Scaling Gage Cannabis via High-Precision Programmatic Dominance
Result:
ROAS
0
x
New Customer CAC
0
%
increase in high-intent session volume
0
%
lift in conversion rate
0
%
Problem Statement
The cannabis industry presents a “fragmented frontier” where traditional digital channels (Google, Meta) impose heavy restrictions, leading to several critical growth bottlenecks for Gage Cannabis:
Platform Suppression
Inability to leverage mainstream PPC and Social channels due to strict "shadow-banning" and ad rejection policies regarding THC products.
Attribution Gaps
Difficulty in tracking the "O2O" (Online-to-Offline) journey, linking digital ad impressions to actual in-store foot traffic and dispensary sales.
Audience Precision
A reliance on broad-reach media that resulted in high "junk" traffic and low-intent clicks, inflating the blended CAC.
Compliance Complexity
Navigating a patchwork of state-by-state regulations that require surgical precision in geographic targeting to avoid legal non-compliance.
Spokes Solutions
To overcome these barriers, Spokes Digital deployed a sophisticated programmatic engine designed to reach the right consumer at the moment of intent:
We bypassed traditional platform restrictions by utilizing a private marketplace (PMP) of cannabis-friendly publishers (e.g., ESPN, Newsweek, and premium lifestyle sites), allowing Gage to appear where their customers actually spend time.
Implemented precise GPS-based perimeters around Gage dispensary locations and competitor "conquesting" zones. This triggered high-impact mobile ads to users within a 5-mile radius, driving immediate foot traffic.
Instead of targeting "cannabis users" broadly, we built personas around lifestyle data, targeting "Wellness Enthusiasts," "Premium Connoisseurs," and "Daily Tech Professionals", ensuring the creative resonated with Gage’s premium brand positioning.
Deployed a multi-variate testing framework for ad creatives, shifting budget in real-time toward high-performing "Lifestyle" imagery over "Product-only" shots, which led to a marked increase in CTR (Click-Through Rate).
