Marketing & Promotion

As the cannabis industry matures, PR and marketing demand greater discipline, credibility, and accountability. We asked a group of respected agencies to share what operators need to know about earned media, attribution, trust-building, and sustainable growth and how to make smarter decisions in a regulated market.

Green Lane Communication makes the case for trust-first public relations — where credibility, preparation, and respect for the press matter more than shortcuts, hype, or empty promises.

Surfside brings a performance-first lens to cannabis marketing, using retail media, attribution, and data-driven personalization to connect media investments directly to measurable business growth.

Pisgah Peaks Ventures helps cannabis operators scale marketing and revenue through embedded, fractional teams — prioritizing brand-building, realistic metrics, and execution that compounds over time.

KCSA Strategic Communications brings decades of experience in regulated industries to cannabis, helping brands build credibility, navigate volatility, and align earned media with long-term business goals.

Maverick Public Relations focuses on long-term credibility in cannabis communications, emphasizing trust, data-driven strategy, and disciplined storytelling in highly regulated markets.

Cannabis Marketing 3.0 is here, and the old playbook doesn’t work anymore. Social myths have collapsed, AI alone can’t save creative, and brands are losing customers because their websites feel like relics from 2017. These are the new realities of marketing in a rapidly changing industry where creativity, speed, data, and customer understanding must work together. The brave win. The passive fade. Here’s what actually drives growth now.

Acquisition addiction is eating into cannabis margins. Brands spend heavily to win first-time buyers, only to start over again next month. By centering customer lifetime value (CLV), marketers can shift from one-and-done transactions to profitable, long-term relationships. Here's how to use CLV segments, first-party data, and compliant programmatic media to increase purchase frequency, lower effective CAC, and turn your best customers into loyal advocates.

In a category shaped by state lines, restricted visibility, and heavy competition, even experienced operators fall into predictable traps. From misunderstood audiences and underleveraged PR to packaging misfires and unrealistic growth expectations, these blind spots quietly erode market position. Here’s how to spot them early and fix them before they cap your brand’s potential.

Overreliance on fragile social platforms can leave brands exposed. The most successful operators pair paid media with resilient distribution channels they own or co-own, creating reach that survives policy shifts and algorithmic shutdowns.