For all the creativity that has come out of the cannabis industry, marketing hasn’t evolved nearly as fast as the people it’s meant to reach. In studying more than six million regular recreational users, one truth keeps surfacing: today’s consumers aren’t chasing permission or rebellion. They’re looking for reliability, balance, and belonging. And the gap between what they feel and what brands keep saying has become a significant growth problem for the industry.
These insights come from Sooth, a behavioral-intelligence firm that studies how people actually make decisions by drawing on signals from more than six million regular cannabis consumers across the U.S.
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Here are the five most consistent mistakes cannabis marketers continue to make, along with insights on more effective ways to connect with their consumers.
#1. Selling the High Instead of the Why
Across millions of moments, the motivation that shows up most often isn’t escape, but equilibrium. People most often use cannabis to relax, focus, or recover from the stress of their day. Yet most brand stories still talk in extremes, as if everyone is chasing the strongest strain or the wildest ride. When you market cannabis like an adrenaline sport, you miss the consumers who actually make the category grow.
The fix: Shift the focus from product hype to the life enhancements that the product enables. Help people see their potential state of balance and control, because that’s the state they’re paying for.
#2. Talking Premium, Not Proving It
The words “premium,” “craft,” and “organic” appear on nearly every label in the market. However, when we observe how people decide what to buy, those words rarely change their behavior. Consumers want consistency and trust. They are looking for the sense that what’s inside the product is what was promised. Cannabis consumers are treating this like any other wellness purchase where reliability equals quality.
The fix: Proof beats poetry. Replace buzzwords with evidence, such as transparent sourcing, verified testing, and repeatable experience. Quality isn’t what you call it; it’s what people can count on.
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#3. Marketing to a Myth
The “stoner” image may be fading, but the industry still can’t stop referencing it, either ironically or through glossy overcorrection. Too much work is aimed at being “cool enough” for an audience that doesn’t exist. Meanwhile, the real one includes parents, professionals, caregivers, and creators who simply use cannabis as part of an ordinary, productive life.
The fix: Show cannabis as an element of a productive, meaningful, adult existence. The more the work looks like a lifestyle parody, the less real it feels.
#4. Mistaking Wellness for Warmth
Marketers have borrowed the language of wellness, typically defined as balance, calm, and self-care, but there is often a lack of empathy behind it. Much of the category’s creative feels sterile and more clinical than comforting. The people behind those purchases aren’t looking for slogans about serenity; they’re looking for brands that feel human and genuine.
The fix: Speak like someone who understands why people reach for the product in the first place. Choose empathy over aesthetics. If the work feels too slick to be personally relatable, it’s going to miss the mark with today’s advanced cannabis consumers.
#5. Mistaking Attention for Meaning
The cannabis world loves a big moment. Influencer drops. Neon activations. A clever outdoor imagery. But attention alone doesn’t build belief. People may notice the work, but they don’t always trust it. And in a category still fighting for legitimacy, trust is the one currency that scales.
The fix: Stop chasing the hype train. It’s important to be clear, be credible, and meet people where curiosity turns into understanding. In the long run, meaning outlasts momentum every time.
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The through-line in all five mistakes is simple: marketers keep projecting when they should be perceiving. The real opportunity isn’t in shouting louder; it’s in listening harder. People are already telling us what they need from this category: calm, confidence, and connection. The only question is whether the industry is ready to hear them.
*This article was submitted by a guest contributor. The author is solely responsible for the content.