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As legalization hits state after state, cannabis advertising gets bolder and more imaginative. Weed billboards are the perfect example of companies loudly stating their opinions on the plant.

Besides showing the greater acceptance of marijuana, these advertisements illustrate market growth. Whether selling pre-rolls or cannabis seeds for beginners, weed companies now face harsh competition. Billboards are one way to call attention to themselves.

Let’s see why billboards can benefit dispensaries, delivery services, and advocacy groups. We then explore nine examples of putting these advertising spaces to good use.

Why Billboards?

Out-of-home advertising is a great way to raise customers’ awareness of brands. People are in an active mental state while out, rapidly absorbing information. Whether announcing season six of JoJo or selling Christmas cookies, billboards remain effective.

Cannabis advertised on billboards has a shock factor, too. Most adults grew up when the herb was prohibited and even demonized. Now, they see it promoted while driving to work. The effect is powerful, attention-grabbing, and easy to analyze through the following nine examples.

VICELAND

VICELAND was Vice’s TV program that aired WEEDIQUETTE, a quintessential documentary for cannabis enthusiasts. It also launched a captivating out-of-home ad campaign.

VICELAND billboards said: “Everyone smokes weed.” Notably, one of the ads called on the fact that cops consume cannabis. This controversial yet true statement challenges public perception. If everybody does it, why should the plant be criminalized? The ads sparked discussions, which is often their primary aim.

Green Koi

Green Koi is a Michigan medical and personal-use marijuana company. It advertises itself through diverse and high-quality products and premiere customer support. The majority of its budget goes toward billboards.

These ads sport the brand’s signature blue-green hues, large font, and straightforward messages. Our favorite is “Lake & Bake.” It’s catchy, localized, and calls to the well-known stoner phrase.

The Cure Company

The Cure Company is a Southern Californian cannabis producer that emphasizes quality. Its clean aesthetic plays on the notion of using marijuana as medicine.

The business’ Los Angeles billboards use bold green hues and giant letters to capture the eyes of passers-by. The ad’s main point is the name itself: it states that cannabis is a cure. The idea gains the company points from medical users.

Eaze

Eaze capitalizes on people’s desire for convenience. It’s a San Francisco-based medical weed delivery app with ease as its top priority.

The brand published an ad with a simple phrase: “Do it for the gram.” The message is a play on words, referring to the process of doing something cool to post a photo on Instagram. A gram is also a marijuana measurement.

You’re likely not Eaze’s target audience if you don’t get the reference. The company is comfortable with youth culture and catering to Millennials with this billboard.

Grassdoor

Continuing with a convenience-first approach, we have Grassdoor. This delivery company operates in California and supplies whatever you want, from dried buds to dab rigs.

The brand’s billboard employs an old-school advertising technique, displaying an attractive woman showing off her abs. It also features a to-the-point message and a lively blue-green color scheme. As such, the ad fights the stereotypes of shady dealers and lazy stoners in one image.

Select Better

Select Better is a California pot brand with clean and clever advertising. One of its latest billboard series highlighted the catchy names of various pot strains in the offer.

For example, we have “Pineapple Express. A comedy starring you.” The playful phrases stick with you and encourage you to try the cultivar that brought them to life.

Puns are Select’s bread and butter even outside this instance. We particularly enjoyed “Let our strains relieve yours.”

Northern Lights Cannabis Co.

Northern Lights Cannabis Co. is a dispensary chain for medical and recreational users. The company puts on a friendly front and purports to put people first.

After the company sponsored a highway cleaning action, it released a series of Colorado Interstate billboards about weed.

The billboards stated nothing but the facts: “Clean Colorado: Sponsored by Northern Lights Cannabis Co.” Still, this message makes the business look virtuous and socially responsible. These ads are often near exits where people can find dispensaries, which is no accident.

Nugg Club

Nugg Club is a premium cannabis subscription brand. Shoppers get a newly curated box each month, letting them enjoy various marijuana products without the tedious selection process.

The billboard advertising this company invites you to “Think higher.” The wordplay promises that you’ll get high and enjoy high-class delivery. A classy font, red-and-black palette, and five stars beneath the brand name support the message of luxury.

Fire It Up Kansas

The final entry on our list doesn’t sell a product but an idea. “Fire it up Kansas” weed bill billboards were a campaign pushing for cannabis legalization in the state. One compared alcohol and weed, questioning why only one is legal. The other had a person in handcuffs and stated, “We’re not criminals, we’re consumers.”

These messages are straightforward, populist, and reformist. Weed in America is currently a people’s movement, and this group used that to their benefit.

Weed Advertising: On a Roll

Would these weed billboards grab your attention? Given the profitability of the cannabis industry, many people would say yes.

As regulations soften, we expect to see more in-your-face and outlandish marijuana ads fill the streets. Companies will have to be innovative to encourage people to purchase products or buy seeds and grow weed at home.

Kyle Kushman


Kyle Kushman is an American writer, educator, activist and award-winning cannabis cultivator and breeder specializing in veganic cultivation. He is a representative of Homegrown Cannabis CO company, has been a contributor for over 20 years, and has taught courses in advanced horticulture at Oaksterdam University in Oakland, California and across the United States. Kushman also hosts a cannabis podcast called “The Grow Show with Kyle Kushman”.

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