Craig Lyon, who recently joined California brand Connected Cannabis as head of marketing, spent the early years of his career at Nike. I caught up with him to discuss his impressions of cannabis marketing and his vision for Connected.
WeedWeek
Connected, and its sister brand Alien Labs, manage to sell out their flower at double the price many of its competitors dare to charge. The brand's secret sauce draws on its roots in the legacy market, influential fans in the hip-hop world and engineered scarcity. Consciously or not, the formula owes a great deal to Nike.
Coming to the new industry, Lyon has been struck by how so many brands are trying to demystify cannabis: “Everything seems to be about making this easier, simpler,” he said. Weed does the same thing it always did, but Lyon says its new found accessibility has stripped the “intrigue” and “adrenaline rush” of how it was purchased in the past.