Adam Jackson
Vegas and Rihanna aren’t the only ones benefiting from the Super Bowl sales boosts this weekend.
Marijuana-friendly football fans are expected to restock their stashes ahead of the Sunday night showdown, and cannabis brands are increasing ad spend to include more Super Bowl-related messaging and promotions.
The Saturday and Sunday before last year’s championship match saw a 24% rise in cannabis sales versus the daily average for the rest of February, according to cannabis marketing platform springbig.
The firm reported that “a number” of its dispensary clients have translated that into investing 25% to 30% of their monthly budgets in Super Bowl-related ads, as opposed to 0% to 10% last year.
Arizona dispensaries are also preparing for an influx of tourists and townies looking for party favors and hangover relievers. The game is being held at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, a suburb of Phoenix, which has a seating capacity of more than 63,000.
“We’re looking to even higher sales this year, especially as the Super Bowl takes place in a recreational Arizona for only the second time (and this year, expecting fewer COVID precautions),” a spokesperson for springbig told Green Market Report.
Companies are looking at the opportunity as one to take advantage of. Trulieve, STIIIZY, Wana Brands, and even System of a Down’s bassist Shavo Odadjian – who will be promoting 22Red – will be hosting and participating in events to market their brands.
STIIIZY is also linking up with Weedmaps at the Rolling Stone Live pre-Super Bowl concert to do product giveaways and merchandising activation.
Advertising campaigns are kicking off earlier this time around, too.
Dispensary promotions aligned with “Big Game” messaging started as early as Feb. 1, “whereas last year most brands began Super Bowl messaging only the Thursday or Friday before the game,” according to Fyllo.
Companies with operations in Arizona are using focused messaging strategies due to the overlap with the PGA Tour’s Phoenix Waste Management Open, which happens to be the most packed PGA golf tournament in the world.
Both events are expected to draw huge crowds over the course of the weekend, and due to the overlapping tentpoles, “some advertisers have geared audience strategies to focus more on tourists and out-of-state visitors, informing them of the availability of legal cannabis in Arizona,” Fyllo said.
Around 700,000 people attend the golf event, rounding out a “significant” opportunity to reach new users who are in the state and near the Phoenix market for the weekend, the firm said.
