The M&C Communications team is fresh from attending the Northern Colorado Hemp Conference. Our team hosted a "Listening Room" where we interviewed thought leaders and business owners across all verticals of CBD and hemp. The responses will be included in a White Paper, which will be published on our website. The open, authentic conversations our team had were as incredible as some of the origin stories we heard.
One question, in particular, opened the eyes of many business owners we spoke with. "Do you have a holding statement?" Our job is to find vulnerabilities in businesses and prepare them in case those weaknesses are exploited, all while working to fill their trust bucket (a well of goodwill established over time with stakeholders through Brand Protection PR™ outreach).
We got more open and honest dialogue following that question than any other, leading us to realize that filling the trust bucket is an industry-wide pain point. But it's a pain point that can be mitigated.
The rest of the survey followed the format of our three pillars of Brand Protection PR™ establishing loyal customers, developing relationships with the media, and building or maintaining a resilient brand.
You can listen to our conversation on the Move the Stairs™ podcast here. Or check out our top three Move the Stairs™ takeaways from our Listening Room conversations below.
Move the Stairs Moment 1: Micro-influencers are key to reaching target audiences
In a world where brands have to be very careful about making claims so as to not draw the ire of the FDA, they also have to be wise to their consumers, who know increasingly more about CBD and hemp and can easily sniff out inauthenticity in advertising.
Move the Stairs Moment 2: So, do you have a holding statement in times of crisis?
We never thought this question would generate as much discussion as it did because let's face it. Who wants to think about the bad stuff? However, the companies we talked to were very receptive to the very real possibility that something beyond the obvious could go wrong and hurt their brand.
Move the Stairs Moment 3: Bad actors are hurting the identity of CBD and hemp
There was a variety of concerns from the companies we spoke with but one pain point in particular, rose to the top: bad actors. In other words, those who move into the cannabis space, do what they want, get shut down and pop up again with a new name.
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