Norwood Cannabis Company Gets High Marks For Pot Brownie Media Blitz

NORWOOD, MA - MariMed, a Norwood-based multi-state cannabis operator, announced Tuesday that its "World's Largest Cannabis Brownie" media campaign in December earned two national communications awards for elevating the new brand's profile - and marketing strategy for the cannabis industry - to a worldwide level.

The company launched "Bubby's Baked," its infused baked goods product line in December after an employee suggested baking the 850-pound pot brownie infused with 20,000 mg of THC for National Brownie Day on December 8.

The American Business Awards honored the “World’s Largest Cannabis Brownie” promotion with a 2022 Gold “Stevie” Award for “Communications Campaign of the Year,” which its website called "one of the world's most coveted prizes." This is the 10th anniversary of the Stevie Award, the name of which is derived from the Greek word for "crowned."

The campaign was also a finalist for a Public Relations Society of America “Bronze Anvil” in the “Earned Media Coverage of a Consumer Product” category of its annual awards competition.

“It is an honor for MariMed to be recognized by such prestigious organizations, and it’s especially rewarding because it marks the first time a cannabis brand has been nominated for mainstream public relations awards,” said MariMed Chief Communications Officer Howard Schacter. “Current regulations make it challenging to market cannabis brands in a traditional way. This recognition is affirmation that, despite those challenges, our unique approach to drive awareness and sales of our products is working.”

Press coverage of the campaign generated more than 5 billion consumer impressions. It was featured on "Saturday Night Live," "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" and media in 43 countries - including on Patch.

"We realized that as an organization, we really needed to have some fun," MariMed Chief Product Officer and SVP/Sales Ryan Crandall told Patch in a December interview. "One of our employees said, 'Wouldn't it be cool if we baked the world's largest pot brownie?' Then you could see people's faces light up around the table. People were thrilled and so enthusiastic about it."

A unique table had to be built for the company to support the weight of the brownie. The company's cultivating and processing plant is located in New Bedford, where the brownie was baked.

MariMed's products are currently sold in nearly every dispensary in the state. Its brand distribution extends to five other states and Puerto Rico.

MariMed’s communications agency partner, Trailblaze, supported the “World’s Largest Cannabis Brownie” campaign.