The Showtime series “Weeds” is about marijuana, which is why it's on pay cable, not basic, and certainly not broadcast television.
Call it edgy comedy about joints.
And from that came an idea to the creative forces at Le Bureau in Stockholm, Sweden, for a campaign targeting media people for the show's third season premiere on TV6, their client.
Their idea: bouquets of hemp, wrapped in tissue paper.
Opened up, the bouquets looked like bouquets of the sort of created with roses, except of course there were no flowers, only the green stalks of the Cannabis plant.
But closed the bouquets looked like giant joints, twisted at both ends and ready to smoke.
Attached were cards that offered media buyers a last-minute deal to advertise on the show.
“Since the show is quite provoking in itself, we felt we should try and keep up,” says Tobias Carlson, art director and copywriter at Le Bureau. “So we thought we’d give them the biggest joint they’ve seen.”
The plants were not of the strain of cannabis from which marijuana is derived but the low-THC variety that's used for industrial purposes.
But the point was made.
The bouquets were sent out right before the third-season premiere of “Weeds,” and while Carlson says it’s a bit too early to measure a boost in ad sales, the initial responses were all positive. The campaign itself also has attracted some buzz on advertising industry web sites and blogs.
