Launching a Sustainable Future for Cannabis Packaging
Situation Analysis
Current cannabis packaging solutions are saturated in plastic that ends up rotting away in landfills, promoting disastrous environmental consequences as cannabis continues to gain legal status across the country. Then, there is Calyx.
Calyx Containers are 100% recyclable, sustainable in landfills and reduce overall carbon footprints. The new Glass Family line is sustainable from its origin to its demise. The clear glass includes 56% post-consumer recycled material while the manufacturing molds allow for the entire container to be recycled, right down to the cap, so consumers can reuse and then recycle rather than having to sort and filter recyclable parts. In degradation testing, the Calyx container degraded 85.6% to bio mass in 1,308 days. In the same period, a standard plastic container only degraded 0.5%. That’s a major difference among their competitors.
Brodeur Partners sought to utilize this unique differentiation to position Calyx as a leader in sustainability in the cannabis industry while promoting the new Glass Family line as a solution to current industry problems. By articulating the sustainability benefits of designing all-glass products, Brodeur Partners was able to position Calyx at the forefront of the conversation around sustainable cannabis packaging solutions to both packaging and cannabis media.
Stakeholder Analysis
Utilizing behavioral science methods, Brodeur Partners developed our Relevance Methodology based on understanding relevance from four primary perspectives: Sensory, Thinking, Community, and Values.
This methodology was used to create a messaging framework and strategy for the Glass Family product launch.
Stakeholder Breakdown:
Geographic: In order to promote the new Glass Family line, Brodeur Partners identified prominent trade media in the United States, across a variety of geographic locations.
Demographic:Brodeur Partners targeted Millennial and Gen X cannabis users and businesses who were seeking new and sustainable cannabis packaging solutions for the modern marijuana user.
Psychographic: The primary target audience has a strong desire to preserve the environment and minimize plastic waste while also keeping cannabis product fresh and secure.
Goals and Objectives:
In order to promote the Glass Family line at the bustling, crowded MJBiz event, Brodeur Partners set forth three main objectives:
- Pre-Event Media Relations: Enhance brand and product awareness through targeted media pitching around glass design, glass art, product culture, and sustainability.
- Press Mailers and MJBiz Media Interviews: Create excitement for the Calyx product line by mailing select MJBiz attendees “mailers” that include the new products, updated glass imagery, messaging, and an interview request during the conference.
- Press Release Announcement: Officially announce the glass family through a press release that will go live at the time of the event with a coordinated pitching effort to re-engage with media following the announcement.
The strategies were designed to increase anticipation of the new Glass Family line while shifting the media focus to sustainable, earth-friendly cannabis packaging products.
Solution Overview:
Through strategic media efforts, Brodeur Partners hoped to target key areas of interest: the packaging industry, top tier media, cannabis trades, and the sustainability market. These industries hold a lot of potential for Calyx as they unveil their new product line.
The packaging industry will improve B2B interaction and drive overall sales, while the top tier space will increase brand awareness/product visibility. Meanwhile, the sustainability and cannabis market will help Calyx tap into their customer base and showcase their unique, sustainable solutions to a growing industry problem. Working together, all markets will help build value for the Glass Family line.
Media messaging:
Implementation and Challenges:
In order to promote the new Glass Family line, Brodeur Partners sought to implement the following media tactics:
- Engage and educate key media by providing background information about Calyx Containers, their mission, and cannabis packaging as a whole;
- Demonstrate thought leadership through interviews and contributed content/bylines before and during MJBizCon;
- Build a steady stream of news leading up to the Glass Family launch and facilitate and manage the announcement on October 20th, 2021.
Brodeur Partners began by creating media pitches designed to target the design/packaging industry media and the cannabis trade media. While the pitches did not announce the glass product, they did position Calyx as a thought leader in the packaging solutions industry while also championing for more sustainable packaging solutions. This way, Brodeur Partners was able to prime key media targets with information surrounding Calyx while also queuing up interest in future announcements.
Next, Brodeur Partners contacted media planning to attend MJBizCon to facilitate media interviews at the event and garner exclusive interest in receiving the new Glass Family products following the announcement. Once the announcement was live, Brodeur Partners continued to push hard for media inclusion and education around the topic of sustainable packaging solutions.
Measurement and Evaluation:
Bodeur Partners facilitated and managed a product launch at MJBIZ Con, one of the biggest events in the cannabis industry, with interest from CNN Business, Innovation & Tech today, Sensi Magazine, Cannabis Business Executive, and a variety of other top target media across the trade, consumer, and packaging spaces. The months-long media and promotional campaign culminated in the launch of the new, sustainable Glass Family line.
Brodeur Partners was able to manage and secure 32 articles in different trade, top tier, and cannabis-related media. These articles were a result of placed bylines, media interviews, and continued interest in the Calyx brand and their sustainable packaging solutions.
The media strategy resulted in 12,764,134 impressions and improved brand and media awareness. Following MJBizCon, the company continued to receive media interest in the form of interviews, product placements, etc.
Prior to the campaign, many cannabis trade publications were only covering the specific products/reviews of marijuana—strains, flowers, edibles, etc. However, with a growing importance in sustainability, talking about cannabis packaging solutions was a strategic and rewarding pivot.
Brodeur Partners was able to educate media on the necessity of sustainable packaging methods and how it can impact the marijuana industry as a whole—paving way for the optimal time of the Glass Family product announcement in October 2021.
