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For the dankest day on the calendar—April 20—cannabis brands are cutting prices, running promotions, flexing their activist muscles and launching experiential activations at retail.
And some companies have added a new tool to their marketing arsenal: collaborations with mainstream brands, from national fast food chains to grocery store staples, aiming to extend their reach beyond core cannaseurs and further embed weed into the popular consciousness.
On the heels of an industry-first deal between Jack in the Box and Weedmaps, players in the cannabis space have linked with AriZona iced tea, Fatburger, artist and sneaker designer Stan Birch and even Madison Avenue for 4/20-pegged programs.
“As an industry, we don’t have a choice. We have to align with more traditional CPG companies if we want to further legalization and normalization,” Brett Heyman, founder and creative director of cannabis brand Flower by Edie Parker, told Adweek. “We can’t just speak in an echo chamber.”
With sales anticipated to break 2022’s records—that green wave pulled in $154 million in the U.S.—the day that’s considered a mashup of Super Bowl, July 4th and New Year’s Eve will usher in a new level of cooperation between weed and traditional brands. Here are several standout partnerships, followed by more 4/20 predictions.
Elevated munchies
Edibles maker Kiva Confections has linked with national fast food restaurant Fatburger for a first-of-its-kind “canndiment”—weed-infused ketchup—aiming to elevate a typical takeout meal to a new culinary and psychoactive level, according to the partners.
The spiked ketchup will not be flowing at anyone’s local Fatburger—the chain is now a 16-state coast-to-coast operation—but rather will be available exclusively in Southern California, a stronghold for both brands.
The product, at $5 for a 10-milligram packet, dropped early this month at Sweet Flower and Artist Tree dispensaries in the Los Angeles area, with a launch event drawing more than 500 guests. So far, the collaboration has logged some 10 million impressions on social media, per Kiva.