Cookies

CLIENT OVERVIEW

On February 14, 2019, Shawn Richard was approved by the SF Planning Commission to be the first-ever owner of a cannabis dispensary under the Equity Program. On December 21, 2019, "Berner's on Haight" opened in the historic Haight-Ashbury District as a collaboration between Shawn Richard and Gilbert "Berner" Milam, co-founder of one of the strongest brands to come out of the medicinal era - Cookies. 

It was a historic moment at a historic location that helped address many of the issues facing Equity Owners by leveraging Cookies as the operating partner to provide technical assistance, operational expertise, and access to capital.

The complex situation demanded expertise in both Social Equity and cannabis media to shape the story in ways that would benefit both Cookies and the larger push for Equity programs nationwide. QP worked closely with all teams to develop an earned media strategy that conveyed the nuances and importance of the Social Equity program.

PROJECT DELIVERABLES

Comms Strategy & Execution

HIGHLIGHTS

  • First Black-owned Equity store in San Francisco.

  • 65 pieces of positive coverage in national, local, and cannabis trade media.

  • WIRED, SF Chronicle, San Francisco Magazine, Benzinga, High Times, 7x7, SF Weekly, SFist, HotNewHipHop, Thrillist.

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Cookies' loyal social following and popular merch line has allowed them to bypass many traditional marketing channels and expand from humble beginnings to a multi-state cannabis empire. At this point they had developed a playbook for retail store openings, but this opening required more nuance in the messaging.

Working closely with both Shawn and the Cookies team, we conducted a series of workshops to develop a unified strategy and messaging. One key was leaning on Shawn’s personal story of overcoming a life of violence to establish his own community-based organization (Brother's Against Guns) as a way of solidifying his presence in the neighborhood and illustrating the potential for Equity programs to uplift entire communities.

Having established a strategy and messaging, our media training workshops help prepare Shawn and Berner to speak to the community and to the press while we lined up both local and national publications under embargo.

In total, we landed over 65 pieces of positive coverage in national, local, and cannabis trade media that helped establish Cookies’ positive presence at this location and demonstrated the potential power of Equity programs to the country.

COVERAGE

  • Legendary Haight Street Gets a New, Legal King of Weed

    Wired

  • SF Counterculture Capital Haight Street in Line for a Legal Cannabis Dispensary

    SF Chronicle

  • First Black-Owned Cannabis Shop In San Francisco Partners With Berner's Cookies For Haight-Ashbury Launch

    Benzinga

  • Where to Buy Legal Weed in San Francisco

    Thrilllist

  • San Francisco’s First Black-Owned Dispensary to Open This Month

    High Times

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