“Even if you are a small forest surviving off of moon alone, your light is extraordinary.
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I am in a group of AAPI women who are in the cannabis industry, but that is not our strongest bond. The journey of Asian American women in the cannabis industry is often marked by unique challenges, including navigating cultural stigmas, breaking through gender barriers, and overcoming racial biases. These shared struggles created a bond that is both resilient and supportive in our group.
The importance of friendships among Asian American women in the cannabis industry cannot be overstated. These relationships are a testament to the power of cultural heritage, shared experiences, and collective advocacy. Through our and others’ work, we not only empower ourselves but also contribute to a more inclusive and equitable cannabis industry. Our stories, struggles, and successes serve as a beacon of hope and inspiration for all. This is just one in a series that began in 2015. - Ophelia Chong
Angela, tell us what you’ve been working on since we last spoke..
I’ve since joined the exceptional team at KANHA, maker of the original fast-acting NANO edible. I have always been an edible consumer so the opportunity to lead brand marketing and growth in multiple states and now internationally with our recent launch in Thailand has been incredibly rewarding.
It's hard to believe that in just the first half of this year, we've already launched three new categories and all new packaging with: KANHA FX, KANHA Belts, and our first product outside of a mylar bag, KANHA Mini’s, fast-acting, functional hard shell chocolate bites.
We also just recently launched our KANHA hemp products and can now sell directly to the consumer at www.kanhalife.com, which is an absolute game changer in terms of marketing.
Marketing Hemp vs. Cannabis: Differences in Audience and Approach
For me, the biggest difference between marketing regulated cannabis and cannabis derived from hemp is the size of the audience and the different channels of communication. In the licensed space we simply cannot sell directly to a consumer online, it means I can’t take a credit card transaction. Meanwhile, 81% of Americans shop online, that’s 285 million Americans that as a brand, we previously couldn’t reach.
With hemp, we can utilize ‘traditional’ e-commerce and performance marketing tools. I can finally build media plans that target specific audiences and channels, run paid media campaigns on Meta, Google and even TikTok, all of which have banned licensed cannabis brands from advertising. I can do all of this, gather real-time data, measure my return on ad spend, right down to the penny and adjust messaging on my campaigns based on performance. This is an absolute game-changer.
In short, marketing hemp allows for a first-party data-driven approach, while cannabis marketing leans into third-party data (not nearly as actionable or accurate) and programs like budtender trade advocacy, consumer education, retail and field marketing.
Experiential Marketing in Spirits and Cannabis Industries
In the liquor industry, experiential marketing and brand building can range from multi-year sponsorships to 'owned' events, like Red Bull's X Games. Other examples include tentpole events such as Food and Wine Festivals and field marketing activities like sampling and demos. The biggest differences ultimately come down to budgets and staying on strategy.
For example, our budget for just one program back in 2008 with John Legend and Baileys was close to 3 million. We called it the Baileys Get Together and produced a nationwide tour. We were able to shift perception of Baileys from an after-dinner cordial to doubling case sales by introducing the idea of Baileys as a cocktail. We served Baileys shaken with vodka and served it in a martini glass vs a rocks glass (typical for cordials) and served it during happy hours at on-premise accounts, this coupled with John Legend’s massive reach drove consumer awareness of Baileys. The program ended up running for three years, culminating in a holiday TV special. Getting our target audience to drink Baileys on ‘just one more occasion’ required consensus from stakeholders buying into this strategy and budgeting for the program over 3 years. This just doesn’t happen in cannabis, too often, we expect magic to happen without a clear game plan and the right investment of capital to support strategy.
In cannabis, we know that budtenders are extremely influential and as much as 91% of consumers purchase based on trade recommendations. In the Spirits industry, brands recognize this and therefore they invest heavily in programs to ensure brands stay top of mind with bartenders and on-premise buyers.
One of the most successful trade advocacy programs I’ve ever worked on is Bombay Sapphire’s Most Imaginative Program. This is a multi-year nationwide trade program with regional education mixology events led by a team of Bombay Sapphire Ambassadors, in every major market culminating with a competition of all the winners from each city. One of the most memorable years featured a televised competition in Las Vegas hosted by top Food Network stars, and a two-page spread in GQ featuring the top bartenders in the nation. We were at the time up against Hendricks which was the gin of choice amongst premium mixology accounts and Bombay Sapphire was losing market share, with the MIB program we were able to affect trade recommendation and today, The Most Imaginative Bartender program is now in it’s 15th year.
At Grey Goose, I worked on the Blue Door at Sundance, branding a house and creating a premium experience for celebrities with signature cocktails, a gifting suite, musical performances, and more. This strategy, part of our 'Fly Beyond' campaign, helped position Grey Goose as a premium brand through extraordinary marketing activities. I still remember when Glenn Close and Anne Hathaway pocketed a few of our Grey Goose stir sticks from the house.
We showed up at every awards show, from the Oscars to the Emmys, major film festivals, and in the influential on-premise, we designed activities like bottle service angels floating down from the ceiling at nightclubs - the strategy paid off and the tactics to support the strategy meant consumers saw Grey Goose as an ultra- premium brand, it was a ‘status badge’ product.
All these experiential marketing activities require large brand teams, multiple agencies, and multi-year commitments to drive brand awareness, revenue, and effectiveness. In contrast, the cannabis industry often operates with limited marketing strategy, tighter budgets, and frequent changes. I concepted, created and executed the 'Pacific Stone Comedy Tour,' which generated 32 million media impressions, but we couldn't expand it to multiple cities due to resource constraints.
Challenges Transitioning from Another Industry to Cannabis
You must be comfortable with change because the cannabis landscape is constantly shifting. Traditional marketing tools often need workarounds, especially for influencer marketing. For example, I can send clothing, jewelry, beauty products or packaged food easily to influencers, but it’s much harder to send cannabis to influencers and requires a deep understanding of the nuances of legal requirements from state to state.
Furthermore, once you’ve adjusted to the industry, as marketers we need to utilize a different set of strategies and tactics for mature markets like California vs. newer markets – it’s a completely different playbook and a different allocation of spend. Navigating these challenges requires a deep understanding of market dynamics and a much scrappier approach.
In the ever-evolving world of cannabis, change is the only constant. By staying curious, flexible, and open-minded, we can navigate any challenge and find growth. Embracing change isn't just a necessity; it's a vital part of thriving in this industry. Navigating through this industry is a masterclass in how to approach life, teaching us to adapt and flourish amid continuous transformation. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
