Cannabis Looks To Digital Advertising In Age of Social Distancing
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., March 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Tech startup FlowerShop Media (FSM) is helping cannabis brands adapt to the changing marketplace by providing a platform to manage digital advertising campaigns. In a climate of social distancing, CBD and THC brands will look to replace conferences, trade shows and face-to-face marketing with ways to reach their customers online and in their homes. Now more than ever, cannabis brands need a way to navigate restrictive advertising regulations to market their products across mainstream publishing sites.
BOLD, a premium cartridge manufacturer, selected FSM as a cost-effective way to specifically target CBD and THC processors and growers who purchase vape products for their oils and extracts. With campaigns already underway, FSM is delivering geo-targeted messaging to consumers based on where they live and a separate ad to buyers for dispensaries. So far, the campaign has resulted in a 30 percent increase in website traffic and a spike in online sales.
“Prior to FlowerShop Media, we relied on old-school outreach methods, such as trade shows or going through distributors to grow our territory,” said BOLD Founder & CEO Bill Rinehart. “Now we use FlowerShop’s digital ad platform to create brand awareness for the exact market we want to target. We saw dramatic growth in a short period of time using only digital ad campaigns targeting specific dispensaries in new markets, and we’re looking forward to expanding nationwide.”
Using the FSM platform, cannabis advertisers can create, manage and optimize digital advertising campaigns on devices such as desktops, mobile devices and connected TV with ad formats that include display, mobile, video, native and digital out-of-home. This solution enables CBD and THC companies and their agencies to expand beyond trade publications and enthusiast sites by advertising on premium publishing outlets, such as Hearst newspapers and magazines (i.e. Car and Driver, Popular Mechanics, Women’s Health) and Gannett (i.e. USA Today and 100+ daily newspapers). Advertising buyers can use FSM as a self-service platform or as a managed service to help create and launch new campaigns.
“Our goal is to make it easy for cannabis companies to advertise across Tier 1 publications,” said FSM CEO David Breckling. “Our direct relationships with the largest group of publishers allow us to promote our customers’ products to fresh, new audiences across major media and streaming services.”
FSM’s underlying technology boasts a number of features that make it easy to advertise, including scaling one ad design across multiple media. Moreover, it removes a significant financial barrier that many small cannabis brands face because it doesn’t require contracts to get started or a minimum spend to launch campaigns.
FSM’s easy-to-use self-serve platform and managed services supports advertising buyers and agencies regardless of their depth of adtech experience. The platform also offers a number of geo-targeting capabilities and complex functionality for the more advanced users and advertising agencies.
Adtech veteran Breckling founded FSM to fill a critical business need in the cannabis space by offering a simplified advertising approach that navigates the ever-evolving state-by-state cannabis advertising regulations. His team’s combined experience in the adtech space delivers expertise to build brand loyalty and help cannabis businesses become profitable. As the CEO and co-founder of Phluant and EyeWonder Inc., Breckling has spent his career building successful tech companies.
About FlowerShop Media:
FlowerShop Media, Inc., is a digital advertising platform for cannabis advertising buyers. With FlowerShop Media’s platform, buyers can create, manage and optimize digital advertising campaigns on devices such as desktops, mobile devices and connected TV with ad formats that include display, mobile, video, native and digital out-of-home. The company’s platform integrates major data with premium inventory to provide reach and decision-making capabilities while staying in compliance with federal and state laws and regulations. For information, visit https://flowershop.media.
About BOLD:
BOLD brings a unique combination of early market entry experience as an initial investor in some of the largest grows in the industry and a proven track record of developing industry-leading companies with customer-focused products and services. The founding team of BOLD has built some of the biggest and most innovative technology companies in the world. Our business portfolio includes Global Crossing, LimeLight Networks, Unicorn Media (acquired by Brightcove) and DUFL. For information, visit https://boldcarts.com
Contact: Sara Leeper
sara.leeper@flowershop.media
213.309.7988