Media And Marketing In The Emerging International Cannabis Industry
Nearly every business in every industry on the planet needs to market their products and/or services to some degree in order to succeed. After all, how else would potential consumers and clients know about the business’ offerings?
When it comes to marketing, not all industries are created equal, with the emerging legal cannabis industry being a prime example. Whereas in other industries marketing strategies are only limited by financial resources and creativity, the emerging cannabis industry has additional hurdles and factors to consider due to ongoing cannabis prohibition in many jurisdictions.
Even in some legal jurisdictions where cannabis commerce is permitted, cannabis advertising and marketing rules and regulations are such that strategies can be very complicated and limited. It makes it much more difficult to make an impact from a branding perspective.
Furthermore, media and public relations efforts are also complicated for cannabis companies. Mainstream media has historically served as one of the top opponents for all things cannabis, and while that is slowly changing, generating positive media coverage that adds real value to a brand can be trickier for cannabis companies compared to companies operating in other industries. Meanwhile, cannabis-specific media continues to rise across the globe, and there are important nuances that are vital to know when corresponding with cannabis media and mainstream media outlets.
All of that is compounded by the rapidly changing landscape of the emerging cannabis industry, especially at the international level, in addition to the industry becoming increasingly more crowded with every passing year. Crafting and pursuing the right media and marketing strategy is paramount for every international cannabis company. It will be the difference between a company becoming a global powerhouse or folding.
The best way to learn how to craft a solid media and marketing strategy is to hear from true experts that have a proven track record of doing it, and opportunities like that do not pop up very often. Fortunately, the upcoming International Cannabis Business Conference in Barcelona will have a panel dedicated to the topic. The ‘Media and Marketing in the Cannabis Space’ panel will be moderated by Shane MacGuill, head of nicotine and cannabis research for Euromonitor International. MacGuill will be joined by:
- Michael Knodt, freelance journalist
- Simón Espinosa, CEO and founder, EN VOLÁ
- Luna Stower, Chief Impact Officer, ISpire
- Stephen Verbeek, President and CEO, Hello Cannabis
ICBC events are attended by cannabis leaders from dozens of different countries, with the Barcelona B2B trade show serving as the first major international cannabis event of its type for 2023. The conference itself will be held at the L’Auditori de Cornellà, with the after-party being held at the Hotel Arts (Ritz-Carleton) Barcelona. You can view the event’s schedule at this link here. If you want to network with the best in the cannabis space, ICBC Barcelona is a must-attend.
Spain is home to arguably the best cannabis culture on earth, with 70% of Spain’s cannabis clubs being in Barcelona. Roughly 90% of Spain voters support medical cannabis according to a recent survey by the Center for Sociological Research. Home to roughly 4 million regular cannabis consumers, 56% of residents in Spain support legalizing regulated cannabis sales to adults (18 or older). The current value of Spain’s cannabis industry is estimated to be €3.3 billion (£2.81bn) per year.
Over 1,000 people from over 40 countries will be represented at the super-event this March in Barcelona and that includes representatives from every sector of the industry as well as leading international cannabis policymakers and industry service providers. Attend the super-event in Barcelona to network with investors, entrepreneurs, industry regulators, and international policymakers and take your industry pursuits to the next level.
The International Cannabis Business Conference also has additional upcoming events in Berlin in June 2023. You can secure tickets now and take advantage of the early bird pricing discount.
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About the International Cannabis Business Conference
The International Cannabis Business Conference in Berlin is Europe’s longest running and largest industry B2B tradeshow and conference. For more information, including how to register for ICBC Barcelona, Berlin, and Zurich, please visit: Internationalcbc.com. Find out more on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram.
For more information or media inquiries, please email noelle@internationalcbc.com or call 541.864.0090.
