The archive · Advertising · Marketing decision · 2023–2024
Stok'd dodges cannabis ad bans by advertising the shops next door — a D&AD winner
A Canadian cannabis store ran its ads through neighbouring businesses, so each one promoted the shop next door — and, by association, Stok'd.
Stok'd Cannabis
What it had to solve
Canadian cannabis rules and the media platforms' sophisticated filters leave a cannabis retailer little room to advertise itself directly, while numerous other cannabis stores compete for attention. Stok'd needed to stand out without breaking the rules.
How it works
Stok'd is a cannabis retailer in Canada, where advertising rules and the media platforms' sophisticated filters make it hard for a cannabis store to promote itself directly — and where it competes with numerous other cannabis stores for attention.
The 'Next to Stok'd' campaign treated that restriction as the creative structure. Instead of advertising the cannabis shop, it partnered with the businesses physically next door, producing 'legal-ish' ads that dually promoted each neighbouring store and, through association, Stok'd itself.
The geo-targeted, 21+ campaign ran across paid and sponsored posts, pre-rolls, and select evening TSA and radio placements. Because the media was targeted to people near the store, every execution also drove traffic and conversation to the area.
The result was a campaign that helped the neighbouring businesses and Stok'd at once, built on the brand's playful tone to stand out among cannabis stores, and earned a place in the D&AD awards archive.
Why it lands
- Advertising through neighbours sidesteps both the legal restriction and the sophisticated media filters that block cannabis ads.
- Geo-targeted media kept every execution close to the store, so attention and conversation landed where Stok'd could capture them.
- Dual promotion gave neighbouring businesses a reason to participate and made the campaign useful to the whole area, not just the sponsor.
- The playful tone matched the brand and made Stok'd stand out in a category full of lookalike cannabis stores.
What it did
The campaign helped the neighbouring businesses as well as Stok'd, driving traffic and conversation to the area, and it reinforced Stok'd's playful brand, helping the store stand out from the numerous other cannabis retailers. The work is held in the D&AD awards archive, which records no separate audience numbers.
What you can take
When a regulation forbids you from talking about yourself, make the campaign about your neighbours: if the audience already knows what sits next door, every ad for them is also an ad for you.
Since then
In a category where direct advertising is blocked by law and by media filters, 'Next to Stok'd' gave Stok'd a route to promotion that also worked for the shops around it, running as geo-targeted, 21+ paid and sponsored posts, pre-rolls, and select evening TSA and radio placements. The work helped neighbouring businesses and Stok'd alike by driving traffic and conversation to the area, and it reinforced Stok'd's playful identity as the store competed with numerous other cannabis retailers. The D&AD awards archive holds the work under Media and records no separate audience figures.
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