While Licensed Producers seek to find their equilibrium, My Guy is in full flight and reaping the rewards.  

‘My Guy’ is the name currently associated with an illegal dealer of cannabis.  While My Guy may appear to be very simple and non-descript, My Guy is a multi-faceted and complex individual (and sometimes network) that poses as the single biggest threat to the licensed cannabis industry.  The current limited supply due to government restrictions and poor quality of legal cannabis means that consumers are clinging to My Guy with both arms, and as a result, the relationship with their dealer if flourishing. 

So, what is it that My Guy has that cannabis companies are vying for but may never attain?

Personalized Experience. Accessibility. Quality Products. Trust and Loyalty 

Personalized Experience

Uber Eats, Foodora, Door Dash and Skip the Dishes are great of examples of what My Guy is able to provide that legal channels can’t. These products and services are ‘uber’ personalized offerings, available within the hour and delivered right to your doorstep.  My Guy is the Uber Eats of the cannabis industry.  The expediency of My Guy’s delivery system cannot be matched by legal cannabis channels.  The Provincial government has taken measures to provide more entrepreneurs with cannabis retail licenses, but the process is glacial at best and unlikely to have a footprint nearly as vast and intricate as My Guy’s.  

My Guy 1 – 0 Licensed Producers

Accessibility

24/7, 7 days a week, all day, every day – My Guy has you covered! 

My Guy 2 – 0 Licensed Producers

Quality

The elicit market has set a high-quality precedence. Bud is the most frequently purchased product and delivered fresh to the consumer’s door. The bud is vibrant with the plant’s crystals (kief) in full display.  Consumers have a clear understanding of the type of plant they are buying; Indica versus Sativa and this education is provided by My Guy.  The rest of the sales pitch is based on the dealer’s personal experience, so the description is honest which immediately confirms that the product is of high quality and going to deliver.  And deliver it will.  The elicit market has no restrictions on the genetic profile of the plant which means the cannabinoid and terpene profiles can deliver out of this world experiences.  Experiences that cannot be delivered through legal channels. 

My Guy 3 – 0 Licensed Producers

Trust and Loyalty

Consumers are not looking to change from their current supplier; My Guy.  My Guy has been a part of their lives for many years and is their Trusted Advisor. He is trusted to deliver product of the best quality, consistency and variety. Oh! and let’s not forget that all of this can be delivered at a lower price point than the legal market.

Inversely, there is a distrust around legal channels. Why are they taking copies of my legal documents as proof of age? How is this information being used?  Will this affect my ability to travel to the US? I am a nurse/teacher etc., will knowledge of me being a cannabis user get to my employer?

My Guy 4 – 0 Licensed Producers

While this article may paint a very bleak picture for cannabis companies, the truth is all is not lost, and growth is inevitable.  

There is something that My Guy can’t provide that the Licensed Producers can – a safe and legal experience.  There are consumers out there who want to reside on the right side of the law.  They want to try cannabis in a safe and responsible way, and they are unlikely to seek out My Guy.  Aging Baby Boomers who are seeking cannabis for health and wellness reasons will likely be the biggest growth segment in the next few years.  

My Guy 4 – 1Licensed Producers

To wrap up…

You can potentially argue that there are other unique traits that cannabis companies have to offer that supersede My Guy, but what is abundantly clear is that My Guy is the brand leader and main competitor.  And while cannabis companies strive to generate profitability and growth in a legislative rife market, My Guy is their nemesis and needs to be minimized if the legal cannabis industry is to succeed.

It is going to take time and significant work for a Licensed Producer to displace My Guy but we have some pointers that will help:

1.     Deeply understand the cannabis consumer

2.     Be different from the competition

3.     Be authentic

To find out more about how the Foresight Strategy Group can help fuel your business needs contact us at Sabrina@foresightstrategygroup.com.

Once a year we pay homage to the Super Bowl. It’s kinda like Thanksgiving, you get really excited by the prospect of the big event, but seldom does the day truly live up to the hype. 

Given that advertising research is a passion of mine I feel it appropriate to share my point of view on the championship showdown. 

The Ads 

And the winner goes to Bubly water. Think about it... of all the ads you saw, what brand name did you actually remember? The #bublyvsbublé play on words; Bubly water vs Michael Bublé was genius. And Michael with his sharpe pen at the end, righting the (perceived) wrong of his misspelled last name was simply entertaining. Kudos to the ad agency and marketing team. 

