabis brands.  You’ll notice in the below infographic that recreational cannabis is larger than wine sales, but cannabis sales haven’t even remotely become mainstream or moved past the “stoner” lifestyle image. If you’re marketing to a “stoner” culture audience,  then perhaps you can develop a budget that’s on the low side, but if you see only 10% sales growth, you’ll know what to expect.

But if you’re hoping to capture some of the market that lives beyond the “stoner” audience, then you’re going to need a bigger budget and you’ll need to think like a lifestyle marketer. You can bet that the cannabis industry is going to get incredibly competitive as time goes on. Establishing your brand and investing in marketing is going to be the difference between success and failure in the cannabis industry.

What should my cannabis marketing budget be?

Setting cannabis marketing budgets is no easier (in fact, it may be harder) than doing so for other industries and this is because of the multiple variables impacting this decision-making. We present these stats to you as a guideline to determining your marketing spend vs. sales growth.

Basically, ask yourself how much you want to grow and allocate an according percentage of your budget to the growth. You can’t expect sales to grow 100% with a 10% marketing budget. It may happen, but the more likely scenario is that by the time you realize it isn’t going to happen, you’ll be boxed into a budget that doesn’t support the other expenditures you made in anticipation of growth.

Your mileage may vary and we’re happy to talk to you about your specific niche in the industry to help you develop a plan if you don’t have one at all. Keep in mind if you’re in launch mode, your PR and marketing budgets should be on the higher side, which pretty much applies to almost every cannabis brand today.

Something else to consider are the advertising limitations facing the cannabis industry. Depending on your actual product, you may not be able to buy ads on Facebook and Google. Does that mean you shouldn’t have an advertising budget? No, it actually means you’ll need to reallocate what would be an ad budget to something else, perhaps social media marketing and community building or content marketing or public relations.

Understand this: if you don’t feel comfortable allocating this kind of percentage to marketing, it doesn’t mean you should pack up your bags and quit-it just means your progress will go slower and you should have realistic expectations.

How Long Will It Take for Marketing Efforts to Deliver Results?

There are numerous variables in the answer to this question. Including your customer, your product and your previous efforts. Let me assure you, with the right budget, all things are possible.

Marketing, PR and branding efforts all work together and they tend to compound, especially in the early days. The more marketing you do, the earlier the ball will start rolling.  You can do yourself some favors by tracking metrics along the way so you know you’re hitting the right mix of marketing and that your marketing dollars are being optimized. Consistency is key in marketing and PR, so plan for consistency with bursts of activity around your strategic sales times.

All that to say this, the bigger your budget as a percentage of sales, the faster you’ll see sales grow, so if you’re in a hurry, budget accordingly.

 

Cannabis Marketing Stats That Matter

cannabis marketing budgets stats

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