It’s been nearly a year since we examined the top brands in Arizona. At that time, the state’s adult-use industry was just kicking off, with less than a year of retail under its belt. Naturally, we expect the top Arizona cannabis brands to change over time as the market matures. So we’re revisiting the topic with fresh data courtesy of Pioneer Intelligence.
If you’re new to these top ten lists, you should know that these aren’t arbitrary picks, nor are they based on sales data. Pioneer Intelligence measures consumer engagement across three pillars (earned media, social media, and website traffic). More on their methodology here.
A few of the brands from last November made this list, but the new lineup is decidedly different. Giving Tree, Kindred, and Baked Bros were all on the previous list, but the other seven brands are new. Shout out to all of these up-and-coming Arizona brands for making their way to the top this round.
Special props to the team at Item 9 Labs for their number one spot. With simple angular branding in black and white, the products may not jump out at consumers at first glance, but one look at their Instagram page will tell you everything you need to know. They’ve got gorgeous nug shots, out-of-this-world space imagery, and educational content all cohesively wrapped up into one account. It’s easy to see why so many weed lovers hit the follow button.
Sunday Goods also made a big first appearance on this list, coming in at second place. We featured this brand last year in 12 Joints that stand out from the pack, and we stand by that. Their branding is laid back and whimsical – with clouds, stars and desert motifs while eye-catching Instagram images showcase the fun experiences that weed can enhance. As I mourn the end of summer, their picture of a vape pen on two melting popsicles made me crave a lazy summer day with weed and sweets. Nicely done.
Congratulations to all of the brands on this list for generating so much buzz. We’ll check back in next year!
Pioneer Intelligence leverages data to benchmark marketing performance of consumer-facing cannabis brands. Built by a group of experienced and passionate marketers and data scientists, Pioneer helps industry stakeholders better understand how communications strategies resonate with audiences. In early 2021, Pioneer launched its first products, a suite of marketing performance scorecards. These reports present actionable data across three focus areas: social media, earned media and web-related activities. More information can be found on the company’s website, https://pioneer.buzz.
Disclaimer: Pioneer currently has more than 680 brands in their active pool with hundreds more in their pipeline. (Pipeline brands require six months of data before being added to the active pool.) Lists of both active and pipeline brands can be found at pioneer.buzz/brands. If you would like to request your brand be tracked by Pioneer, please email [email protected].
