Super Bowl LIII will feature Baristas EnrichaRoast CBD Coffee ads at the stadium, marking the first time CBD ads are shown at the Super Bowl.
The special set of ads will run throughout the day in and around the stadium before, during, and after the game promoting national brand Baristas Coffee Company’s CBD coffee.
The ads will also include a special offer to send a 120-character message to Maroon 5, the halftime show headliner, via a digital platform attendees can access on their phones, according to Baristas CEO Barry Henthorn.
It’s difficult getting CBD products in mainstream media, Henthorn said, noting sites like Amazon, Overstock and eBay will only sell products labeled as ‘hemp,’ not ‘CBD.’
Baristas White Coffee, its current bestseller, is sold on Amazon and was already in place to be featured at Super Bowl LIII. Baristas works with ReelTime Media for media placements, but ReelTime would not place the CBD coffee ads, even once the farm bill legalized hemp, Henthorn said.
Instead Baristas partnered with Canna Broadcast Media, which helps promote cannabis brands in mainstream media, and the deal was done an hour after the farm bill was signed, Henthorn said.
EnrichaRoast CBD Coffee debuted at the beginning of January, a collaboration with Flower Power Coffee, a widely popular company based in New York City that promotes “legal, non-mind-altering infusions,” according to its website. Flower Power’s team of “modern day hippies” is led by president and CEO Leighton Knowles, a former chef and passionate CBD advocate. The company partners with nonprofits and values education, even including a coffee brewing guide on its website.
“The more people learn, the more things can change,” Knowles said.
Flower Power Coffee was featured in a video spot in Times Square on New Year’s Eve, part of a campaign with HoneySuckle Magazine that placed cannabis companies in one of the top celebratory spotlights to ring in 2019.
EnrichaRoast CBD Coffee is made with South American beans and is described as sweet with medium acidity and a smooth, pleasant body. CBD is added to the beans after they are roasted.
“The caffeine and CBD in this coffee will get you through your day feeling awake and great,” according to the package.
Baristas has already been featured on NFL Monday Night and Thursday Night football, but not for its CBD coffee. TV ads for the CBD coffee will happen in the future, Henthorn said.
But a CBD product on the major stage of the Super Bowl is a huge win for the cannabis industry. Will a CBD company score a coveted commercial spot for Super Bowl LIV? The times they are a changin’.
