America has been fighting the war on drugs for many years. Marijuana is an antidote to many diseases, the U.S finally decided to turn eyes away from it. Although the U.S has legalized the use of the drug in over 30 states, many companies looking to move their brand forward are now having trouble advertising.
Many social media sites are deleting accounts and demonetizing ads that contain any reference towards Marijuana. Nevertheless, You can still make an image for your brand and profit off your marijuana business.
Implementing New Mediums
First, you must understand that your target audience other than patients is the middle-aged group. You appeal to millennials as they thirst for new experiences. Other than medicinal purposes, you will be promoting it as a stress reliever and recreational purposes. This is where you can promote your brand and take advantage of Instagram and Snapchat. You can give your product to social media personalities to feature in their videos. Moreover, you can give it to musicians to promote it in their songs and appeal to their respective audiences.
Leveraging Social Media
In prior years, advertising through billboards, newspapers, and posters was the norm. Over the years, the medium of news changed from newspaper to television and now to social media. It is true that due to obvious concerns, companies cannot advertise marijuana openly on tv and billboards.
Then again, they are not the only mediums of advertising. You now have the power of social media in. Through social media, you can privately advertise to your target audience without the fear of monetization. Although sites like Facebook take strict action against public advertising of drugs, you are not limited to just one site. Other websites like Instagram and Snapchat can easily reach millennials and your target audience.
Distinct Persona
To further appeal to these different crowds, you can advertise through a comedic tone. With the help of humor, people who are not even interested will eventually share and spread the news to more interested people. An example exists in Wendy’s marketing team.
Through witty humor, they attract millennials, which in turn, tweet and talk about the restaurant. However, this can be quite a tricky feat to nail. Due to people in the modern age having opinions, certain jokes deemed funny for some can be very offensive for another group. Nevertheless, a persona can be a defining factor for a company. Even if the product is the same, a company more appealing to its audience will sell better.
In conclusion, throughout the 30 states in which America allows selling marijuana, there is already a lot of competition. Moreover, you can benefit from product placement in videos or music videos as Marijuana is very famous among musicians. Even if you cannot advertise on major TV channels or newspapers, social media will more than suffice. Until the U.S. changes its policy about advertising, unfortunately, not much will change in the field for advertising. You can reinvent your company online with a change in persona, and attract new customers as well.