Growing Media Coverage, Celebrity Endorsements Lead to Soaring CBD Popularity

DENVER, May 23, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Growing media attention and celebrity acceptance is fueling rising popularity of CBD.

Wildflower Brands Inc. (OTC:WLDFF) (CSE:SUN) (WLDFF Profile) is one of the companies benefiting most from this attention, with its products featured in Kim Kardashian's baby shower and the new Saks CBD salon. Aurora Cannabis Inc. (NYSE:ACB) is working with the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) and its athletes in clinical studies involving pain management, inflammation, injury, exercise recovery and mental well-being. Green Thumb Industries Inc. (OTC:GTBIF) (CSE:GTII) recently acquired Beboe, a luxury cannabis brand founded in California. With this growing CBD popularity, HEXO Corp. (NYSE:HEXO) announced that it has become the first cannabis company to join Food & Consumer Products of Canada (FCPC), the largest voice of the Canadian food, beverage and consumer products industry. And Aphria Inc. (NYSE:APHA) (TSX:APHA) has been awarded a fifth lot for the cultivation of medical cannabis in Germany as part of the company's previously awarded license from the German Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices.

• Kim Kardashian's CBD-themed baby shower splashed across business wires, tabloids, and social media.
• High-profile appearances and placement are boosting upper-end CBD brands.
• Broad media coverage is normalizing and drawing ever more customers to the sector.

To view an infographic of this editorial, click here.

CBD Whips Up Media Storm

Recent months have seen CBD in the media spotlight more than ever before. The relaxing natural compound, derived from hemp and cannabis plants but without the psychoactive qualities of THC, has been grabbing attention across the internet and in print and broadcast media. What was a fringe interest only a few years ago has now grown into the subject of unceasing mainstream attention.

Some of the coverage comes from news reports and opinion pieces, while the recent legalization of hemp in the United States has sparked interest from virtually every sector of society. With CBD products now on sale in a growing number of shops across a growing number of states, attention has also come from social media influencers, fashionistas and lifestyle writers. Even celebrities and athletes are in on the act, with CBD products appearing in the hands of the rich and famous — a sure signal of widespread popularity in the media age.

Garnering Celebrity Support

One of the brands reaping the benefits from this flurry of media attention is Wildflower Brands Inc. (OTCQB:WLDFF) (CSE:SUN), a premier creator and marketer of plant-based health and wellness products. Headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, Wildflower has rapidly expanded its footprint out of Canada and into the United States as the country has become increasingly hospitable to CBD products. The company is focused on building brands around plant-based products, appealing to those looking for natural way to relieve pain, relax and be healthy.

CBD is an important part of Wildflower's stable of brands. Its Wildflower Wellness brand provides capsules, tinctures, vaporizing liquid and other CBD-infused products, all designed to support relaxation, health and wellness. With its unique combination of high-quality, effective natural products, the brand is designed to appeal to those looking to escape the stresses of modern life and has been embraced by consumers through North America.

Little wonder Wildflower products showed up at Kim Kardashian's recent baby shower. Kardashian and her husband, Kanye West, recently welcomed their fourth child — and second born by surrogate. In preparation for the event, Kardashian threw an extravagant and well-reported baby shower. To help guests relax and prepare to celebrate the "calm before the baby storm," the Keeping Up with The Kardashians star threw a CBD-themed baby shower, featuring a DIY makeup station and a group session sound bath. The event included such tranquil activities as massages, flower arranging and mixing CBD oils to create personalize shower gifts.

As part of the event, Kardashian encouraged her guests to enjoy a relaxing puff of Wildflower's vaporized CBD products. A Wildflower vaporizer was featured in pictures from the party, as celebrities made the most of what CBD has to offer.

This isn't the first time that Wildflower products have found their way into celebrity hands. Wildflower goods were selected for inclusion in the 2019 Four Seasons Hotel Hollywood Swag Bags, given to nominees, presenters and actors staying at the hotel for this year's Oscars. With CBD becoming not just acceptable but fashionable, Wildflower was a natural fit for a hotel wanting to make a good impression on its celebrity guests.

The cachet of CBD as a prestigious, high-profile consumer product has been further reinforced by the creation of a CBD salon within the shop at Saks Fifth Avenue. Directly connecting CBD with other high-end brands and the concept of luxury shopping firmly stakes out CBD's place within the luxury goods market. And once again, Wildflower has garnered high-profile visibility among the products on display.

