Every year, 4/20 becomes more than a date, it becomes a cultural moment.
This movement did not start with a marketing campaign, but rather it started with a story.
Back in the early 1970s in San Rafael, California, a group of high school students who called themselves the "Waldos" are credited with coming up with the term "4/20." They had heard rumors of a hidden, unattended cannabis patch and made it their mission to track it down, gathering after school each day at 4:20 p.m. to search for it. Even though they never actually found the crop, the time "4:20" stuck as their personal code for anything involving cannabis.
Today, every year on April 20th, people across the world recognize this holiday as a cultural representation for cannabis. This holiday was not created by a corporation, or launched with a trademark, but instead brought to life by a group of high schoolers with a story.
Their story made its way to one of Grateful Dead's very own, Phil Lesh, as they had a mutual connection. As these ordinary high schoolers began extending their friend circle with Phil Lesh and his friends, the phrase "4:20" began traveling and taking on a life of its own. This did not happen with a big marketing push, but instead organically. A funny story shared with individuals with similar interests and personal connection. 4:20 began spreading from friends groups to fan culture and now across the world.
What makes the phenomenon of 4/20 so special is that it feels human. It brings people together over friendship, mystery, and memories. People can relate to the emotions the story tells, or the connection that celebrating the holiday brings.
Stories create identities, while products only create transactions.
When people hear, "This is what we sell" it does not invoke any emotions in them. Humans are meant to feel connections in their life, feel emotions in their day-to-day life. That's why when a company positions themselves with "This is why this exists" instead, people continue to come back. People want to feel like they are a part of something bigger, that they are participating in relationships, in a brand they really love, in life in general. The group of "Waldos" were not trying to convince anyone of their lifestyle or product, they were just participating in friendship and creating memories. Something personal that they could look back on and hold on to that moment.
Great brands work in the same way 4/20 began. They become a story that people want to be a part of, that they wish they could have been there when it first happened. Ever heard the phrase, "You just had to be there." People want to be there, and a good brand makes people feel like they are.
When brands position themselves with storytelling, your customers stop feeling like customers but instead feel like their inside of something bigger. It can create a shared language, cultural identity, emotional connection, and a community for individuals to represent themselves.
What can you take away from the 4/20 movement?
Storytelling. People don't remember product specifications, they remember stories. They have emotional ties to the why behind your brand. The moments that shaped the brand and the moments people have when they connect with your brand. You don't have to be loud to make a difference, you just have to have a story that people want to be a part of.
Is your brand missing your story? Bogues Group specializes in strategic storytelling to boost brands and even has a focus on the Cannabis industry. That is why Bogues Group has started the Collective Grow Fund. Aimed to educate individuals and help those in the cannabis industry fight challenges with a friend. We understand that the industry is so much more than just cannabis, that it connects individuals with a community just like the story of high schoolers from San Rafael, California. By checking out www.boguesgroup.com/collectivegrow our team has your back when it comes to telling the story of your brand's "why."
Source: PBS NewsHour