At the end of 2023, I lost my full time job and decided to go back to the freelance life at least while I searched for something new. I heard from a former colleague at The Hybrid Creative, Brian Applegarth, who has been developing a Northern California cultural attraction called The Cannabis Trail for the past decade or so. Brian is kind of THE Cannabis Travel guy, and The Cannabis Trail tells the story of the cannabis counterculture and the advocates and pioneers who paved the way for legal medical access to the plant in California.
2024 would mark a pivotal year for The Cannabis Trail, because for the first time, three Destination Marketing Organizations along the Trail came together to support a Cooperative Marketing Campaign, which Brian’s consultancy Applegarth Strategies would manage and execute. So Brian brought me on board as Marketing Director for The Cannabis Trail Coop Campaign (and all of his client work / brands) and I could not be more excited to support this exciting and growing niche market serving the cannabis-curious travel audience.

Over the course of the year, we set goals with our destination clients, built a Marketing Plan and put together a Paid Media Mix to amplify The Cannabis Trail. My work managing all aspects of Marketing and Creative for the Coop Campaign included:
- Assisting with the creation and editing of a Press Release, amplified across all owned media channels and partner media channels. This helped us receive almost half a million dollars of Earned Media Value.
- Leading Content Creation and Creative Assets for The Cannabis Trail owned channels: managing the website & blog, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn channels, and designing print pieces like stickers, signage and brochures.
- Helping to manage relationships with Cultural Landmark locations along the Trail including site visits, content capture, email communications, and installation of signs; as well as overseeing communications with Media Partners and Clients.
- Project Management and a Paid Media Strategy that was executed over the course of the campaign, including communications and creation / editing all copy, graphics and photo assets needed for: programmatic advertising, web banner ads, dedicated email campaigns, event activations and other digital campaigns. Managing and allocating the budget, tracking and reporting on data, and executing strategic decisions to maximize ROI.
- Creating interactive gamified passports, travel itineraries, trackable QR codes for all printed materials, event activations and creative video content that connected real-life experiences with the digital space.
- Writing and Editing articles, blog posts, media partner content, social media content, ad copy, and partner and client communications and maintained marketing, event, and team travel calendars and planning.
- Creating Systems and Processes to manage all content planning and marketing for this campaign as well as all of Applegarth Strategies‘ owned brands and client projects.

It’s been a busy year but the results speak for themselves! We have activated our Landmark partners across the Trail, started creating travel infrastructure so the Trail is ready to welcome tourists, and built solid Brand Awareness across a huge audience that spans various segments.
Travel and experiences can broaden our horizons, help us find balance in life and connect us with amazing people. The same can be said of cannabis! Merging these two realms with my work on The Cannabis Trail Coop Campaign has been a rewarding journey. We traveled the Trail, worked hard, laid foundations, and measured the data along the way to support the future growth of The Cannabis Trail and of all cannabis travel experiences around the world.
I’m so proud to continue my work with Brian Applegarth on The Cannabis Trail and far beyond, we’ve been building out more brands, growing partnerships and planting seeds along the way. It’s been a great opportunity to expand my skills, learn and grow, and experience amazing cannabis hospitality in California and around the world, and I am so grateful to everyone we’ve been able to work with.