Proving illegal cannabis is a Buzzkill
“This activation might make people a little uncomfortable with its directness and transparency, but we need Ontarians to understand that they can’t trust the safety of illegal cannabis.”
David Lobo
President and CEO, Ontario Cannabis Store
Since legalization, cannabis sales in Ontario have grown to an estimated $3.2 billion across more than 3,800 retailers. But at least half of this market is still illegal, making it hard for consumers to know what’s legal and what isn’t, but more importantly, what’s safe and what’s not. With laws restricting traditional advertising channels and consumer skepticism of government education messages at a high, the Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS), the province’s authority on safe consumption, needed to find a new way to convince people to buy legally. Enter LG2.
Pesticides. Heavy metals. Mould. Even E. coli. Most Canadians have no idea what could be lurking in illegal cannabis, because, unlike legal products, the black market isn’t third-party tested. To expose the danger, we helped OCS launch Buzzkill – a fake brand of illegal cannabis.
Looking legit
To draw people in, we needed to look legit. We designed the Buzzkill brand from scratch, taking the main OCS brand colour – green – and boosting it to a vibrant toxic tone. Paired with custom typography (BUZZ MONO), Buzzkill became a unique and ownable sub-brand for education that fit right into the cannabis marketplace and could be used for posters, packaging, print catalogues and even merch.
Faking it for a cause
We then created over 25 legit-looking products – including edibles, flowers, beverages, pre-rolls and oils – to make sure we connected with every type of cannabis user. The packaging was given a clean design to evoke a sense of premium sophistication, accented with pops of bright colours to grab attention and reinforce the toxic, harmful elements typically contained in illegal products.
Every fake product label included exactly what’s commonly found in untested illegal cannabis: pesticides, heavy metals, toxic chemicals, feces and more. With names like Lead Rocket, Pesti-Cider and E. Cola, these fake products highlighted the dangers of illegal cannabis and demonstrated how it’s more of a buzzkill than consumers realize.
Creating a safe unsafe space
To bring the brand experience to life, we opened the Buzzkill dispensary in the heart of downtown Toronto, Ontario’s black market, where 1 in 4 shops are illegal. With blacked out windows, security guards flanking the door and bass-heavy music, Buzzkill fit right in.
Once inside, consumers were able to experience the brand to its fullest. Typical dispensaries keep products behind glass, but Buzzkill had rows and rows of products lined up on open shelves so consumers could pick them up and learn about the dangers they present. Instead of staying behind the cash register, “budtenders” roamed the floor, engaging visitors and teaching them about the risks of illegal cannabis. Videos were projected on screens that encapsulated the brand – a mix of stylized petri dishes, mould spores and pesticide spraying. Tables of product brochures ran down the middle of the space to push the educational messaging beyond the store experience. And finally, every customer left with a range of slick Buzzkill swag with hangtags that incorporated safety tips and directions on where to buy legal cannabis.
Generating a buzz
To drive consumers to the Buzzkill activation, we advertised the shop like many illegal cannabis stores do: with targeted out-of-home advertising and organic and paid social media. Three PSAs targeting young Ontarians aged 19 and older rounded out the message, with three 15-second and 6-second video cuts on their favourite social platforms and online forums such as Reddit, Fandom and theScore.
A buzz that lasts
In the end, we successfully educated Ontarians on the dangers of illegal cannabis and proved that it isn’t worth the risk:
- 32.2M earned media impressions of the pop-up
- 59% of Ontarians surveyed are now aware of the dangers of illegal cannabis
- 20% increase in visits to the OCS.ca “Health and Safety” page
- 152% increase in Ontarians who say they’re now more likely to shop legal
Client
The Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS) operates the largest legal and centralized wholesale cannabis organization in the world. We provide Ontario adults aged 19 and older with safe access to tested and traceable recreational cannabis products. As a Crown agency solely owned by the Province of Ontario, the OCS is mandated to provide a competitive alternative to the illegal market, champion a socially responsible cannabis industry and return its profits to the people of Ontario. Our mission is to enable a vibrant cannabis marketplace through great customer experiences, rooted in selection, service and quality. For more information, visit OCS.ca and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
