CLIENT:
Glorious
Cannabis
Services:
Campaign Identity
+ Deliverables
Agency: Qonkur Media
YEAR: 2023
My Role: Art Director; Graphic Designer
Collaborators:
Ashley Lupinski - Account Manager
Software Used: Illustrator
Photoshop
Indesign
A State Divided, was a product launch campaign created for Glorious Cannabis Co. Glorious saw untapped potential for success in a ‘rivalry’ product that, like many their products or ideas, was quick to be replicated by competitors the next football season.
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Objective: Launch Glorious Cannabis Co.’s LTO infused pre-rolls by tapping into the U of M vs. MSU rivalry. The campaign needed to stand out quickly in a crowded market and speak directly to their core audience of heavy cannabis smokers and rivalry-obsessed football fans.
Approach: I built the launch around the in-state football rivalry. I went beyond the initial minimal ask to create a cohesive visual and messaging system tailored to heavy cannabis smokers and designed to cut through busy, overwhelming cannabis marketing.
Outcomes: Gave Glorious a clear, rivalry-led story that felt made for heavy, sports-obsessed cannabis consumers; Created an eye-catching, easily shoppable presence that stood out on crowded shelves and spoke directly to men in their twenties and thirties; Established a distinctive rivalry platform that competitors went on to imitate in subsequent seasons.
ThE Concept
A State Divided leans into the U of M vs. MSU rivalry that splits Michigan in two. With “Whose side are you on?”, the campaign lockup turns a familiar question into a clear challenge: pick a team, pick a pre-roll. Historically, U of M vs. Ohio State gets most of the hype, but for many MSU fans this in-state clash hits closer to home.
Rivalry History Explained
When the University of Chicago decided to leave the Big Ten in 1946, there was an opening for MSU to join. Despite publicly voting for this, U-M’s leadership at the time did everything behind the scenes to prevent the vote from even happening. Through the dislike of U-M from other schools in the Big Ten, MSU found their allies (most importantly from University of Minnesota) and finally joined the Big Ten in 1948. Yet, due to U-M’s behind the scenes tactics, they didn’t start playing football in the conference until 1953. As their first season as Big Ten football members, the governor of Michigan presented the Paul Bunyon trophy, to be played for each meeting of the two teams moving forward and given to the winner of the U-M v. MSU game. The winner of that first Big Ten game was MSU, they celebrated on the field with fans, engraved the score on the trophy, and proudly displayed it in their fieldhouse. In fact, that season the Spartans were the winner of the conference and even went on to win the Rose Bowl, a historically important bowl game. The next two years U-M won those rivalry games and by comparison did not engrave the scores of those games and stored the trophy in an equipment closet. The tension has only built since then. In recent years there has been the first night game in the series’ history, some top 10 matchups between them, scouting scandals, viral moments, and unfortunately, a few fights. Most notably, the ‘fight’ where a few Spartan players assaulted a Wolverine player in the tunnel at U-M. This resulting in fines for MSU, suspension of the players’ involved and arrests made. Regardless of how both schools do throughout the season, the University of Michigan vs. Michigan State game is always a must watch.
The Products To be Launched
Icewater Bubblehash Infused Pre-Rolls
Melon State - Michigan State University
Available in two SKUs;
Single 1 gram pre-roll
Three .5 gram pre-rolls
Icewater Bubblehash Infused Pre-Rolls
Go Blueberry - University of Michigan
Available in two SKUs;
Single 1 gram pre-roll
Three .5 gram pre-rolls
Campaign Colors
Campaign Mockups
