The cannabis industry is growing in leaps and bounds. However, the perception of the substance from the legal and societal perspective makes the sector to be more like a minefield for advertisers. Cannabis advertisement is not easy when the law has many prohibitions in place. Additionally, society seems to be not ready for robust cannabis industry.
Cannabis Act prohibits the promotion
So far, Canada is the only G7 country with definitive regulations for sale and consumption of marijuana. The country passed the Cannabis Act in August 2018 hence opening the ground for legal cannabis. However, the law prohibits the promotion of cannabis. Notably, the prohibition targets the promotion of cannabis in a way that targets the young persons in the country.
In the US, there is no consensus at the federal level concerning the legal status of the substance. While some 33 states allow is used for medical purposes, just 11 decriminalized the recreational use of marijuana.
From the foregoing, cannabis advertisement is challenging endeavor. Interestingly, it is not an advertisement that is the only problem facing cannabis businesses. Even the banks across the US deny services to these businesses. Nevertheless, the passing of the SAFE Banking Act should boost the profit prospects of the businesses. In the meantime, promoting cannabis products remains taxing and expensive for many businesses. Is there an alternative?
Cannabis advertisement could benefit from in-the-hand marketing
An alternative exists. According to this analysis, in-the-hand marketing could be the answer to the problems facing cannabis advertisements. The analysis details that advertisers could leverage bar coasters to put their brand in front of prospective customers. Coasters offer a unique opportunity to stun audiences with adverts.
Additionally, most of the people who visit bars have a tolerant view of marijuana. As such, advertisers are unlikely to face sharp criticism for displaying ads encouraging the use of the substance. Bar coaster advertisement is ideal for small scale ad campaigns that focus on a specific little geography. The main advantage of this technique is that it reaches the target audience when they are relaxing. During this ambient time, people are likely to concentrate more on the message than when looking at billboards at the roadside, for example.
Further, custom printed coasters are cheap to produce. With a budget of $10,000, you can produce over 20,000 coasters for your ad campaign. All that remains is to deliver the coasters to the right place. As you can see, the process is easy and straightforward.
