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You are here: Home / Archives for Jann Wenner

Perception Is Reality Now With Rolling Stone/Curaleaf Licensing Deal

June 8, 2021 by MJ News Network 1 Comment

“What A Long Strange Trip It’s Been!”

By Stu Zakim

The recent press release announcing that Rolling Stone and MSO Curaleaf have formed a licensing deal for a branded Rolling Stone strain, to steal one of the many cliches about rock n roll, for those of us who grew up with the magazine, shows “What A Long Strange Trip It’s Been!”

When Jann Wenner published the first issue in November of 1967, not only did he change journalism, he changed the way that advertisers and subscribers interacted with a publication; to attract early new subscribers, Rolling Stone, embracing their readers love of Cannabis, offered a roach clip as a gift with purchase as Wenner knew his audience better than anyone.

He also knew what he didn’t know and that was how to work with advertisers outside of the music industry, who until then, had comprised the majority of of the magazine’s advertiser base. Lucky for him, as the core reader entered the workforce and started earning serious discretionary income, he brought in the kind of ad sales/marketing pros like Joe Armstrong and Kent Brownridge to break into more lucrative ad categories like cars, fashion, beauty, high end consumer electronics and film and television.

The breakthrough was creating what has become an iconic B2B ad campaign called “Perception/Reality.”  While acknowledging where their readers came from on the Perception side, such as the classic execution with on the perception side was an old VW bus and a very hippyish looking person, the Reality side had them driving a high end foreign import with clever copy lines celebrating the Boomer generation as it aged.  There were many variations of that which targeted key ad categories and played a very vital role in growing the brand.  It’s also in the Advertising Hall of Fame.

At that point in the company’s history, however, the one thing Jann stayed away from was maximizing the value of its name through licensing and merchandising opportunities that would have generated millions for him.  Thinking it would cheapen the integrity and credibility he had built, during my 6 and a half years there, he walked away from opportunities that other publishers would have died for.

Reality took on a different meaning a few years ago when after selling Us Weekly and Men’s Journal to American Media as the publishing world went digital, the writing was also on the wall for Rolling Stone.  Selling to Penske Media and leaving his son Gus to operate it, Rolling Stone started stretching its power; tv productions, the creation of a new revenue stream with the Rolling Stone Culture Council – in full transparency, I’m a member – and now the ultimate tie in with this Curaleaf deal.

Advertisers always loved Rolling Stone branded promotional items, from t-shirts to hats to getting their picture on the cover.  But now, you can bet those ad reps are going to be asked by clients in legal states the definitive premium long associated with the Rolling Stone brand.  Perception has become reality and it’s about time!


Stuart Zakim is a President of Bridge Strategic Communications, MJBA Communications Chief, and member of the Rolling Stone Culture Council.  He is a frequent contributor to MJNews Network.

Filed Under: Blogs, Business, Homepage Tagged With: cannabis industry news, Curaleaf, Jann Wenner, Joe Armstrong, Kent Brownridge, licensing, mainstreaming marijuana, mjnews, MJNews Network, MSO, pop culture is pot culture, Rolling Stone, Rolling Stone Magazine, the business of cannabis, the business of marijuana

Get High, Train Harder

November 18, 2014 by MJ News Network Leave a Comment

Marijuana as a Performance-Enhancer

Four to six times a week, elite triathlete Clifford Drusinsky wakes up at 3 AM to train. But before he sets out, he opts not for a sports drink but for 20 milligrams of THC in a marijuana energy bar. By the time it kicks in, 30 minutes later, he’s started an hour in the pool, a three-hour bike ride, or a 13-mile run. “Marijuana relaxes me and allows me to go into a controlled, meditational place,” says Drusinsky. “When I get high, I train smarter and focus on form.”

Drusinsky’s weed-fueled regimen seems to be working. The 39-year-old athlete took the podium for his age group in nine major triathlons in 2013, including a first-place finish at the South Beach Triathlon in Miami (although he’s careful to note he wasn’t high during any of the races — taking marijuana from one state to another, after all, is still illegal). And with weed now legal in his home state of Colorado, Drusinsky spreads the gospel of marijuana-infused fitness at the Denver gym he owns, F.I.T.S. Conditioning, inviting his two dozen clients to indulge via edibles before guiding them through dynamic stretches and TRX drills. “I work out longer high,” says one client, John Hunt, an entrepreneur. Adds product developer Chad White: “If I take a little bit before heavy training, I am totally dialed in.”

Jocks like Drusinsky who publicly proclaim their cannabis use are rare. (Canadian snowboarder Ross Rebagliati and mixed martial artist Nick Diaz are among the few who have sung the praises of weed as a training tool.) But with a steady creep to legalization shaking off the stigma of marijuana — decriminalization initiatives have passed or are under way in some 20 states — you can expect more athletes to come out of the cannabis closet.

Medical marijuana’s benefits for alleviating pain, decreasing nausea, and improving mood are well known. So it’s not hard to see why those same qualities would appeal to endurance athletes, who must cope with high levels of pain, stress, and boredom during grueling hours-long events. “It may help some athletes get into a zone and put their bodies through very tough physical activity,” says Mark Ware, a McGill University professor and executive director of the Canadian Consortium for the Investigation of Cannabinoids. “It may enable them to focus on those repetitive tasks.”

JUST AS ENDORPHINS HELP YOU PUSH THROUGH AN INTENSE WORKOUT, THESE ENDOCANNABINOIDS COULD INCREASE YOUR PAIN THRESHOLD TO DO THE SAME.

Filed Under: Homepage, Lifestyle Tagged With: changing attitudes, endorphins, Jann Wenner, marijuana and sports, marijuana as performance enhancement, Mens Journal, THC, the business of marijuana

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