AACE INTERVIEW: Mei-Ling Campbell
“And my most recent favorite moment was walking around DC’s National Cannabis Festival this last 4/20 with friends, smoking weed in the shadow of the nation’s capital from an ice-filled steel bong and vibing to old school beats. It was the feeling that cannabis has come a long way from when we used to have to hide and hotbox in cars and hotel bathrooms,”
In my early years in the cannabis industry, everyone was on the West Coast, historically the heart of cannabis culture. From the legacy farms up north to Dennis Peron in the Castro, who ignited the movement that led to the passing of Prop. 215, the precursor to Prop. 64. However, I've noticed a significant shift over the past three years. Initially, I received only a few inquiries from the East Coast about cannabis, but then it turned into a flood of "How do we get in?" Enter the East Coast AAPI crew of professionals—smart advocates whose perspectives blend Asian cultural values with American innovation. Among them is Mei-Ling Campbell, who jumped in with a passion that matches her determination. I call her the Queen of the Cross Fade, not just for her unique combinations but for her adventurous spirit and intelligence in navigating this new industry.
You can find out more about Mei-Ling at her consulting company, Higher Dama Consulting
After your time at STIIIZY, what differences are there between cannabis and tobacco other than the obvious? For instance, how is the speed of product launches compared? What are the biggest hurdles you had transitioning between the two industries?
I’m curious about which obvious ones you are referring to, though. Having worked in and been consumers of both, I see more differences than similarities. Cannabis is federally illegal and vilified even though it’s plant medicine, and no deaths have ever occurred from recreational usage. Yet, tobacco is legal and somewhat socially accepted even if it’s proven to be an addictive, harmful product. It’s a very interesting dichotomy. Another difference I’ve observed is that tobacco is a lot more “corporate,” with the expectation that you fit a specific mold. At the same time, cannabis is more accepting of people from all walks of life and backgrounds. That acceptance in the cannabis culture leads to another big difference I see: diversity across all levels. The cannabis industry has more minority and AANHPI founders, CEOs, and executives than I ever saw in my old CPG world.
One of the biggest hurdles I had in transitioning between the two industries five years ago was learning how to adjust and grow my CPG-tinged, structure-dependent mindset in an environment that was decidedly less corporate, lacking in process, and wrought with constant pivots and changes. I am extremely fortunate to have such varied yet meaningful experiences with some of the best-selling brands in both industries. It’s been an exciting journey that I couldn’t have predicted 6 years ago, but every day I find myself loving my work in cannabis more than I ever thought possible.
In terms of differences such as the speed of product launches, the disparity stems from the decentralized and fragmented distribution model of the cannabis industry, especially across states. Currently, cannabis needs to be produced and distributed to dispensaries within that state. So, for a cannabis brand that licenses out to different state producers, coordinating a product launch across multiple states, from production to packaging to marketing to sales, takes a ton of coordination in a world of fluidity and lack of direct control. With tobacco, there was one point of manufacture, distribution to 20+ public warehouses spread across the country, followed by distribution to a network of wholesalers and retailers that were incentivized to perform a certain way. Most cannabis brands don’t have the budget to pay for shelf space nor should they need to the way tobacco did. Tobacco was a declining market with just a few big players; Cannabis is a growing industry with the opportunity for smaller brands and craft companies to shine. Let the best brand win without " paying to play” or in reciprocity games.
How have you overcome the hurdles in cannabis?
As a non-plant-touching business, I don’t face the same challenges many operators face. Even so, I had problems, like being denied a home loan while I was working at Stiiizy even though I had purchased and sold five homes previously. I was fortunate that my husband could underwrite our mortgage when we moved to DC. When I was building my consulting business, I got denied for a Stripes account and then ended up having to (temporarily) wipe all mention of cannabis from my Linked In account when I applied for my business bank account and corporate credit card because I was afraid of getting denied again.