One of the worst ads for me was Oil of Olay. Wow! What was the scary movie idea all about? I found it completely off-brand, and too much of an abstract idea for a brand that is rooted in the credible promise of skin rejuvenation. 

Budweiser. ‘Disappointing’ would be the one word take away. Why? They get one shot every year and it seems like they aim to talk about anything but themselves. I was really hoping they would take center stage and make the narrative all about them. Instead they focused on saving energy. Yes this is a subject matter this is extremely important and we commend all companies that chose to take a positive stance in this area but is advertising at the Super Bowl the right forum? I don’t think so. 

Let’s keep it real. The money spent on a single GRP during the Super Bowl is high, creative quality should be exceptional to truly cease the opportunity. 

My prediction. Sales for Bubly water are going to rocket, while Budweiser sales will not to be positively influenced by the overpriced ticket they paid to advertise during this prime time event. 

The Game 

A defensive game is never as rewarding as offence and open play. That being said I am sure there are a core group of people who appreciate the strategic plays that had the score sitting at 3-3 in the third. Inversely I’m sure many were bored and underwhelmed. 

The Halftime Show 

Queen B and Prince continue to reign.  I wasn’t enamored by any of the talent that took centre stage despite some of the songs being classics.  Yes, the expectations are high. The audience is captivated. The stage has been set. Yet the performance just didn’t deliver. Sigh. If only we could bring back Purple Rain, in the rain and the marching and drum bands. We want and expect more!!!! 

My critique is based on years of experience in reviewing thousands of ads for hundreds of brands. If you would like to learn more about how the Foresight Strategy Group can help avoid advertising nightmares and ensure your ad shines and drives sales, feel free to reach out to us for a confidential consultation. Contact: sabrina@foresightstrategygroup.com. 

When Roger Federer is on the court, time stops, and millions watch the living legend do what he does best – play exceptional tennis.  During that time all we see is what is happening on the court at that specific moment.  What we don’t see is the endless hours of preparation that have led to that winning moment.  To be the best, one has to work hard, and timing is everything.

Yet in the world of advertising and communications, timing seems finite.  There never seems to be enough time but we expect to create an exceptional execution that is worthy of an award.  At On Point Insight we seek to partner with our marketing clients and advertising partners to create brand building advertising that is worthy of consumer attention - but we ask you for one thing; a little more time.

We believe that every brand has the ability to generate impactful advertising in any medium.  We are not sold on the speculation of low involvement categories. If done right, every brand has a voice that can lure the consumer, it just requires the right tone and content. However, as with our tennis analogy, preparation is essential to success.

A true insight

Every strong execution requires an ad strategy, a big idea, and a way of talking about the brand that…

• is attached to a relevant consumer insight

• is attached to a functional and/or emotional benefit

• provides a clear reason to believe

• is wrapped with a succinct positioning line

For many this is marketing 101, but you will be surprised at how many ads fail to have a clear strategy.

A relevant narrative

Relevance can be achieved by being relatable or recognizable.  Relatability is achieved through the lens of oneself, and being recognizable is about familiarity, and in many cases, humorous scenarios.

A brand connection

The role of the brand should be clearly defined. This is very different to the product or service you are selling.  For example, Roger Federer isn’t selling a watch, he’s selling a Rolex. 

Research can help marketing and ad agency teams prepare for success if we are able to speak to consumers early on in the creative development process, so we can ensure that the strategy is right, the creative wrapping is relevant, and the brand plays a clear and distinctive role.  In a market of quick turn solutions that are telling you how your creative is performing we want to partner with you to understand why. Understanding the whys will save you time and money in the long run.  The whys will illuminate what was great and not so great, so we get closer to the right creative direction.  The whys will provide rich learning that can be attached to future creatives, so we are constantly learning from our mistakes.  Whys are extremely powerful insights that have been traded for time.  Is this trade paying its dividend?

With a little more time we can accomplish more, and we can ensure that in that single moment of time when you engage with consumers your ad is exceptional.

To learn more about how the Foresight Strategy Group can help you, contact: sabrina@foresightstrategygroup.com.