If someone had said ten years ago that cannabis brands would one day light up Times Square, you’d have been forgiven for laughing. But by 2022, that’s exactly what was happening. And it wasn’t just any cannabis marketing—it was vibrant, fearless, intersectional, and unapologetically political. Spearheaded by Honeysuckle Media, a bold indie publication known for covering cannabis culture, racial equity, psychedelics, and social justice, the campaign placed cannabisnot only in the center of New York City but squarely in the heart of national consciousness.
This was not traditional marketing. It was storytelling, advocacy, and brand-building wrapped in a light show and projected onto one of the world’s most iconic public canvases. And the strategy behind it deserves to be studied as a blueprint for how to build cultural legitimacy—not just market share—in the cannabis industry.
Owning the Most Visible Real Estate in the World
Times Square is not just a public space. It’s a symbol. It represents America’s commercial engine, its entertainment hub, its media saturation point. It’s where consumer culture meets global visibility. For decades, only the most well-heeled corporations—think Coca-Cola, Samsung, andDisney—have dared to dominate its LED screens.
Enter Honeysuckle.
Starting in 2021 and expanding rapidly in 2022, the media outlet launched a cannabis-forward billboard campaign that was equal parts art, activism, and advertising. Instead of sticking to vague lifestyle imagery, they went all-in on unapologetic storytelling. The billboards featured BIPOC-owned cannabis brands, equity license holders, LGBTQIA+ entrepreneurs, and justice reform advocates. It was raw, real, and defiant.
More importantly, it was visible to over 330,000 people a day—plus millions more via social media. The optics alone shifted perception: if cannabis could belong in Times Square, it could belong anywhere.
Disrupting the Narrative
What made Honeysuckle’s approach so revolutionary wasn’t just its scale—it was the way it deliberately pushed against the sanitized, wellness-lite narrative being pushed by many emerging cannabis companies. While other brands opted for minimalist logos, botanical palettes, andyoga-in-the-desert imagery, Honeysuckle used its platform to reinsert cannabis into its activist roots.
The campaign didn’t shy away from hard topics. Prison reform. Racial injustice. Reparative economic models. It presented cannabis not just as a consumer product, but as a cultural force with consequences.
By amplifying the stories of people historically excluded from the legal industry—especially Black and brown entrepreneurs disproportionately impacted by the War on Drugs—Honeysuckleturned its campaign into a moving mosaic of progress and reclamation. In doing so, it positioned cannabis as not just cool or luxurious—but meaningful.
Brands Behind the Screens
Honeysuckle’s campaign didn’t exist in a vacuum—it uplifted a slew of independent cannabiscompanies that had long been fighting for visibility. Instead of showcasing the usual multistate operators (MSOs), the campaign gave the spotlight to small, often family-run brands that rarely get access to national platforms.
Some of the standouts included:
- Josephine & Billie’s, the first Black woman-owned cannabis speakeasy-style retail space, designed to serve women of color.
- Biko, a luxury cannabis brand founded by women with African heritage, focusing on premium pre-rolls and equity.
- Blaze Responsibly, a platform aimed at education and safe consumption, rooted incommunity advocacy.
These aren’t just niche ventures. They’re reimagining what cannabis culture could be, far beyond stoner stereotypes or luxury minimalism. And Times Square gave them the stage they deserved.
Bypassing the Usual Gatekeepers
What’s important to understand is that cannabis companies are severely limited in how they can legally advertise. Google won’t let them run ads. Instagram routinely deletes cannabis-related content. TV and radio are mostly off-limits. Even billboards are often regulated by local municipalities, particularly near highways or schools.
So how did Honeysuckle do it?
They partnered with digital billboard operators who, while cautious, were willing to allow cannabis-themed media under certain guidelines—especially because Honeysuckle is technically a media outlet, not a product seller. That gave them a layer of protection andplausible deniability. They weren’t advertising cannabis sales; they were spotlighting culture, news, and advocacy.
