HEXO has won Campaign Of The Year (Canada) in the 2018 ADCANN Advertising Awards with their #NeverJaded tour. The HEXO team partnered with Adept, a Toronto based XM agency connecting brands with people through culture, to create an unforgettable campaign leading up to the recreational legalization of cannabis in Canada.
The Never Jaded Tour (#neverjaded) was a unique series of free, private events (19+) spanning the country from Toronto to Vancouver, The tour was designed to encourage curiosity and connect Canadians through music, arts, culture, and culinary events.
Never Jaded was inspired by the entrepreneur, the inherently optimistic, and the unconventional success story. Whoever they are and wherever they are, they are NeverJaded.
The lineup included private, age-gated performances by world-renowned artists such as RZA, Fetty Wap, DVSN, Our Lady Peace, and an exclusive reunion with Wu-Tang Clan, as well as performances by DJ Hunter Siegel of No Neon, DJ Z Trip and Murdabeatz. It included live work by renowned artists Tristan Eaton, dinners with rogue chef Matty Matheson, the international Dinnertime Stories dining experience, and theatre takeovers with cult classics such as The Big Lebowski, Clueless and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
It offered the 19+ demographic of explorers, the curious, music lovers, arts, and culture aficionados and foodies a chance to immerse themselves in their favourite pastimes whilst having their first exposure to HEXO values and the #neverjaded hashtag.
Using a vast array of marketing tools, including hands-on experiential engagement, a national Out of Home campaign, digital media buys, social media engagement, brand ambassadors, a pop-up shop takeover in Toronto and influencer support by the performers, #NeverJaded kickstarted a conversation amongst Canadians who don’t subscribe to the ‘stoner’ cannabis culture, but are instead aligned with HEXO’s cultural truths of being the brand for explorers, the curious, doers, thinkers and the active.
The pop-up, named The Flower Shop, was a several day installation on the trendy Queen West Street in Toronto. HEXO commissioned graffiti artist Tristan Eaton and design company SpacesByJacFlash to create an immersing experience for attendees. This included several Instagram-worthy murals and room designs that attracted social media influencers to attend and post pictures with the hashtag #NeverJaded.
By the tour’s completion on October 16th, more than 40,000 guests are expected to have attended events across the country. Total impressions, including social media, digital media, and Out of Home activations are expected to be in excess of 500,000,000.
Breaking down the barrier between fans and talent, the tour’s immersive events connect attendees with unique onsite experiences, original content, and personalized apparel shared with Canada’s most influential innovators. Never Jaded has led the way in creating an innovative, public-facing marketing strategy in a highly regulated industry without discussing products, brand, or the cannabis industry. Rather, the campaign utilized the brand’s look, feel, and central truths to engage with the chosen demographic.
This was truly a groundbreaking marketing campaign from HEXO that successfully raised awareness for the brand in a creative and complaint way at a key moment in cannabis history.
About HEXO
HEXO creates and distributes innovative, easy-to-use and easy-to-understand products to serve the Canadian cannabis market. One of the country’s lowest-cost producers, HEXO is rapidly increasing its production capacity in the lead up to the adult-use cannabis market. The Company currently operates with over 300,000 sq. ft. of production capacity with construction on another 1,000,000 sq. ft. expansion set to be complete by year-end. HEXO serves the adult-use market under the HEXO brand while continuing to serve its medical cannabis clients through the well-known Hydropothecary brand.
Last Updated on August 18, 2020 by ADCANN
