Brad Stewart

Articles by Brad All articles by Brad

• Cannabis: 'Biggest' Not A Brand Strategy in Marketing Insider on 04/08/2019
  

  Cannabis companies can learn from the lesson of Pets.com's failures in the dot-com era.

• Beyond The Pipe: Emergence Of Cannabis Edibles Industry in Marketing Insider on 03/07/2019
  

  In a few years, the average consumers of this market are going to resemble consumers for any CPG market.

• Cheech Is 72, Chong, 80 -- So Are Cannabis Users in Marketing Insider on 02/05/2019
  

  Building a successful brand with cannabis will hinge on all the best practices of branding and new product development.

• California Greening  in Marketing: Green on 05/23/2012
  

  Everyone has a strong opinion of California. Too much traffic, too wide economic disparity, too rich real estate, too high on itself, and "too perfect" are some of the divergent opinions on the Golden State. A recent announcement by Toyota gave this Canadian one more reason to be jealous and reverent of California at the same time.

• A Guy Rows Into A Swamp And Says To A Frog ...  in Marketing: Green on 04/25/2012
  

• Invisible Children: Slacktivism or Heroism?  in Marketing: Green on 03/28/2012
  

  As most of you are aware, Invisible Children has changed the landscape of modern digital activism with a video that will do for cause media what Star Wars did for sci-fi. In short, the video is a professionally produced documentary highlighting African rebel warlord Joseph Kony's unconscionable practice of forcing 9 to 12 year olds into a life of violent slavery as child soldiers. The general purpose of the campaign is to raise international awareness of Kony's crimes, with a goal of capturing and trying him by the end of 2012.

• Green Belief in Marketing: Green on 02/22/2012
  

  There is a public water spring near my home in the rolling hills of Qubec. The village of Wakefield, where the spring resides, is the bohemian hub of the region. It's a place where you encounter all sorts of people: hunters, hippies, yuppies, truckers, farmers, dentists, emissaries, hockey players, commuters and grandparents. Advertisements are occasionally posted on the walls of the spring's enclosure: daycare; butter chicken poutine; and - of course -- Save Our Spring (SOS) protest announcements, as the industrialized world extends its tendrils ever closer to the quiet hamlet.

• Want To Be 'Liked' In A Conversation? in Marketing: Green on 01/25/2012
  

  Facebook has become a fascinating barometer of social preference over the years. This is true on both a micro-scale (say, amongst my own friends), and on a larger scale (examining the collective behavior of Facebook users in general).

• Year In Review: Rookie Batter Beats Steve Jobs, Beyonc And Tsunami To Win 2011 Social Media World Series in Marketing: Green on 12/21/2011
  

  A rookie hit the biggest ninth-inning grand slam of her fledgling career, single-handedly beating a team that included: Beyonc; Steve Jobs (making two appearances at bat -- once when retiring, once while expiring); the Japanese earthquake/tsunami/nuclear meltdown; and Ashton Kutcher's unfortunate mis-tweet.

• CCSR: Here's To A Better Tomorrow  in Marketing: Green on 11/23/2011
  

  There are villains in every business sector, but this is particularly disconcerting in organizations that claim to be all about doing good. When I was on the board of directors at a Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) almost 20 years ago, there seemed to be a disproportionate number of womanizers and power-obsessed ladder-climbing politicos within the organization. These vocal and visible personalities overshadowed the important work of a majority of committed individuals, and the supererogatory efforts of some rare superstars. Such type-A activists leave a bad taste about the moral genuineness of purportedly ethical institutions.

Comments by Brad All comments by Brad

• Cannabis: 'Biggest' Not A Brand Strategy by Brad Stewart (Marketing Insider on 04/08/2019)
  

  Thanks Eric. Always great to see (increasing) sophistication come to the industry. I’ll certainly check out your site. Looking forward to sharing insights. 