This gray area became a golden opportunity. While other brands remained paralyzed by compliance fears, Honeysuckle simply outsmarted the system—offering a legally viable way to get cannabis visibility at scale. They used their platform as a megaphone, not just a magazine.
Cultural Legitimacy vs. Consumer Legitimacy
Too many cannabis brands are chasing consumer legitimacy before they’ve earned cultural legitimacy. They try to position themselves as lifestyle accessories—weed as the new rosé—without acknowledging the deep, systemic issues the industry still faces.
Honeysuckle flipped that equation. They built cultural legitimacy first by honoring the plant’s political roots, its diverse users, and its still-ongoing struggle for equitable access. And from there, consumer attention followed.
There’s a lesson in that for every cannabis startup trying to “go mainstream.” It’s not just about retail expansion or influencer campaigns. It’s about building trust through authenticity. It’s about proving that your brand deserves to exist—not just in the market, but in the movement.
The Power of Visibility
What Honeysuckle did in Times Square wasn’t just a stunt—it was a statement. They placed historically marginalized people at the epicenter of American capitalism’s biggest light show. They took a substance still federally illegal and made it look not only normal, but necessary.
Visibility matters. Especially in a world where cannabis legality varies wildly from state to state, and stigma still runs deep in conservative areas. A kid visiting Times Square from Kansas or Mississippi could see a Black queer entrepreneur on a cannabis billboard and feel inspired. A tourist from overseas might go home with a new understanding of what cannabis activism looks like. A lawmaker might rethink outdated assumptions after seeing the sheer diversity on display.
This is how culture shifts—one bold move at a time.
Beyond the Billboard
The Times Square campaign was just the start. Honeysuckle continued building out its cannabis-forward strategy through a mix of longform storytelling, brand partnerships, podcasting, andeditorial features. It partnered with NORML, Women Grow, and a slew of indie brands to create multimedia content that informed, engaged, and activated its audience.
By blending journalism with activism and marketing with meaning, Honeysuckle created a new media model for cannabis—one that isn’t reliant on traditional ad dollars but instead thrives on collaboration and mission alignment.
This is especially important in an industry where trust is hard to earn and easy to lose. Consumers don’t just want cute packaging. They want purpose. They want to know where their money is going. They want to feel part of something larger than a product.
Honeysuckle helped facilitate that connection.
Lessons for the Industry
The cannabis space is crowded—and about to get more so as federal legalization creeps closer. Brands looking to stand out need more than clever packaging or Instagram likes. They need a message. A mission. A reason to exist beyond revenue.
Here’s what Honeysuckle’s campaign teaches us:
- Own the culture, not just the product. Cannabis isn’t just a commodity—it’s a symbol. Brands that treat it like coffee or wine miss the point.
- Use public space as political space. In a regulatory landscape that restricts cannabisads, creative thinking is your best weapon. Public visibility is powerful.
- Don’t sanitize—celebrate. The industry’s diversity isn’t a liability; it’s its greatest strength. Showcase the real people behind the plant.
- Be unapologetically bold. Playing it safe rarely works in cannabis. Brands that take risks—and stand for something—build lasting loyalty.
- Build media, not just marketing. If platforms like Instagram and Google won’t work with you, build your own. Tell stories. Create content. Make noise.
The Future Is Loud
Cannabis isn’t creeping into the mainstream—it’s marching. And Honeysuckle Media’s TimesSquare campaign marked a major milestone in that journey. Not because it sold more pre-rolls or boosted some quarterly ROI—but because it planted a flag in the heart of American capitalism and said, “We’re here. We’re proud. We’re not going back.”
For cannabis brands, it’s a call to action: stop waiting for permission. Start demanding presence. Whether it’s a billboard, a pop-up, or a podcast, claim your space—and use it to uplift the people and principles that built this movement in the first place.
Visibility is power. And in this new cannabis era, the most powerful brands will be the ones that dare to be seen.
