Situation:

The legal cannabis industry is still being built – in fact, the prevailing joke is that the cannabis industry is akin to building the plane as you fly it. This leaves brands and Multi-State Operators (MSOs) in the United States competing for market share and mind share. KCSA was tasked with creating differentiated brand awareness for the company as well as providing capital markets advisory services.

Approach:

4Front not only had a great story to tell, but one of the most well-respected industry experts and drug policy advocates at the helm – Kris Krane, Co-Founder & President. Kris has a unique background in advocacy that makes him an exceptional entrepreneur and business leader. Plus, he loves to write. We wanted to find a “home” for his content via a reoccurring column. And Forbes proved to be the perfect mix of business /investor audience who would regularly find the columns of interest as they learned more about the space.  After providing sample columns and column ideas, we secured a bi-monthly column at Forbes.

Results:

In 2018, Kris penned his first column as a Contributor. Now, nearly three years later, Kris has been named Senior Contributor and some of his most successful columns have garnered more than 250,000 views. The columns allow for Kris to provide thought leadership and commentary on everything from the STATES Act, to the Biden Presidency, to drug policy, federal legalization and content for the investment community. Kris is often cited as a Forbes Columnist, and his work has been amplified and repurposed by others reporters covering the industry.

Situation:

KCSA went to Acreage Holdings with a Big Idea. Submit an ad for Super Bowl LIII (53) on the benefits of medical cannabis.

Approach:

Acreage created the ad and submitted it to CBS with two scenarios in mind.

• If CBS accepted the ad, it would be the first time ever a cannabis company secured a national broadcasting spot during the Super Bowl. A historic first for the burgeoning legal regulated industry.
• If CBS rejected the ad, use that rejection as a catalyst for a broader conversation about access to medical cannabis.

KCSA was ready to capitalize on both scenarios.

Results:

CBS rejected the ad. KCSA quickly went to work to create a newsworthy “event” around the rejection. In addition to garnering national coverage from the likes of The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, CNN, CBS, USA Today, CNN, Bloomberg, among others, social media amplified the story. Acreage was able to spark a national conversation about access to medical cannabis without having to actually purchase the ad (which had a $5 million price tag!).

Key Metrics include:

• Impressions from media coverage - 1.5 Billion
• Total reach: 416 Million

Total estimated ad value: $3.863 Million