Aurora Cannabis

Aurora Cannabis

Positioning a Global Cannabis Leader Ahead of Legalization

In the lead-up to cannabis legalization in Canada in October 2018, the industry faced intense public scrutiny and evolving regulations. For companies operating in the space, building credibility and public trust was just as important as growing market share.

 

The Challenge

Aurora Cannabis, a Canadian company and global leader serving both medical and consumer markets, set out to position itself as a progressive and responsible voice in the emerging cannabis sector. Aurora partnered with BlueSky as part of an integrated agency team to help elevate brand awareness, strengthen industry credibility, and contribute to shifting public perceptions of cannabis.

 

The Strategy – What BlueSky Did

BlueSky helped implement a phased communications strategy designed to position Aurora as a leading voice during a pivotal moment for the industry.

The work began with foundational corporate communications, including the development of a brand narrative, messaging playbook, executive media training, and a crisis management framework to support leadership communications in a highly regulated environment.

From there, BlueSky executed a broader communications program that combined media relations, influencer engagement, sponsored content, and a speakers bureau designed to showcase Aurora’s expertise and leadership within the evolving cannabis market.

 

The Results

The campaign significantly increased Aurora’s visibility during the months leading up to legalization:

  • 172 million media impressions generated between July and September 2018
  • 10% increase in share of voice compared to the same period in 2017
  • 1.7 million social media reach through integrated campaign activity

 

The Impact

The campaign helped position Aurora Cannabis as a credible and forward-thinking leader at a defining moment for the cannabis industry. Through strategic communications and media engagement, BlueSky helped strengthen Aurora’s voice in the national conversation around legalization while supporting broader efforts to legitimize the emerging sector.

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Content Development

Effective, creative content is at the core of what we do. From B2B and B2C, our expertise spans article writing and storytelling, editorial planning, key messaging, video production and more. And we help ensure that your content gets seen. We amplify your brand’s story through an integrated, custom content strategy across digital, print, social and broadcast channels. We maximize owned, earned and paid media to amplify your message, making sure it gets in front of the right audience to drive the results you want.

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Corporate Communications

An integral part of any business, your brand reputation and corporate communication sets the tone with the public, your clients, employees and stakeholders – and we make sure you get the tone right. BlueSky helps you understand what matters to your audiences – both external and internal – and develops meaningful programs that resonate. We help clients with crisis and issues management, employee and executive communications, community relations and corporate social responsibility (CSR). Whether it’s a workplace fundraiser event, an annual report, infographics, HR video or speechwriting, we help you share your message with relevant stakeholders.

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Social Media

Social media demands an always on, two-way communication, transparency, and authentic interaction. More importantly, it demands strategy. We’ve managed social communities, developed social media guidelines and created engaging, impactful content, whether a short Instagram caption or long-form executive-published posts on LinkedIn. Through social listening tools and insights, we can make sure you’re talking about what matters most to your audience, and that your online and traditional PR efforts are integrated seamlessly and effectively.

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Our in-depth experience providing integrated government relations, public affairs and strategic communications tailored to your needs helps our clients navigate the public policy process in order to successfully achieve central objectives. We work with you to better position your priorities within the current political landscape to ensure you’re able to gain the ear of key decision-makers and reach your goals.

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Influencer Marketing

When it comes to social influencers it’s not about who has the biggest audience, but about engagement, trust and authentic connection. We leverage valued relationships with nano- to celebrity-level creators, working collaboratively to ensure they deliver quality content that resonates with your target audience and is on-point with your brand messaging. Our winning formula requires a thoughtful approach that combines the right people, the right content and the right distribution to maximize engagement and drive impact at scale. You’ll see the results in our campaign evaluations – supported by numbers that exceed industry average performance.

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Media Relations & Media Training

In an environment that is increasingly pay-to-play, earned media remains the holy grail of coverage for brand credibility. Over the years we’ve developed solid relationships with traditional and online media, and we know the elements of success for securing interest from trusted journalists at top-notch publications. We excel at crafting tailored, compelling stories that help keep your brand top-of-mind across print, broadcast and digital channels. You’ll see the results through our media measurement and reporting and assess your share of voice (SOV) among competitors.

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