Cannabis ads on Spotify (in Illinois)

Chicago-based Cresco Labs, a multi-state U.S. cannabis vendor, is launching a new advertising campaign on audio streaming service Spotify.

The campaign, targeting Illinois consumers, will promote the Sunnyside cannabis dispensary chain, which is obviously owned by Cresco, through 30-second audio ads and digital banners on the Spotify app, according to a press release of the company.

«Audio streaming services represent a major opportunity for brands to reach large audiences in a targeted way, and we're thrilled to be working with Spotify to launch the first-ever cannabis ads for our national retail brand Sunnyside,» said Cory Rothschild, National President of Retail for Cresco Labs.

«Our advertising strategy for Sunnyside relies on a data ecosystem that enables best-in-class targeting and measurement. Spotify's platform will enable our marketing team to target our ads compliantly and cost-effectively to our key customers in Illinois, where we are a leading retail player. This important partnership is not only a step in the normalization of cannabis, but it also highlights the sophistication and quality of the marketing we have in place at Cresco Labs.»

Spotify has over 551 million users and 220 million subscribers worldwide.

«This important partnership is not only a step in the normalization of cannabis, but it also highlights the sophistication and quality of the marketing we have in place at Cresco Labs,» said Cory Rothschild, the company's national president of retail, in the release.

Cresco's decision to advertise on Spotify comes at a time when Meta and Twitter have eased restrictions on cannabis and hemp companies seeking to promote themselves on these platforms.