Don’t Call Them “Stoners” - Why Personalization Matters in Cannabis Advertising

The majority of Americans believe in legalizing cannabis. It’s a versatile product with a lot of different use cases, from relaxation and focus to creativity and wellness. When you’re building a cannabis advertising campaign, it’s tempting to show the same offer to everyone. But as cannabis becomes more mainstream, consumers are defining themselves differently - and that has major implications for ad campaigns.

A 2022 survey from YouGov found that 1 in 5 (19%) of Americans consume cannabis three or more times a week. One in eight (12%) consume cannabis daily. And of those daily cannabis consumers, more than half (52%) started consuming in the last four years. A third started only last year.

By any measure, someone who consumes cannabis a few times a week is a regular cannabis consumer. That said, each of these consumers has different preferences. When the survey asked what cannabis consumers thought about the label “stoner,” 48% of heavy users said they don’t identify as “stoners” at all.

This finding is important. Whether you’re creating branding and packaging or launching a new cannabis advertising campaign, make sure you know what your customers consider themselves. If you think they’re comfortable with the “stoner” label, then bug-eyed wizards might still be the best representative for your brand. But if half of the respondents don’t consider themselves “stoners,” it’s time to think beyond the traditional images - and ads - that are associated with cannabis.

Here are three major highlights from cannabis consumer groups that show the importance of personalized advertising:

1. Almost Half of Regular Cannabis Consumers are Female.

More men consume cannabis on a regular basis (defined as three or more times a week). But YouGov’s findings showed that the difference is less dramatic than some may think - 43% of regular cannabis consumers are female.

That said, many female cannabis consumers are often looking for different effects from cannabis and, therefore, different messages and offers.

In a survey from Brightfield Research Group, 8 in 10 female consumers said that they consume cannabis right before bed - a sign that ads emphasizing relaxation could resonate well. More than half (60%) said they use cannabis while doing chores around the house, which indicates a potential for ads centered on focus and concentration.

A lot of evidence points to the fact that female cannabis consumers are more likely to buy different varieties and formats as well, with majority market share around vape cartridges, gummies, and topical products.

Key Takeaway: Understand what your consumers want from cannabis and personalize your messaging and ad creative to that use case. If your ad offer is too broad or promotes effects that half your audience doesn’t like, you end up wasting ad spend targeting cannabis consumers who are looking for something different.

2. Regular Cannabis Consumers Are Multi-Generational.

Festival-goers? Homeowners? Seniors? Baby boomers? Gen X? Millennial? Gen Z?

Geriatric millennial?

According to YouGov, cannabis consumers span a wide age range:

- 46% are age 18-34 years

- 30% 35-54 years

- 24% 55+

Different demographics respond to different kinds of ads. They might also have different product preferences and attitudes towards cannabis in general. For example, growing up in a country where cannabis has more or less always been legal, Gen Z is starting to become known as the “cannabis native” generation, a generation where the stigma largely never existed in the first place.

Baby boomers, on the other hand, are twice as likely as millennials to consume cannabis “solely for medical reasons.” Survey findings also show that baby boomers are twice as likely to consume cannabis in the mornings compared to millennials.

When it comes to product preferences, millennials and boomers both prefer inhaling over any other category, according to Verilife. But boomers over-index on capsules, with 23% saying that capsules were their preferred method to consume. Another fun fact: 25% of boomers say they keep their consumption habits secret from their significant other.

Key Takeaway: Not all generations have the same sentiment, preference, or habit when it comes to cannabis consumption. With the right cannabis advertising platform, you can segment your audience by age range and product preference to build highly personalized ads with relevant creative that resonates better than general offers, driving higher engagement and conversion.

3. More than half of regular cannabis consumers are parents.

In YouGov’s survey, more than half (55%) of cannabis users who use three or more times a week - the majority! - said they were parents. Parents are probably consuming in different contexts and environments than cannabis consumers without children. They also probably don’t want the same kind of packaging as a twentysomething.

The legal market (and probably work-from-home and the pandemic) had an impact - 40% of parents said they only started consuming cannabis in the last year. Given that so many are new to the market, parents could be more interested in low dose products or a lot of education on each product page to help them understand what to expect.

Parents may also be more interested in beverages, for example, since they are 52% more likely than other adults to replace alcohol with cannabis.

Key Takeaway: Parents who consume cannabis are a big part of the market, but they are likely to prioritize different kinds of products than cannabis consumers without kids, especially given that many might be new to the market. Price might be less of an issue than product consistency and quality, so rather than ad offers, trust and authenticity could be front and center for your ads.

Audience-First Advertising

With the right cannabis advertising platform, you can target cannabis consumers by demographics, product preferences, and purchase history. That gives you the opportunity to personalize ads like never before and, as we can see, that’s an important part of an effective ad campaign when so many consumers have different wants and needs.

Today, an audience-first ad approach can be most effective. By understanding your audience and building the ads for them, you can be sure that your campaign will drive better results.