NSLC
Advertising
Art Director: Kenzie Cameron
Copywriter: Sophie Hebert
Designers: Arin MacNeil, Kenzie Cameron, Talita Caballero Wang
The Brief
NSLC is the province’s leading distributor of cannabis products. There is, however, a grey market of distributors selling cannabis products that lack the thorough regulations required by the NSLC. This could lead to cannabis containing pesticides or heavy metals, inaccurate dosage guides, unwelcoming shopping experiences, or illegal products being sold to customers who may not know better. The goal was to inform Nova Scotians of these potential risks, increasing public safety while positioning NSLC as the responsible cannabis distributor.
A B-side to the problem is that cannabis messaging is largely restricted across advertising media. It was important to strike a balance to create clear, understandable messaging that avoided showing or mentioning cannabis on-the-nose.
The Campaign
Introducing a new campaign, we were able to address our multiple proof points by using visual metaphor. This approach allowed us to talk about cannabis without “talking about cannabis.” By inserting realities in the cannabis market into other relatable situations, we underscored just how questionable these circumstances really are as a customer.
Working with a scrappy budget and timeline, this campaign became an early-adopter of generative AI. Many scenes or subjects found within each piece of creative were generated (in numerous steps) using Adobe Firefly, Midjourney, or Adobe Photoshop’s built-in generative feature.
After launch, this campaign was celebrated organically on Reddit—hitting the front page of /r/Halifax and becoming the top upvoted post of that week. This was considered a big success as NSLC, historically, received mixed reviews locally on this platform.
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The great thing about this was, we got people talking. Not every response was positive, and we did end up taking down some of the executions (baby’s first cease and desist order!) but we opened a dialogue in the community and steered more cannabis users to choose safe, legal cannabis. Campaign led to the NSLC hosting a local producer pop up event, and an 83% increase in sales for NS cannabis producers. Together with our clients, we considered this campaign a success, and are currently in the process of building out the next phase, due to launch Fall 2025.