With edibles coming to stores this December, cannabis producer Aurora has been running a national bilingual education campaign about eating (and storing them) responsibly.
“Ready for Edibles” includes campaign assets that use the Not Safe for Work (NSFW) visual style, showing (or, rather, not showing) pixelated cookies, gummies and other products. The ads guide consumers to a microsite where they can learn about safe storage – namely, keeping edibles out of the reach of kids and pets – and responsible consumption.
Cam Battley, Aurora’s COO, tells strategy that the company is drawing on experience from pre-legalization when it was only selling for medical purposes. He says the gradual introduction of new products to the 400,000 Canadians with a medical cannabis prescription was a success story when it comes to getting the safety messaging out. Battley adds that the brand is getting ahead of potential issues edibles might present by combing its previous experience with what has happened in U.S. jurisdictions that previously legalized edibles.
“We began developing our plans for responsible consumption well before the introduction of the Cannabis Act,” Battley says, adding that Aurora is taking a slightly different approach from other safety-focused campaigns that have come from non-profits and advocacy organizations. “We’re taking responsibility as a company, and as an industry, with the advent of these new product forms that we have a smooth and safe introduction.”
When it comes to the audience, Battley says the campaign is targeted at newcomers to the space (cannabis-infused food and beverage have been seen as an opportunity to reach consumers curious about cannabis but adverse to smoke-based consumption formats), but it is also looking to reach those who’ve previously only used cannabis through inhalation. Besides the fact that they may potentially prefer food and beverages, consuming edibles can be a different experience than inhalation, especially when it comes to potency and time it takes for the onset of effects.
The campaign can be seen at cannabis retail outlets across Canada and will be complemented online with digital and video assets as well as radio, television and out-of-home opportunities, as cannabis marketing regulations allow. The idea for the “Ready for Edibles” came in-house, and Battley would not disclose the agency partner it worked with to develop the campaign.