• Cheech Is 72, Chong, 80 -- So Are Cannabis Users by Brad Stewart (Marketing Insider on 02/05/2019)
  

  Hi Daniel. The article I just read, which you provided, explains that there are places with mentally ill people. In those places, many people have ingested large quantities of cannabis over their lifetimes. The quesiton then is this: did this ingestion cause the mental illness of any of these people. And if so, what are the mechanisms for this correlation? This is where things get challenging. In the USA, it is almost impossible to find out the answers to these important social questions. Since University research is governed by federal statute, researchers must get approval from the DEA in order to perform research on cannabis. The cannabis is then provided by the government, and its handling it strictly controlled and enforced by the DEA. Scientists and researchers like me are against these practices. Because we want answers to the pressing questions of how much cannabis is harmful. Just so you’re adequately versed in where the researchers like me are focused: we do not debate whether cannabis is harmful or not. The first lecture in the first class of Toxicology 101 is “the dose is the poison”. Absolutely everything on this planet is toxic, in varying quantities and exposure levels. So yes please, write to your congressional representative to ask them to remove these insane barriers to public safety. And please, in the meantime, do not accuse the adults in the room of being either giddy or “anti-science”. 

• 7 Myths About Machine Learning by Stacie Caine Bogdan (Marketing Insider on 02/06/2019)
  

  Thank you Stacie. This is excellent. It very much reminds me of similar advice provided to me in the early big data days. Great article. 

• Cheech Is 72, Chong, 80 -- So Are Cannabis Users by Brad Stewart (Marketing Insider on 02/05/2019)
  

  Hi Paula. As far as cannabis based beverages and alcohol go, I think there are some similarities. They are both used for similar purposes by many people: from light analgesic (chill out, helping to relax or sleep) to total inebriation. Both can be laden with sugar and calories (sugar is a flavor masking agent for cannabis). I think the future holds more dissimilarities. Once cannabis food and  beverage formulation advances, there will be lower calorie, lower sugar options, which taste good and offer a consistent effect. Once this holy grail is reached, these products may become a realistic alternative to alcohol, in many circumstances. I’m hoping that this will curb some of the negative societal effects we’ve seen from alcohol over-consumption. But my opinion on its own should be taken with a grain of salt. I’m a cannabis optimist overall, being in the industry. 

• Cheech Is 72, Chong, 80 -- So Are Cannabis Users by Brad Stewart (Marketing Insider on 02/05/2019)
  

  Thanks Robert. I really appreciate the compliment. -Brad

• Get This Crap Off My Phone: We Are Screwing Up The Mobile Experience by Steve Smith (Mobile Insider on 05/26/2015)
  

  I agree. I can't believe the world that it supposed to be filled with creative innovators is resorting to a sort of eyeball-bullying. The mobile experience is starting to feel like a Monty Python sketch. I knock on a door because I'm interested in what's behind it. I'm met with a cold shoe to the groin. Door gets slammed. 

• So Smart It's Stupid by Bob Garfield (Garfield at Large on 03/09/2015)
  

  Super HD article, Bob.

• Havas Chicago Ignores Disastrous Effects of Open Office Space, Spends $10 Million Creating One by Richard Whitman (Mediapsssst on 02/26/2015)
  

  it's more efficient too. Now you can edit a commercial while chit chatting with your colleagues. Fantastic!

• A Top Super Bowl Ad We All Hated by P.J. Bednarski (VidBlog on 01/29/2015)
  

  You nailed it, PJ. That stands out to me still as one of the best SuperBowl ads ever. So well executed, edited and acted. A great piece of art. Sorry Etrade baby.

• That Sweet Smell? It's Boomer Nostalgia by John Textor (Engage:Boomers on 01/20/2015)
  

  Next time someone says YouTube's audience is under 30, ask them what research/experience they are basing this on? We've run a few boomercentric campaigns, whose creative drove majority engagement 55+ with NIL interest in the 21-35 crowd. We're finding over and over that the creative drives the audience on YouTube, without fail. Lots of boomers on there.

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