I had to do a 180 in many other ways to get over some preconceived notions of what I knew or thought I knew about cannabis and the cannabis industry. Even now, I’m constantly learning something new about the plant or about the industry. What helped me overcome this was leaning on a network of industry friends and mentors along the way, asking meaningful questions, and listening intentionally to understand how to best navigate my way through. I’m so lucky to have amazing clients, communities like AACE and ACR (Asian Cannabis Roundtable), and other leaders in this industry to empower me to keep going and find my ikigai in cannabis. There will always be hurdles, but I’ve found that the support of like-minded industry colleagues and friends can help me overcome any obstacles or challenges.
What were the best practices you brought from tobacco to cannabis?
Oh great question! One of the best practices I brought over was the strategic planning process I learned at Altria. I love utilizing data-driven, deep analysis to develop insights, strategies, and action plans to win in each market. Granted, the quality of data in cannabis is not quite the same as that of tobacco, but the thought process of how to best leverage what data is available has been super helpful to me and the brands that I work with. A side benefit of building out game plans was learning how to do all kinds of fun things in Excel and tell a story through PowerPoint slides.
Another best practice was building scalable sales processes and trade programs to streamline market planning and promotions, implement retail merchandising, and grow market share through retail and digital channels. While the dispensary environment is vastly different from a convenience store, getting consistency in the execution of marketing programs is a challenge that is shared across industries. However, state-by-state legalities and dispensary nuances make going to market infinitely more challenging for a cannabis brand.
Lastly, one of my favorite best practices that I brought over was how to hire for, train, and develop a sales and field team. Altria had a top-notch sales leadership development system. I learned the value of working with sales teams to set individual goals and provide the right training, feedback, resources, and recognition to help them meet their business and career goals. I also learned how to train sales reps to be category consultants and look at how a brand’s visibility, inventory, and pricing impact performance, which is something that I try to impart to the reps that I work with in the industry today.
If you had to predict the direction of consumer marketing in cannabis, who will be the biggest segment in five years?
What’s funny is that I AM a soccer mom, but I’m not the kind of soccer mom that these people thought would be buying those 2 mg drinks at dispensaries! I’m that soccer mom who drops my kids off at soccer practice in Maryland and uses that opportunity to hit up my favorite MD dispensary to get some mommy meds. Not only am I buying weed for myself but also for my friends who don’t have easy access to a dispensary or don’t know what they should buy.
To me, the biggest segment is always going to be that 20% of heavy consumers that are buying 80% of the weed out there. Who they are and what they look like ranges widely, so it’s hard to get actionable consumer insights in the cannabis industry where legality, access, and market maturity differs so vastly across states. It may be challenging to define WHO these consumers are, but maybe we can narrow in on WHY these consumers buy the way they do and what drives their purchasing decision. Until we have that level of consumer insights, the important thing is to educate consumers, and provide them with safe, legal and lab tested products.
You are sitting on a beach in five years, and you look back, what was your favorite moment in cannabis?
I have so many lovely memories working in cannabis, that it’s hard to pick just one! But my absolute favorite was when I attended one of your Pot Luck events years ago in LA, where I met many of my friends and mentors and felt so inspired by the strong AANHPI leaders around me. That’s really what inspired me to continue my journey in the cannabis industry, and imbued me with courage when I started my own consulting business a couple years ago.
My other favorite cannabis moment was being featured alongside other industry leaders in Fat Nugs Magazine’s Health and Wellness edition. It was such an honor and privilege to be in that magazine! I couldn’t wait to show my conservative, Asian parents that not only is cannabis a healthy plant medicine, but that their wayward daughter could be a successful entrepreneur in the industry as well.
And my most recent favorite moment was walking around DC’s National Cannabis Festival this last 4/20 with friends, smoking weed in the shadow of the nation’s capital from an ice-filled steel bong and vibing to old school beats. It was the feeling that cannabis has come a long way from when we used to have to hide and hotbox in cars and hotel bathrooms, yet now we can smoke it out in the open without being criminalized in most states. We still have a ways to go before everyone is free in our industry, so having the opportunity to work and build a life working in cannabis is something that I am truly grateful for.
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