2022 Winner

CASE SUMMARY

Canadian cannabis brands battle in the trenches of tactical advertising, pushing strains and products. The result is that generic strains have more “brand awareness” than any brand. Flowr managed to make it to the top, but it too had become defined by products instead of its purpose. So they approached the agency to develop their first
brand campaign. The objective?

In a market where brands pander with tired stoner clichés, Flowr wanted to authentically connect with connoisseurs as the brand with actual decades-long roots in cannabis cultivation, long
before legalization.

Talking to their audience, a powerful truth became immediately clear. While cannabis was legal in Canada, too many users were still hiding. Changing the law didn’t change society overnight. Legal, sure, but users still stuffed it back in sock drawers when Mom was coming over.

That emotion is so familiar for Flowr. It too spent years hiding before stepping into the light as a legit brand. Other brands were pretending that legalization erased stigmas, but Flowr was the first to admit there’s still a long way to go.

So their strategy was simple: show audiences that Flowr shares the same experience and history with cannabis they do. That Flowr remembers hiding and believes now’s the time, together, to step into the light. Their campaign was built on a truly universal insight – they all used to stash cannabis in the most ridiculous places. So they made a film and ads that were a tour of all those familiar hiding spots, culminating in a powerful message about cannabis and its users – it’s time to leave hiding in the past.

To make the campaign as authentic as possible, they brainstormed hiding spots with actual Flowr customers at a Toronto dispensary. They were stoked about the idea, so they knew they were on to something.
But the piece they’re most excited about? The music. Which was a struggle. Millie Jackson didn’t want her 1974 classic "I'm Tired of Hiding" associated with cannabis. That was, until they told her about Flowr and what it stands for.

The campaign was an immediate hit, resonating strongly with audiences. It was nostalgic, memorable and, well, fun.

It's been so cool to see budtenders showing their film on their phones to customers when they ask about Flowr. It had a massive completion rate: 69.6% of viewers watched the entire thing (crazy high). And, during the campaign period, their tracker showed a double digit increase in brand awareness. But the best result for Flowr? They’ve had a record number of dispensary requests for their products. They can't produce enough to satisfy demand.

The campaign also sparked a larger conversation within Flowr about their role in destigmatization. That led to follow-on campaigns aimed at promoting LGBTQIA2S+ members in the cannabis space and even petitioning the government to expunge Canadian cannabis records.

So that small insight has grown into a big idea for Flowr, commercially and culturally. And we can all agree: there’s no better feeling than having Nothing to Hide.

Credits

Zerotrillion - Agency
Asymetric - Production Company
Outsider Editorial - Post Production Company
Redlab - Post Production Company
Studio Feather - Post Production Company
OSO - Music/Sound Company

Alex Paquin - Chief Executive Officer - Zerotrillion
Aubrey Podolsky - Executive Strategy Director - Zerotrillion
Elysia Ravenscroft - Business Director - Zerotrillion
Adam Fierman - Global Creative Director - Zerotrillion
Jack Towers - Design Lead - Zerotrillion
Amistad Artiz - Creative - Zerotrillion
Sabela Ros - Creative - Zerotrillion
Alon Isocianu - Director - Asymetric
Nick Burry - Executive Producer - Asymetric
Evan Landry - Executive Producer - Asymetric
Sara Alfaro - Producer - Asymetric
Mat Barkley - DP - Asymetric
Gary William Ogle - Photographer - Asymetric