#CommunityHigh - Mathew Stockton
#CommunityHigh
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#CommunityHigh 〰️
A creative force to be reckoned with behind some of the most iconic marketing campaigns in history, meet Mathew Stockton (he/him). As the current Director of Marketing at Greentone, we sat down to chat about the creative side of the cannabis industry, where he gets his inspirations and how he got here!
A love letter to our community, Community High is a spotlight series that celebrates local creatives, entrepreneurs and changemakers. We’re asking the hard (and not so hard)-hitting questions to discover what makes these inspiring people so rad!
What led you to the cannabis industry?
30 years got me here. Decades of global marketing experience in the premium spirits category, a regulated category that consumers use to enhance experiences, provide escape, camaraderie and comfort… much like cannabis.
When I moved back to Canada and cannabis was legalized I thought “This is an amazing opportunity to build brands from the ground up. In my previous life, I was trusted with global marketing for many iconic brands like Smirnoff, Johnnie Walker, Tanqueray, Ciroc, Stoli, Dunhill… the list goes on. I was a ‘caretaker’ of these brands for a short time in their hundreds of years of history. The work was about leveraging the zeitgeist to keep them contemporary and relevant for consumers without taking away from what made them icons in the first place.
Cannabis provides me with the opportunity to build from the ground up. I want to be an old man and be able to point to a decades-old, then iconic cannabis brand and say ‘I made that with my team’ and to hope that the new marketing teams do what I did when looking after the like of Smirnoff- keeping my brand contemporary and relevant while holding onto the brand ideal and purpose.
What inspires you when developing the concept for a cannabis brand and its marketing program?
Inspiration comes from the confluence of insights into something relevant and meaningful. You must always start with the consumer and get to the underlying insights of their wants, needs motivations, and desires- both rational and emotional. You have to glean category and competitive insights, product truths, macro cultural and socio-economic trends.
Let’s take Bubble Kush for example. We recently launched in Ontario and it has had unprecedented sales at launch. Highest sales velocity of a beverage to date in the province. How did we do that?
First, we defined our prime prospects: ‘Socially effervescent novices” Gen Z 19-24-year-olds looking for easy and delicious ways to use THC as a social lubricant for get-togethers with friends. Most live with their parents or have roommates, so the smell of smoking cannabis can be an issue. I didn’t do the lazy “Gen Z” targeting but instead looked into the social values groups within that generation and identified the key segments of Egalitarian Idealists, Optimistic Observers, and Hustling Hedonists. All Gen Z’ers or Millennials or Gen X’ers are not the same. The more specific you define your audiences’ social values the more insights you can glean. If someone says you should target ‘Millennials’ or ‘Gen Z’ without going into detail – ignore them – it’s lazy thinking.
These people are young, and the collective effervescence of social gatherings is important to them. They look for the new, the popular the sharable with friends and they are about radical inclusion. They grew up during the great recession and recently saw their parents laid off or were laid off themselves due to Covid, so they are more careful with their money than the previous generation. They are 20% less likely to drink alcohol than ‘Millennials’ but coming of age when cannabis consumption is growing more acceptable.
We talked to them and what we heard was ‘ So many drinks are too expensive, or taste gross – cannabis taste, yuck.’ One of our respondents said “So many of the drinks are like for Yoga moms – I don’t want to drink what my mom drinks.’ We also know through research that ‘Kush’ has lost its original meaning or provenance and they think it just means ‘it’s good.’ We put Bubble in front of that since it’s carbonate and bingo, there is the brand name. Terpenes? Most of them had never even heard the word. There is a lot of talk about Terpenes and that’s absolutely fine for people who are into it and we have brands for them. But for this audience- they don’t care – so why force it?
With all of that, the insights are clear. We called it Bubble Kush, chose the most popular soda flavours and ensured there was no cannabis taste. In fact, if you look on the can we call it a THC and Soda product, not a cannabis cola. Small details. The brand Ideal is ‘Bubble Kush exists to make everyday social gatherings POP”. The Jungian brand archetype is “The Jester’ for the Citizen. Understanding your archetype goes a long way in helping you define your brand identity and tone of voice. We went with a fun tone of voice. My analogy is that it is the Skittles of THC and Soda brands. We worked hard to get it out at the best price point possible. It’s early days but I have high hopes for the brand.
What is your biggest piece of advice for someone wanting to get into a role like yours?
Be buttoned down on your strategy and surround yourself with talented people who can help you bring it to life. Inspire them and give them the space to do their jobs and watch your brand fly. It takes a talented team, not one person
What project/campaign/moment are you most proud of/most memorable for you and why?
I helped create and launch Smirnoff ICE years ago. The strategy I developed was ‘give young men permission to not drink beer.’ You have to remember that this was a few decades ago and it was all new. Sales went crazy from day one. To this day people still get ‘iced’ I helped create a cultural phenomenon.
What is the biggest change you hope to see in the cannabis industry in the future?
I’d like to see healthier, sharper, and more worthy competition to keep us on our toes.
What is the biggest lesson you've learned in your career?
Never make a decision when you need to pee.
What is your favourite way to decompress from a long day?
Every day, at the end of the workday, I take my British bulldog, Steve, on a boat ride. He’s obsessed with being on the water and it clears my head. I also meditate and do yoga regularly.
What marketing campaign did you wish you’d come up with and why?
I don’t wish for things like that. I focus on what I can do with what’s in front of me and judge myself on how far I’ve moved on or moved the brands I’m actually working on move forward.
Stay on point, and get in touch with our team to learn more.
