Medical Cannabis Company Taps Colangelo’s Occasion-Based Approach to Launch First Recreational Brand.
Colangelo, the marketing agency focused on Brand Attachment, announced today that it has been hired by New York City-based Vireo Health International, a leading science-focused, multi-state cannabis company, to develop the brand platform to launch their first expansion into the recreational cannabis space with 1937. Billings for the assignment were not disclosed.
Colangelo has been tapped as the lead strategic agency that is driving all activity on the new brand. They started by developing the brand positioning, brand world and communications platform along with supporting B2B and B2C executions including digital, social, and print as well as website development and selling tools. 1937 debuted this Summer in Pennsylvania, selling out of their first wave of premium flower within hours. The brand will continue launch efforts rolling out nationally in the coming months.
New work from Colangelo is expected to break in selected markets throughout the year.
1937 is a premium cannabis brand named after the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937, which symbolized the start of prohibition, as we have known it. As state after state continues to overturn prohibition, 1937 signifies our right to reclaim cannabis and to stand up for wellness, social justice and equality for all. The brand stands proudly on the right side of history and addresses the shift towards legalization through liberation, celebration and the acceptance that all cannabis consumers deserve, and have always deserved, according to Vireo’s Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Jennie Leuzarder.
Leuzarder explains, “By understanding the significance and social impact of cannabis in today’s culture,Colangelo was able to develop a platform that builds a unique brand identity for 1937 that not only elevates the experience but the conversations around recreational cannabis.”
“Colangelo are experts in identifying the human truths, emotions and underlying motivations which drive behavior, as well as occasions for trial, consumption and purchase,”said Cynthia Finkelman, Senior Vice President, Colangelo. “Which makes us a perfect partner for Vireo Health in this ambitious endeavor.”
Additionally, in the emerging cannabis industry where the percentage of women executives is already in decline (36% in 2015 to 27%in 2017*), Colangelo and Vireo are ideal to collaborate in championing equality and inclusion, starting with those individuals selected to lead the team - a team on both sides composed primarily of women, women of color and LGBTQ.
Vireo Health International, Inc.’s mission is to build the cannabis company of the future by bringing the best of medicine, engineering and science to the cannabis industry. Vireo’s physician-led team of more than 350 employees provides best-in-class cannabis products and customer experience. Vireo cultivates cannabis in environmentally friendly greenhouses, manufactures pharmaceutical-grade cannabis extracts, and sells its products at both company-owned and third party dispensaries. The Company is currently licensed in eleven states and territories: Arizona, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico and Rhode Island. For more information about the company, please visit www.1937cannabis.com. (CSEX:VREO, OTCQX:VREOF).
Colangelo is a Connecticut-based marketing agency. We help our clients succeed by connecting their brands to the hearts and minds of consumers. We do this by humanizing brands through our proprietary methodology, Brand Attachment. Brand Attachment enables brands, including Diageo, Davidoff and Pladis (Godiva) to do more than simply attract consumers – it attaches them. For more information, please visit www.Colangelo-sm.com or contact Alyson Tardif at atardif@colangelo-sm.com.
