Refining the art of marketing to the cannabis crowd
In an industry as fast-paced and competitive as cannabis, marketers have a limited window to pull together a compelling branding and messaging strategy that will resonate with their audiences.
With years of experience in the pharmaceutical, consumer packaged goods, and alcohol industries, Sung Kang, chief marketing officer at VIVO, says marketing in the cannabis space is a unique experience. “Cannabis is the only substance I can think of that is a medicine and a recreational product. Ibuprofen is not for recreation, and alcohol is not used for medicine. That’s why this is such an interesting industry.”
That being said, there are some common consumer trends that prevail. “Whatever the industry, consumers still want to save money or, conversely, spend money on premium products if the brands and products are interesting enough.”
VIVO has spent the better part of 2018 unveiling product offerings for three distinct markets, following extensive qualitative and quantitative research.
The first is Beacon Medical, launching this month. Designed for the medical cannabis user, Beacon is built to help patients and their healthcare providers navigate the complex medical cannabis market to find the best treatment option, Kang says. “Our preliminary studies indicated that 73 per cent of adult Canadians who are not using cannabis but have a treatable condition say they lack the appropriate knowledge of how to use medical cannabis. Also, 67 per cent said they are not familiar with how to even obtain it. Beacon is a brand that makes the whole process easy to figure out.”
On the recreational front, VIVO has focused on two segments, he explains. “There are two common occasions for recreational use. One is for social occasions, in which people are hanging out, and want to engage and connect with each other. In those cases, cannabis serves as a social lubricant like alcohol. The other is for individual occasions for the health and wellness-focused user.
Fireside is VIVO’s premium dried flower brand, crafted for social occasions with friends. When the adult-use recreational cannabis market opens to Canadians on Oct. 17, Fireside products will be available in both dried whole-bud and pre-rolled formats. The cannabis is grown in small batches in craft-like conditions using a long-curing process. Fireside will be available in three varieties: Fireside Black (high THC), Fireside Red (medium THC), and Fireside Gold (balanced THC/CBD). The idea behind the colour coding is to simplify the product array down from hundreds of strains to just a few relevant and extremely high-quality options. “Fireside Black is perfect for larger groups because in those situations, if you are passing around a pre-rolled joint, you are likely to only get a few puffs, so you want to make sure that the potency is high enough to count. As groups get smaller in size, Fireside Red and Gold are perfect options as their potencies are slightly lower,” said Kang.
The third entry in VIVO’s line of cannabis brands is Lumina. This brand is a collection of non-combustible cannabis formats and focused on personal wellness. The first product group to be launched is Lumina Cannabis Oils, which will be available in three formulations: CDB Oil, THC Oil and Balanced Oil. Each can be taken on its own, mixed with food or drink, or used in cooking or baking.
“The potential for Lumina products is going to be much bigger in the future once more products made from cannabis extracts are approved by Health Canada,” Kang notes. “Eventually, we see the Lumina brand carrying a wide array of lotions, creams, aromatherapy candles, bath bombs and other health and beauty products elevated with cannabis extracts that help people take better care of their mind and body.”
As legalization progresses, and the market expands, Kang says VIVO is actively searching top partners to help build the most innovative cannabis foods, beverages and therapies. “We’re looking to have conversations with companies that have something to offer that’s premium and innovative.”
He feels confident these brands show promising and exciting potential for VIVO. “Our goal is to come out with products and brands that aren’t just copycats. One of the things I’ve learned in my career is that when you’re chasing a competitor that has launched something interesting and you want to close that gap, you’re not innovating. That’s definitely not where we want to be. But if we are investing in things others aren’t doing, our competitors will have to chase us — and they will be the ones standing still.”
LEARN MORE: • vivocannabis.com