Across the U.S., more than 20 states have legalized medical marijuana, and this means patients can legally buy and consume marijuana. Some states like California have also pushed for the legalization of recreational marijuana, so more people have access to marijuana, not just for medical use, but also for recreational purposes. All these activities have impacted the economy of the states and particularly the marketing space. It is a widespread impact that has led to the mushrooming of new marketing strategies and avenues through which those taking part in the sale of marijuana and its products can use.
More revenue
With the legalization of marijuana in many states, digital marketing agencies are set to experience a growth in revenues, thanks to the availability of a gap in the market that they can exploit. Many people rely on digital marketing to sell their products, but firms like Facebook don’t allow the promotion of products related to marijuana, and this means one has to look for experts in marketing who can use other channels to get these products to the right audience. This takes money and it is digital marketing firms that will benefit the most in the marketing chain.
When California passed the Proposition 64, it became the largest market for marijuana in North America. The state is expected to see a growth in revenues by $1.5 billion in 2018, most of which will go to marketing. It is projected that by 2020 the revenues will grow further to reach about $4 billion as the size of the market continues to expand. All these expansions will impact the marketing landscape and will benefit marketing agencies the most as they will be tasked with helping different licensed cannabis sellers to reach buyers.
Competition
With licensing coming into play, it is now possible to register and run a cannabis business in many states in the U.S. What this does is that there will be a flood of businesses in the niche and each of them will be working towards getting noticed and convincing buyers they are the most suitable for marijuana products. This competition will heighten marketing effort and again could give marketing agencies more benefits as the need for expert input will keep increasing. Legalization has opened doors for many more businesses to be established in this niche, which means competition will get stiffer.
While legalization comes with many benefits, it could pose a challenge in the control and regulation of use of marijuana as it sometimes is not possible to know who ends up taking marijuana. There’s still a lot of research underway to devise new methods through which cannabis can be controlled to ensure only those eligible use the substance. Not many cases of abuse have been reported, but experts are worried it could escalate to levels where many young people will fall into addiction.
Marijuana is gaining adoption at a faster rate, and this is mainly because of the legalization that has been adopted by many states in the U.S. as well as some countries. With the legalization comes more demand and in the same breath competition among businesses trading in this space will sour. That’s why digital marketing agencies are set to reap the most from promoting marijuana and its products.
