Weedmaps Lights Up 4/20 With Live Events, Original TV Show

Long-time consumers will drive the market on 4/20, the most revered day on the cannabis calendar, according to a recent study. It's a day when loyalists are likely to break the bank on pricey products and perhaps hit one of the many weed-themed festivals returning to cities across America. There’s plenty of laser focus—from brands, delivery platforms and dispensaries—on these hard-core cannaseurs. But what about the potential fans, from the canna-curious to the lapsed users and beyond? An addressable audience that numbers in the tens of millions? How might the cannabis industry try to reach those demos? Weedmaps, with that goal in mind, will be taking a “two-pronged approach” to the holiday, launching an original docuseries on Vice that’s part travelogue, part stand-up comedy and part cultural immersion. Tumbleweeds with Killer Mike, originating from San Francisco, Chicago, Las Vegas and New York, aims to be accessible to any entertainment fan. And for the legacy crowd, the brand is reviving its event sponsorships, taking over the famed Hippie Hill in San Francisco, while launching activations in nearly a dozen other places, from the dragtastic Waldos Forever Fest in Chicago, to the 4/20 Block Party in Missoula, Mont. and to Spleef Speakeasy in Brooklyn, N.Y. “We’re purposely choosing not to pick a lane,” Juanjo Feijoo, COO and CMO, told Adweek. “We want to be true to the core community and let them see us at large-scale events as the world opens back up. At the same time, we’re targeting mainstream viewers and trying to demystify cannabis with Tumbleweeds.” Live and lifted events Weedmaps joins a number of players in the space that are investing in and promoting cannabis-centric content that’s intended for a broad audience. Its new project, launching with back-to-back episodes on April 20, is a collaboration with Wheelhouse Labs, its entertainment marketing agency of record, and the digital division Wheelhouse DNA. The lightly-branded series, airing on Vice’s cable TV and streaming platforms, will follow rapper and activist Killer Mike as he guides viewers through canna-friendly hotspots like the Stiiizy and Rise dispensaries, Outta Sight Pizza and Extra Butter boutique. Performers include Napoleon Emil and Ngaio Bealum, with interview segments with hip hop pioneer Fab 5 Freddy and Cherissa Jackson from nonprofit partner AmVets. Through bonus content on the Weedmaps app, consumers can find more information about the businesses in each show, shop for cannabis products in their area and donate to AmVets, a group dedicated to military veterans. The content is in keeping with the brand’s commitment to “elevate voices that power the cannabis community, drive social equity and further legalization,” Feijoo said. It comes on the heels of Weedmaps’ anti-censorship campaign around the Super Bowl, with a 90-second spot starring an emoji come to life—a character called Brock Ollie—that was rejected by NBC. The 4/20 plans are a departure from the Weedmaps activity of the past two years, when the brand created Higher Together and its sequel, Even Higher Together, which had national and global reach. Those hours-long livestream extravaganzas featured music from cannabis royalty like Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa and social justice mini-conference sessions for consumers stuck at home during lockdown. Now that public gatherings are allowed again, for the first 4/20 since 2019, fans can reclaim “an inherent sense of sharing and connection” around the holiday, according to Allison Disney, partner at Chicago-based cannabis marketing agency Receptor Brands. Hippie Hill, for instance, has grown from an informal (and massive) public smoke session into a professionally organized, city-sanctioned party in Golden Gate Park with legal on-site cannabis sales, a groundbreaker in the industry. And The Roll Up in Massachusetts—which will feature Weedmaps shuttle buses—expects north of 10,000 participants for its 50 live performances and eco-minded activations. “In many cities, 4/20 will kick off the summer festival season that so many have been craving," Disney told Adweek. "These local events provide brands with an opportunity to come alongside people in a moment of celebration and enhance what is already meant to be a special moment.” Cannabis Brands Put Their Trippy Twist on April Fools’ Day Stunts

Cannabis

Weedmaps Lights Up 4/20 With a Return to Live Events and an Original TV Show

The brand pivots from the livestream parties of the past two years of lockdown

T.L. Stanley

About

Subscriptions

Events

Publications

WORK SMARTER - LEARN, GROW AND BE INSPIRED.

Subscribe today!

T.L. Stanley