I'm torn on this one. I have no personal interest in marijuana, but I do think it should be legalized. So why am I torn? Because of the security I aspect... which you do address, and that helps.
So I guess it'd depend how exactly those security measures were applied. Would the warning label be big enough? Where would these candies be sold? Right next to a non-marijuana big brand? If the latter, I could see folks grabbing them by mistake, without seeing the warning label, just assuming it's the other product (especially if the wrapping was very similar).
That said, I think it *could* be made to work, but it'd have to be carefully thought out, with specific requirements and limitations on wrappings and vending venues.
Problem is, I'm not sure I'd trust big companies in doing that much careful thinking LOL. It'd have to be regulated by some outside, non-corrupt entity... Won't hold my breath on that one :o
Great take! For the longest time the major soft drink brands staunchly refused to do any collaboration with liquor brands for the exact reason you highlighted (brand dilution / compromised messaging). I noticed in the last year or two, for whatever reason, that wall has come down. Maybe a response to spiked seltzer type drinks? Either way, I think you are right that these brands have the wrong attitude - collabs offer upside risk, not just downside risk. Plus, some of these candy brands have gotten so stale, they could use a shakeup.
Like Alex, I'm really torn on this one too. But unlike Alex, I do have a personal interest in cannabis. I quit smoking cannabis three years ago, but I do enjoy my edibles. As a consumer, I'm just not sure I'd go for a Twix bar with cannabis in it. A couple of reasons there. First, I don't want to eat a lot of calories in an edible. One or two gummies in a package that contains 10 is more than enough for me. So, I think there's something of a mismatch in serving size. Of course, the candy people do have that "fun" size so maybe that's the answer. The second issue is taste. I don't like the taste of cannabis at all (most people don't). Many of the edibles that came on the market in California in the late aughts tasted awful. Thankfully, there's been an evolution there, but I suspect that a candy company would have to tweak its recipe to better mask the taste. Also, for what it's worth, I find citrus to be a better flavor masker than the "traditional" brownie / chocolate edibles of yore, so this might not be a boon for Twix, although it could be a win for Starbursts. One last point. Have you thought about taxes? In California, legal cannabis has three taxes. The total rate varies by city / county, but in Los Angeles I pay nearly 30 percent tax on cannabis (state sales, city tax, and 15% state excise tax that's usually built into the price). Obviously, that's not a brand issue, but when you add in the cost of the cannabis and associated taxes, we're talking about a really expensive candy bar :) Anyway, this was a good post, Jared! I'd love it if you interviewed some edible makers and asked them what they think about this. I'd love to hear from candy companies too, but I doubt they'd talk about this publicly.
Sometimes I think it’s a matter of stated image. These big companies are allegedly for families and can be enjoyed by anyone. That’s their audience. It’s in their interest to stay conservative to keep that audience. You can alienate a whole region of the map collaborating with a weed company.
I'm torn on this one. I have no personal interest in marijuana, but I do think it should be legalized. So why am I torn? Because of the security I aspect... which you do address, and that helps.
So I guess it'd depend how exactly those security measures were applied. Would the warning label be big enough? Where would these candies be sold? Right next to a non-marijuana big brand? If the latter, I could see folks grabbing them by mistake, without seeing the warning label, just assuming it's the other product (especially if the wrapping was very similar).
That said, I think it *could* be made to work, but it'd have to be carefully thought out, with specific requirements and limitations on wrappings and vending venues.
Problem is, I'm not sure I'd trust big companies in doing that much careful thinking LOL. It'd have to be regulated by some outside, non-corrupt entity... Won't hold my breath on that one :o
Great take! For the longest time the major soft drink brands staunchly refused to do any collaboration with liquor brands for the exact reason you highlighted (brand dilution / compromised messaging). I noticed in the last year or two, for whatever reason, that wall has come down. Maybe a response to spiked seltzer type drinks? Either way, I think you are right that these brands have the wrong attitude - collabs offer upside risk, not just downside risk. Plus, some of these candy brands have gotten so stale, they could use a shakeup.
Here's an example of Coke collaborating with a liquor brand(would have been sacrilegious a decade ago): https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/coca-cola-molson-coors-launch-simply-branded-alcoholic-drinks-2022-01-25/
Like Alex, I'm really torn on this one too. But unlike Alex, I do have a personal interest in cannabis. I quit smoking cannabis three years ago, but I do enjoy my edibles. As a consumer, I'm just not sure I'd go for a Twix bar with cannabis in it. A couple of reasons there. First, I don't want to eat a lot of calories in an edible. One or two gummies in a package that contains 10 is more than enough for me. So, I think there's something of a mismatch in serving size. Of course, the candy people do have that "fun" size so maybe that's the answer. The second issue is taste. I don't like the taste of cannabis at all (most people don't). Many of the edibles that came on the market in California in the late aughts tasted awful. Thankfully, there's been an evolution there, but I suspect that a candy company would have to tweak its recipe to better mask the taste. Also, for what it's worth, I find citrus to be a better flavor masker than the "traditional" brownie / chocolate edibles of yore, so this might not be a boon for Twix, although it could be a win for Starbursts. One last point. Have you thought about taxes? In California, legal cannabis has three taxes. The total rate varies by city / county, but in Los Angeles I pay nearly 30 percent tax on cannabis (state sales, city tax, and 15% state excise tax that's usually built into the price). Obviously, that's not a brand issue, but when you add in the cost of the cannabis and associated taxes, we're talking about a really expensive candy bar :) Anyway, this was a good post, Jared! I'd love it if you interviewed some edible makers and asked them what they think about this. I'd love to hear from candy companies too, but I doubt they'd talk about this publicly.
Sometimes I think it’s a matter of stated image. These big companies are allegedly for families and can be enjoyed by anyone. That’s their audience. It’s in their interest to stay conservative to keep that audience. You can alienate a whole region of the map collaborating with a weed company.