The Brand Marketing Struggle Is Real
Every category of brand marketing has its challenges, but cannabis brands may have the most difficult path to success. Pharmaceutical ads in national print and broadcast media come with a litany of disclaimers and fine print about their harmful—even potentially deadly—side effects, yet cannabis marketing is verboten due to federal prohibition. According to federal drug scheduling dating back to 1970, cannabis has a “high potential for abuse and the potential to create severe psychological and/or physical dependence.” This means despite numerous studies showing the plant to be much less physically harmful than methamphetamine, cocaine, opioids, or even alcohol, marketing cannabis products remains largely off limits. So while Big Pharma companies get millions of eyeballs in return for their marketing dollars, cannabis brands available to a vast majority of the United States populace are forced to stay in the shadows. The advertising dilemma The very real marketing challenges faced by ...