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Why Cannabis Brands Should Focus On NYC Tourists

By Pam Chmiel

NYC is the most culturally diverse city in the United States, with 8.5 million residents and 60+ million tourists visiting yearly, giving cannabis companies the opportunity for a head start on building brand recognition nationally and globally.

Not only do brands have access to a diverse audience in NYC, but it also provides the gateway to a global consumer base. Statistics show the city welcomed 47.3 domestic and 9.4 million international visitors in 2022.

Marketing 101 tells us that a consumer must interact with a brand numerous times before it registers in their mind and they decide to make a purchase. Marketing your brand to foreign tourists is a long play that will establish your brand as a household name and lead to global recognition. 

Millions Of Tourists From Around The World

New York City attracts almost one-third of all foreign travelers to the United States. According to the NYC & Company, the city’s official tourist website, most foreign visitors come from Canada, the United Kingdom, Brazil, France, China, Germany, Italy, and Australia. And even though international tourists only make up 20% (9 million!) of visitors to the Big Apple, they rack up 50% more in spending. And the Chinese spend 60% more than the average international tourist!

Domestic visitors are mainly daytrippers who regularly travel from the tri-state area to the city for business and entertainment. However, many come from all over the country to visit because of its vast offerings.

The Big Apple Attraction

NYC is a top global vacation, cultural, and business destination spot that is only becoming more popular with the renaissance of cannabis. People are curious about how New Yorkers will influence cannabis culture and want to experience it.

Meetings and conferences, renowned restaurants, nightlife and entertainment, major sports events, and cultural diversity are why people flock to the city. This gives cannabis brands many marketing touchpoints to work with and connect with consumers to promote their products.

NYC is also a hot spot for seasonal celebrations that permeate the city with cultural festivities of all kinds.

Marketing Tactics To Meet Them Where They Are 

Depending on your ideal target tourist, NYC is chocked full of ways to get your brand noticed. Aside from the iconic sites people like to visit, NY is filled with off-the-beaten-path fun and exciting things to do. NYers are hustlers and open to ideas, and there is a good chance you can find a business to partner with to promote your cannabis brand creatively.

Social media is one tool for building community organically. Create engaging content that showcases your product and highlights the unique features of NYC as a way to use authentic storytelling that will appeal to foreigners planning a visit. 

Podcasts allow cannabis advertising, and since the shows are topically very niche, it provides a way to target a specific consumer demographic. 

Public Relations tactics are an avenue to explore if you have a newsworthy story that a publication may want to cover. For instance, The NY Growers Cup landed a feature article in The New York Times for their first-of-a-kind NY craft cannabis competition that provided global reach.

Paid Advertising or advertorials in travel guides, digital magazines, blogger sites, or hiring influencers can also generate publicity for your brand before your potential customers set foot in NYC.

Digital Out Of Home Advertising (DOOH) presents alternative advertising opportunities for an industry prohibited from marketing using standard tactics. Atmosphere TV, a new company, shows paid cannabis commercials in select bars and other venues for the 21 and older crowd that broadcast their streaming TV channel. Some cannabis companies have also used branded coasters in bars successfully.

Sponsor An Event to reach tourists where they are. As the cannabis industry matures and rules loosen, more opportunities to sponsor major NYC events like Fashion Week or the NY Marathon will become available through swag or paid ads. But in the meantime, events like the NYC Cannabis Film Festival are starting to appear and should draw a crowd with marketing options. 

Create An Event around your product as a way to promote it—classes and walking tours are a few of the easy-to-create events that are extremely popular with tourists. i.e., cooking, growing, and hash-making classes are popping up all over the city.

Creative Idea: Stand at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge, where hoards of tourists walk daily to see the views, and give out free totes with your brand’s messaging on them as long as it doesn’t break NYS’s cannabis advertising rules. Every tourist needs a tote.

New York cannabis brands have a unique opportunity to launch their marketing efforts on a global level and shouldn’t pass up the first mover advantage.

 

Pam Chmiel

Pam Chmiel is a contract marketer, publicist, and published business writer. She also is the Marketing Partner for Studio 420, working with delivery services, dispensaries, and canna-businesses to define and develop their identity, position, and online presence in the marketplace. Pam is based in Manhattan, NY.

Links to work: https://linktr.ee/pamchmiel

As The Mary Jane Society podcast host, she interviews leaders, innovators, creators, and entrepreneurs from all areas of the cannabis industry and shares her insights in a bi-monthly newsletter.

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