San Francisco, CA--Twitter has updated its advertising policies for US cannabis companies, now permitting them to feature their packaged products in ads just under three months after allowing them to become paying customers for the first time. Previously, these companies could only advertise their businesses and link to external websites without displaying the products they sold.
[Image via Creative Commons]
In addition to featuring products, Twitter has broadened the range of states where advertisers can target consumers for medical and recreational cannabis. The policy changes reflect Twitter's recent sales strategy of collaborating closely with cannabis firms, despite some complaints about the lengthy, stringent, and occasionally unclear ad-buying process.
According to The Wall Street Journal, in February, Twitter became the first mainstream social media company to allow select US cannabis companies to purchase ads. However, these businesses encountered challenges, as they were permitted to buy ads but not explicitly promote the sale of cannabis products. This issue was particularly problematic for cannabis marketers, who often operate on tight budgets and prioritize product marketing over brand marketing.
In response to requests from cannabis executives, Twitter updated its ad policy, aiming to support the industry better. While some digital advertising brokers and media companies accept cannabis companies as clients, others, such as Meta Platforms Inc. and Alphabet Inc.'s Google, still prohibit the advertisement of most cannabis products. However, in January, Google relaxed its policy to allow ads for some CBD products.
Learn the full release from WSJ here.