CANNABIS NORMALIZATION
>>
From Interest to Acceptance
In any industry, the most successful products generally follow
trends. When it comes to educating consumers about new
cannabis-infused edibles and wellness products, the strategy
is no different. Education and engagement centers on what
consumers already know, understand, and integrate into their
daily regimens. With cannabis products, the next layer involves
understanding controlled dosing, rapid onset and dissipation,
transdermal effects versus topical, and all the factors that
go into creating a consistent and trusted experience. Two
Roots shows just how to do this, positioning its cannabier as “a
healthier adult beverage.” Their website also gets straight to the
point, stating:
“Two Roots offers consumers a responsibly formulated (low-
dosed) beverage that emulates the rapid onset of alcohol as well as
its rapid dissipation from the body. And we believe such a product
will help break down or eliminate the fear factor that has so much
of the population still wary of trying cannabis-infused products.”
built something new — but different. The e-cigarette yielded
the same results (nicotine response), via the same delivery
experience (inhalation), but in a completely normalized form.
Thus, trust was established, and a new product category took off.
Essentially, we see the same approach happening as adult
cannabis-infused beverages enter the alcohol market. The familiar
consumer experience is about having a drink with friends in a
variety of social settings and knowing how to self-regulate alcoholic
intake. A certain level of inebriation is expected, as well as the
corresponding next-day effects, or dreaded hangover. Consumers
can still drink responsibly, depending on their flavor preference
and tolerance level. What’s missing are the sloppy drunks and killer
hangovers, which most consumers know all too well and are happy
to leave behind. Cannabis-infused beverages, e.g., beer, will succeed
in part thanks to early adopters who embrace it as a cleaner,
more responsible alternative to traditional alcoholic beverages.
Here lies the opportunity for all of us, from cannabis product
developers to dispensary owners and brand marketers: to
normalize responsible consumption around the recreational
and wellness benefits of cannabis. It depends on building and
maintaining the most valuable asset of all: consumer trust.
From Familiar to Normalized
Put simply, normalization of any product starts with
a familiar experience. For the evolving landscape of
cannabis products, consumer trust is essential. While most
cannabis products are found primarily in dispensaries,
we’re rapidly approaching the day when those same items
will be available on store shelves with everything else.
Public perception itself drives all kind of industry
change, including which products are offered next. Case in
point, cigarette smoking went from widely acceptable to
almost universally demonized. And in response to public
perceptions (and complaints), a new product emerged: the
e-cigarette. In essence, marketers and product developers
took a familiar experience (traditional cigarettes) and
Michael Hayford
8