Marijuana Business Magazine February 2019

C anada’s strict branding and packaging regulations have posed a unique challenge for cannabis companies trying to make their recreational products stand out on store shelves. The regulations limit what messages companies can deliver to con- sumers, given that MJ businesses must use generic, clinical packaging. Health Canada, which issued the rules ahead of last October’s adult- use legalization, wanted to make the products unappealing to children by demanding the packaging be more sterile and informational. But do the strict packaging regulations translate into a loss of brand experience for consumers? Probably, according to consumers and branding experts. One week into Canada’s legalized rec market, more than 95% of customers surveyed across four provinces were unaware of the brands they had purchased in stores, GMP Securities analyst Martin Landry told the Financial Post. This reality has forced cannabis product makers and retailers north of the border to get creative in marketing their brands through events, social media, website design and even the interior layout of dispensaries. Following is a sampling of what industry marketers have to say about the Canadian government’s restrictions—and how regulations in the United States generally give American cannabis companies more leeway to be creative in their packaging. As regulators hamstring marketing efforts, cannabis brands get creative in their outreach to consumers By Lindsey Bartlett February 2019 | mjbizdaily.com 57

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