A Cannabis Conversation: A Panel on Marketing in a Budding Industry

What: Burns Entertainment and Burson Cohn & Wolfe present a panel discussion for marketing, communications, advertising and social media professionals to learn from Cannabis industry experts and influencers, as Illinois prepares to launch adult recreational marijuana use starting January 1, 2020.

Why: The cannabis industry is experiencing explosive growth in a constantly evolving and complicated regulatory landscape, creating a moving target for the millions of marketers who are trying to build, boost and protect a company’s integrity and brand. This event brings together interested parties to share key learnings, exchange ideas and help move the industry forward in an ethical manner using new and old marketing tools.

The conversation will span from local topics, rooted in Illinois’ launching of recreational marijuana January 1, to broader, nationally focused topics applicable to wider audiences.

Who: Anyone who works in marketing, communications, advertising or related discipline for an agency, corporation, holding company, media outlet or other entity, who has a vested interest or curiosity in contributing to and learning more about cannabis marketing.

Opening Industry Insights:

Amy Crosby, Managing Director & Vice President, Penn Schoen Berland

Background: Amy Crosby is a Vice President in Penn Schoen Berland’s (PSB) Washington, D.C. global headquarters. Amy has developed and executed a wide range of international and domestic research for Fortune 500 companies such as Johnson & Johnson, Wells Fargo, Dell, Microsoft, and Ford Motor Company. Her expertise includes corporate reputation management, message testing, crisis polling, brand positioning, and ad testing.

For several years, Amy led PSB’s rapid response research team and specializes in quick-turn strategic research for one of the largest companies in the world. She also assisted on polling and strategy for a major presidential campaign. During the campaign, she coordinated a series of in-depth focus groups with female voters in key swing states and assisted in creating a tailored strategy to win over women. Amy graduated cum laude from the University of Michigan, with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Communications Studies.

Company: PSB is a global research-based consultancy that specializes in messaging and communications strategy for blue-chip political, corporate and entertainment clients. PSB has over 30 years of experience leveraging unique insights about public opinion to provide clients with a competitive advantage. PSB executes polling and message testing services for Fortune 100 corporations and has helped elect more than 30 presidents and prime ministers around the world. Penn Schoen Berland is a part of Young & Rubicam Brands, a subsidiary of WPP, one of the world’s leading communications services networks.

Panelists include:

Dan Doherty, Executive Vice President, Managing Director and DC Public Affairs & Crisis Practice Lead at BCW Global

Background: Dan Doherty is an Executive Vice President & Managing Director at BCW and leads the DC office of the firm’s Public Affairs & Crisis Practice. He offers clients more than 20 years of public affairs experience and his organizational reputation, crisis and issues management expertise, government affairs and media relations counsel have guided the successful efforts of a wide variety of corporate, association and nonprofit clients.

Dan also created and leads BCW’s cannabis and hemp strategic consulting unit which helps companies in the emerging space gain market entry, navigate policy and regulation challenges, identify and engage the cannabis consumer and communicate product benefits, all on a global scale. BCW’s end-to-end holistic offering includes experts in research, data and analytics, federal policy and grassroots engagement.

Company: BCW (Burson Cohn & Wolfe) is one of the world’s largest full-service global communications agencies. BCW delivers digitally and data-driven creative content and integrated communications solutions grounded in earned media and scaled across all channels for clients in the B2B, consumer, corporate, crisis management, CSR, healthcare, public affairs, and technology sectors. BCW is a part of WPP, the world’s leader in communications services.

Tom Nolasco, Director of Legal & Strategic Initiatives for National Association for Cannabis Businesses

Background: The NACB is led by a group of government, legal, financial, and data and analytics experts who have dedicated their careers to helping business owners in other industries successfully navigate complex regulatory challenges.

Company: The NACB is the first self-regulatory organization, whose mission is to support the compliance, transparency, and growth of legal cannabis businesses in the U.S. It is the only organization in U.S. cannabis whose members are vetted as being responsible, trustworthy and compliant. The association has developed standards in packaging and licensing, advertising, laboratory testing and product integrity with more on the horizon.

Lexi Holden, Lifestyle Influencer & PR Professional at Allison + Partners

Lex and the City embrace city life + style with everything in between including fitness, travel, and beauty. When Lexi isn’t traveling, exploring the Chicago food scene and sharing her passion for beauty and fitness, she focuses on consumer PR and influencer programs at Allison+Partners in Chicago. Lexi has 16,000+ followers on Instagram and manages her blog which features authentic musings about her experiences as an Orange County native turned Midwest transplant.

Background: Allison+Partners is a new kind of global communications agency. With 30 offices and more than 450 employees worldwide, they’re large enough to handle complex assignments, yet small enough to be nimble in their approach. With one global P+L, they put the best people on their clients’ business, regardless of location. The agency is organized around five practices: Consumer Marketing, Corporate, Healthcare, Public Affairs, and Technology. All Told, which combines research, content, creative, digital and measurement expertise into one offering, works across these practices to deliver integrated storytelling for clients. Allison+Partners was named The Holmes Report’s 2019 “Best Agency to Work For,” PRWeek’s 2018 “Best Place to Work,” and The Holmes Report’s 2017 “Digital Agency of the Year.”​

Lisa Hurwitz, Chief Marketing Officer, Grassroots Cannabis

Background: Lisa Hurwitz, Chief Marketing + Innovation Officer at Grassroots, is a no-nonsense marketing professional who has infused the young, evolving cannabis industry with the brand-building and creative strategy that drives traditional consumer packaged goods giants like P&G and Kimberly-Clark. She previously served as VP, Global Brand Design at Kimberly-Clark, where she worked on mega consumer brands from Huggies to Kleenex across the globe. Prior to Kimberly-Clark, Lisa spent 18 years in the agency business, including 10 years working exclusively with P&G for both Leo Burnett / Arc Worldwide and Starcom Mediavest Group. Lisa is originally from Washington, D.C. She earned a BA from the University of Pennsylvania and spent the early part of her career in New York City before moving to Chicago with her family, where she has lived for the past 15 years.

Company: Grassroots Cannabis is a cannabis company dedicated to serving, advancing and respecting the cannabis movement. Through its unique, vertically integrated business model, Grassroots grows, processes and sells trusted cannabis products that enhance life’s moments for people from all backgrounds. Its retail brand offers a unique, wellness and education-focused dispensary experience. Grassroots Cannabis has built its portfolio at an unprecedented pace, with facilities in highly competitive markets, including Illinois, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Maryland, Oklahoma, Ohio, Vermont, North Dakota, Arkansas, and Connecticut. The company is pursuing acquisitions in additional markets.

Moderator: Shane Arman, Senior Director of Business Development at Burns Entertainment

Background: Shane Arman is an award-winning entertainment communication professional, who spent seven-plus years in public relations activating for clients at large-scale events and managing celebrity/influencer campaigns at world-class PR agencies. Now he is at industry-leading Burns Entertainment & Sports, where he partners with marcomms agencies and mainstream brands to collaboratively deliver the smartest counsel and service in celebrity talent procurement, sports/entertainment marketing, and music licensing.

Company: Burns is a full-service entertainment marketing agency specializing in celebrity, influencer, and music licensing partnerships for advertising, public relations, social media campaigns and more. Burns brings five decades of industry learnings, combining the staff’s years of experience with the most up-to-date technology and analytics. Burns negotiates hundreds of contracts every year on behalf of their clients which affords them access to exclusive information, incomparable insight, and unrivaled negotiating power.