Media Eyes Up CBD

This move into celebrity culture and the high-end shopping market has come alongside growing media attention for CBD brands.

The arrival in Los Angeles of prominent Long Island beauty boutique Botanica Bazaar gave Vogue reason to cover a range of products including CBD tinctures. For this part of the article, the magazine focused on Wildflower's products. The company's strongest CBD remedies, its tinctures have been designed to counter one of the big problems with cannabinoid products — the sometimes unpleasant taste. Wildflower has tackled this challenge by adding natural flavorings to create a product that's recognized for its flavor as well as its relaxing qualities.

The Vogue piece garnered positive coverage for CBD in general, with Botanica Bazaar's owners talking about how the pain-relieving power of these products had won a growing number of loyal customers. The article also provided even more positive coverage for Wildflower, with the writers noting that "Wildflower's CBD tinctures and vapes not only kill the aesthetics game, but also taste good."

Coverage of broader cannabis culture has brought CBD brands to the attention of a receptive audience. When Vice presented an article on the best female-owned brands in the cannabis sector, the magazine included Wildflower in a section on pain-relieving spa products. A pain-relief product designed to tackle muscle, joint and back pain, the CBD+ Healing Stick was recommended in the article as a useful cure for menstrual pain.

Buzzfeed went so far as to publish an article on why readers should be buying CBD Christmas gifts for everyone, including featured recommendations for products their readers might want to pick. These included a lip butter, truffles and CBD-infused sparkling water, showing the wide range of options now available to the CBD consumer.

Wildflower once again stole the limelight. The company's disposable CBD vaporizer pen proved to be just too good to leave out of the recommendations. All in all, the company has received mention in more than 15 different articles and media pieces, touting Wildflower and singing the praises of their CBD products.

CBD's Growing Press Presence

It seems like hemp and CBD can't help but make news. And other companies besides Wildflower are enjoying the media attention.

Aurora Cannabis Inc. (NYSE:ACB) has begun an exclusive, multiyear, multimillion dollar, global partnership with UFC to advance CBD research. The Edmonton-based cannabis producer said it will work with the fight league's athletes to study the effectiveness of the plant in treating pain management, inflammation, injury, exercise recovery, and mental well-being. "This global partnership places focus squarely on the health and well-being of UFC's talented and highly trained athletes," said Aurora CEO Terry Booth. "The Aurora-UFC research partnership creates a global platform to launch targeted educational and awareness campaigns, while creating numerous opportunities to accelerate our global CBD business."

With its acquisition of Beboe, Green Thumb Industries Inc. (OTC:GTBIF) (CSE:GTII) gains geographic exposure to the California and Colorado markets, as well as a high-end luxury brand to fill out its brand portfolio. Beboe was founded by fashion executive Clement Kwan and celebrity tattoo artist Scott Campbell and has been dubbed the "Hermes of marijuana" by The New York Times. Beboe products, which include rose-gold vaporizer pens, edibles, and CBD-infused drinks, have already earned their way into 125 retail locations in California and Colorado, and the company had already signed a deal with luxury department store Barney's New York to open a luxury store called the High End, which opened on the fifth floor of Barney's flagship Beverly Hills store in late March.

As the first cannabis company to join FCPC, HEXO Corp. (NYSE:HEXO) continues on its journey to bring its brand value, cannabinoid isolation technology, licensed infrastructure and regulatory expertise to established companies. "HEXO is thrilled to be the first cannabis company to join the Food & Consumer Products of Canada, an established and industry leading association in the consumer-packaged goods space," said HEXO co-founder and CEO Sébastien St. Louis. "We look forward to working with FCPC and all their members to forge new relationships and potential partnerships. It is an exciting time to be in the ever-evolving cannabis industry."

Aphria Inc. (NYSE:APHA) (TSX:APHA) was provisionally awarded the fifth cultivation lot in Germany through its subsidiary, Aphria Deutschland GmbH, or Aphria Germany. The lot was secured following a review by a German court, which affirmed the BfArM's decision. Aphria Germany has now won the maximum output from the German tender process — a total of five lots — and is the only licensed producer in Germany with permission to grow all three strains of medical cannabis approved by the BfArM.

As CBD's cultural presence grows, companies with a strong media presence and the attention of celebrities and athletes seem certain to benefit.

For more information about Wildflower Brands, please visit Wildflower Brands Inc. (OTCQB:WLDFF) (CSE:SUN).

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