On this episode of the To Be Blunt Podcast, Shayda Torabi has on Blair Markell, the Head of Strategy for Cann, one of the best-selling cannabis beverages in the country, to talk all about the cannabis beverage space, D2C channels and navigating delivery, and how social tonics are changing the landscape of cannabis beverages.
There is so much attention, excitement, and consumption for cannabis canned beverages; it’s capturing a new consumer. According to Fortune Business Insights, the global cannabis beverages market stood at 367 million in 2019. It is projected to reach 1520 1 million by 2027.
[00:01 – 08:30] Getting to Know Blair Markell and The Story of Cann
[08:31 – 18:37] How Cann Went From Zero to a 23.4% Market Share
[18:38 – 32:11] Launching Direct To Consumer Channels and Navigating Cannabis Delivery Services
[32:11 –43:08] Cann’s Brand Vision and How Social Tonics are Changing the Game
[43:09 – 45:22] Lessons Learned from Bringing Cann into National Markets
[45:23 – 50:51] Closing Segment
Blair Markell is the Head of Strategy for Cann, microdosed social tonics that are the #1 selling THC beverage in California. With a background in cognitive psychology and consumer research, Blair was drawn by the challenge and opportunity inherent in changing people's associations, beliefs, and behaviors around cannabis. She has her MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business, and a Bachelors in Psychology from Duke University.
Follow Blair on LinkedIn (in/blair-ballard/)
Follow Cann on Instagram @drinkcann and visit their website http://drinkcann.com/
Shayda Torabi has been called one of the most influential Women in WordPress and now she’s one of the women leading the cannabis reformation conversation building one of Texas’ premier CBD brands. She's currently the CEO and Co-Founder of RESTART CBD, a female-run education first CBD wellness brand. And has formerly held marketing positions at WP Engine and WebDevStudios. Shayda is the host of a podcast for cannabis marketers called To Be Blunt, where she interviews top cannabis brands on their most successful marketing initiatives. When Shayda's not building her cannabiz in Texas, you can find her on the road exploring the best hikes and spots for vegan ice cream. Follow Shayda at @theshaydatorabi
Key Quotes:
“What we had to do early on was to get the entire supply chain of the cannabis industry between retailers, distributors and manufacturers to actually believe in the future of this microdose beverage category that not only never existed, but the entire industry was not built to support.” - Blair Markell
“In the marketing space as almost anyone who works anywhere in this space knows, it's really, really hard to market at scale outside of compliant cannabis channels. And so there's not really a playbook that we can follow, which I find very challenging yet very rewarding.” - Blair Markell
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054 Disrupting the National Cannabis Beverage Category with Blair Markell of Cann