Copyright Rolling Stone
I think I always learn something at Revelry Festival and this year was no different. When immediately upon walking in, I noticed a new slogan: “Find your people here.” I contemplated this phrase as I moved through the crowds, a palpable sense of community humming in the air. It’s a feeling I think every entrepreneur, especially in the dynamic and often chaotic world of cannabis, seeks to create. But how? How do you transform a transactional relationship into a tribal identity? As I chewed on these thoughts, I happened to get an opportunity to meet and chat with Sebastian Solano and Lukasz Tracz, the founders behind Jeeter. Learning that their roots were deep in the world of curated EDM events, the phrase “find your people” suddenly clicked for me. This epiphany is a paradigm shift for me that I think every leader in this space needs to consider. Before they were building their pre-roll brand, they were building communities. They weren’t just selling tickets; they were selling an identity, an exclusive vibe, a sense of belonging. They had mastered the art of crafting desire and cultivating a loyal following. Their subsequent success, detailed in impressive financial reports, is merely the outcome of a foundational strategy that is as simple as it is radical: they built their company not as a cannabis operator, but as experience architects who happen to sell cannabis. Lesson 1: Engineer an Experience, Not Just a Product Consider the design of a signature product, like a single-serve pre-roll. When the unpacking process is tactile, ritualistic and intentionally designed, it transforms a simple act of consumption into a memorable brand interaction. It’s a small moment of theater that elevates the routine into an occasion. It’s no longer just about what’s inside the package, but the entire journey the consumer takes with your brand. The moment of unboxing and use is a critical, and often neglected, touchpoint. The Leadership Takeaway: As a leader, ask yourself and your team: What is our “unboxing” moment? Your focus must expand from the core product to the entire user journey. In doing so, you create profound emotional equity that transcends the product itself. Remember, your packaging is not a container; it’s a stage for your brand’s personality. Editor’s picks Lesson 2: Cultivate a Community, Not Just a Clientele Many companies pay lip service to “community,” but few build one with the strategic fervor of a live-event promoter. A list of customers is a database; a community is a force multiplier. The founders’ background was their secret weapon here. They didn’t just amass customers; they cultivated a “Hive.” Their social media strategy consciously focuses less on terpene profiles and THC percentages and more on lifestyle, affiliation and belonging. They actively feature user-generated content, celebrate their consumers and make their customers the stars of the show. The Rolling Stone Culture Council is an invitation-only community for Influencers, Innovators and Creatives. Do I qualify? The Leadership Takeaway: In our hyper-connected age, a loyal community is your most valuable and defensible marketing asset. Shift your focus from driving one-time transactions to fostering a lasting sense of identity and belonging. When customers feel like they are part of a movement, they organically become your most powerful brand ambassadors. Lesson 3: Create Spectacle, Don’t Just Occupy Space The modern consumer is bombarded with choices. Traditional advertising often falls on deaf ears. The solution? Create moments so impactful that they demand attention and sharing. Your presence at an industry event isn’t just space. It can be an immersive activation designed to be photographed and shared. It can be a spectacle that powerfully associates the brand with luxury, music and aspiration while also being more likely to generate strong organic reach. Related Content The Leadership Takeaway: Your physical and event-based marketing must be an experience first and a sales opportunity second. Your primary goal should be to create a memorable spectacle that viscerally embodies your brand’s energy and ethos. Be bold and invest in creating moments that are inherently worth sharing. The Final Hit: It’s a Paradigm Shift The ultimate takeaway is that the cannabis industry is maturing, moving beyond a purely product-centric commodity model. The winners will be the leaders who understand that they are not merely selling a strain or a pre-roll. Trending Stories You can sell an identity. A moment of celebration. A sense of belonging to a tribe. This is a clarion call to elevate our ambition. It’s a call to think like visionary promoters, build like empathetic community organizers and design like obsessive experience architects. The future of cannabis belongs to those who possess the vision to build the best hive. The question is, are you ready to find your people?
