Why Effect-Based Cannabis Marketing Is Mostly Bullshit
Unpredictability is one of the main concerns when buying cannabis. It’s incredibly rare to have a completely individual, controlled experience with weed, and even harder to replicate. To people who don’t yet enjoy the herb, these variables may seem too big to navigate, which is why marketers have been trying to turn a bunch of cannabis plants into unique and innovative products that promise to cut through the literal haze.
Many of these new products are marketed as solutions to common life problems, sleep deprivation, appetite stimulation, or general pain relief. Because cannabis is not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, manufacturers can’t promise any direct health benefits, but hell, some brands like to draw that conclusion.
Overly simplistic marketing creates confusion for the consumer, spreading myths that CBD can cure all problems and THC is your key to creativity. While the goal is to help people enjoy cannabis, he tends to categorize products into boxes that are too neat to contain all of the unknown science of cannabis in its current form.
All discussions about marijuana and its effects are based on an oft-repeated and sometimes unspoken truth: research has not yet caught up with reality. A 2020 Science review found that two-thirds of the $1.56 billion allocated to cannabis research in the US, Canada and the UK was spent on quantifying misuse and negative effects. This leaves research on the benefits and potential other uses of cannabis woefully underfunded and struggling with high- profile (and often misleading) media headlines about the drug’s dangers. Meanwhile, people with a legitimate medical need have few options other than do-it-yourself experiments.
Filling in the gaps
In the absence of science, marketing stepped in to infer this missing piece, and a class of effects-focused products was born. As the weed market has shifted from the traditional tie-dye aesthetic to the sleek, modern designs they now favor, the same principles that govern many of your non-weed purchases are at work.
Considering that photographer and writer Jordana Wright has written an entire book on how to use high to create better art, it’s no surprise that cannabis marketers have tried to emphasize its impact on your business. Unfortunately, Wright told us via email: “Cannabis is not like the typical pharmaceuticals we are used to, the results of which are pretty predictable.” that a particular strain is “good for creativity” is largely meaningless, since it is impossible to predict how a given individual will react to it. “Ultimately, all cannabis products have value,” Wright said, “but it remains to be seen if the effects described on the package match your body’s response. But if there are cannabinoids in the product, it will have some effect.”
Brands are approaching this type of one-way marketing with a bit of reverse engineering, using stripped-down cannabinoid distillates and added terpenes to create a compound concentrate that is then added to foods, capsules, drinks, vape carts, and even rolled into joints. The theory here is that when using pure isolates in exact amounts, the experience will be the same every time you use it.
Yes, you may notice similarities each time you use an artificial product, but your body will still act differently depending on other factors such as your body weight, food intake that day, and other medications you are taking. There is hardly any guarantee that you will get the same experience twice in a row, let alone that the effect can be universal for all users.
“During the exploratory phase of writing Cannabis for Creatives , I spoke with experts in cannabis neuroscience and genetics and they all agreed that while marijuana makes us feel certain effects, those effects vary too much depending on other factors such as body chemistry. , dosage and method of application in order to get a predictable and measurable result, ”said Wright. It all really depends on what you’re looking for from the experience, and how specific the intended effects are, whether it’s a single strain or a composite.
“We can convince ourselves that marketing on [packaging] applies to us and creates that feeling, but in this case, you are more likely to experience a placebo effect,” Wright said. “I can always feel energized when I smoke Blue Dream, but the same variety can make the other person feel down. It’s as much about our bodies as it is about the strains themselves.”
Suggestion of effects is the golden mean
Not all cultivators go all-in on Sarah Aziz, founder of Sundazed , a California-based cannabis operator that produces superbly packaged and highly flavorful treats that don’t tell you how to feel, but suggest how you might feel. Not every consumer is enthusiastic about terpenes or knows why they should be, so using these flavorful and experience-influencing chemicals to define what a consumer might experience is more rewarding than taking a stand and picking one word as the final effect.
“THC affects areas of the brain that affect pleasure, thinking, movement, sensory/time perception, among others,” Aziz told Lifehacker. “The reason we use the term ‘effects’ is to communicate the message to the consumer as clearly as possible and help them tune in to the experience they are about to enjoy.”
For Sundazed, this means labeling a sativa-inclined strain with citrine terpenes “Glow Up” and informing smokers of the effects offered , saying you can feel motivated, uplifted, or energized as people often report that they “up” from the strains. . with citrus notes. “Our listed effects are based on terpenes, so they’re based on science, but it’s also a way to advertise an expected reaction to a product because many consumers don’t want to get into the finer details of terpenes,” Aziz said. .
If you don’t know what you’re doing, you can use these suggestions to find strains that will give you what you want, and there’s nothing wrong with choosing cannabis distillate-based products, as long as you always have a good time. time. But to find strains or designer effects products that work for you, you have to try them. Some people turn out to be generally susceptible to most strains, while those who are more sensitive need to be more picky about what they get.
Eventually, scientific research will learn more about what makes weeds tick. It’s entirely reasonable to think that this information will someday be available in the form of a test or profile that might help you find what you’re looking for. But for now – and you can thank that stigma and lack of enthusiasm for positive weed research – trial and error is the industry standard.