This past Friday was ‘weed day’. 4/20 (pronounced four-twenty) has become a dedicated day for the consumption of cannabis. Medical cannabis in the United States is legal in 29 states as of December 2016. Pot parlors were legalized in California in November 2016.
With the gradual shift towards legalization across USA and across the world, are we seeing the end of a new ‘prohibition’? And coming out of that the emergence of a new industry with new brands?
Some of these new brands mean serious business. The quality of their propositions, claims and premium packaging is quite impressive. Check out a small sample…
They are also developing marketing efforts to disrupt the landscape. Here’s Kiva working with the influencer channel Green Flower on youtube to get across its difference.
A growing Marijuana market is a prospect that could give brands in the alcohol industry cause for concern. According to a report from Cannabiz Consumer Group (C2G), beer sales could take a huge hit if more states legalize recreational marijuana. It predicts that the beer industry could lose more than $2 billion in retail sales. And it reported that 27% of beer drinkers said they have already substituted cannabis for beer or would make that switch if marijuana was legal in their state. Plus wine and spirits sales could also see a drop in sales.
Some of the Cannabis brands know this and are jumping on it. Modern Martini RX doesn’t contain alcohol but it does have 50-100 mg of THC per bottle. The drink uses Sativa cannabis, which produces an energizing mood, not the sedated feeling that one gets from the Indica cannabis strain. The drinks are brightly colored with names like Canna Cosmo and Laced Lemonade. Modern Martini RX claims the drinks give its consumers uplifting thoughts, relaxed muscles as well as increased focus and creativity. Certainly, no beer company can make those claims.
Now is the time to watch out for this new disruptor starting to gain traction with a collection of brands that are all making strides to develop, cut through and win the race to dominate. Several years from now we could see Cannabis brands being nurtured and fueled in a similar way to how Alcohol brands currently are managed in big firms like Diageo and Bacardi. Who knows? Maybe we will see some acquisitions start to take place as the two worlds collide and merge. It’s a narcotic cocktail waiting to be consumed.
BRANDING IN THE WILD 