Last week on my blog post, “Removing the Stigma Starts with its Name”, I mentioned how the television channel VICELAND was making strides towards positive marijuana programming. While they do produce some of the best original programming on television geared towards millennials, they potentially have a conflicting branding strategy. That is, of course, unless this is exactly what they are going for. VICELAND has shows like “Weediquette”, which follows Vice correspondent, Krishna Andayolu, as he explores the culture, economics, and scientific aspects of the marijuana industry. Andayolu successfully normalizes the culture of marijuana through his ability to connect on a personal level with the people he interviews. Whether it is the small-business dispensary owner in Colorado or a family living out of an RV in Arizona to receive medical marijuana for their child suffering from Crohn's disease, the real life stories of the impacts of marijuana resonate with the viewer. Not only does this elevate the encouragement from existing supporters, but it also can act as an eye-opening experience for those who viewed marijuana in a negative light prior.
Then, on the other
end of the spectrum, you have “Action
Bronson Watches Ancient Aliens”. Here, rapper Action Bronson combines smoking
marijuana and hash oil with watching History Channel’s “Ancient Aliens”. This
absurdly unique program is not only hilarious, but the epitome of what one
might want to accomplish in a smoking session with a celebrity. It is here,
that this show succeeds. “Ancient Aliens” has already taken the Internet by
storm with the popular Internet memes based upon one of their main characters.
When you overlay the best scenes from “Ancient Aliens” on a green screen behind
a couch supporting Action Bronson and guests smoking marijuana, you will result
with a cult classic. The appeal to this show, however, may be the exact reason
why people are not fully supportive of the marijuana progression in this
country. While the show may be hilarious to teenaged marijuana smokers and fans
of Action Bronson, this laid back programming does not allure the same newcomer
support like “Weediquette” might do.
It is here that one may question the branding
and image strategy of VICELAND. Do they want to appeal to more mature audiences
seeking marijuana programming, or do they want to appeal to the younger
audience who is interested in the marijuana comedy based programming. Some may
argue that by having both of these shows, their message is muddied; for
VICELAND to attempt to move beyond the stigma with their progressive
programming, to only be brought back down to the stigma with others. I
disagree. Their branding is in their sense of community. While it may be a result
of a lack of sponsors, all of the commercials featured on VICELAND are for the
channel itself or one of its shows. This repetition makes it seem like the
casts from the different shows are all intertwined and part of one bigger set.
There are shows available for people who are sitting back and relaxing with
friends and then there are the shows to watch when you want to learn more about
the next massive industry in this country. The real way to make progression is
to expose all sides of the community. VICELAND can normalize the culture by
exposing everyone to all of it. People who are more aware of the nuances of a
new industry and culture can make informed opinions on matters opposed to
operating purely off of precedent and stubborn ideals.
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