Move over 420, This Cannabis Brand Wants Canadians to Celebrate 10.17

While 4.20 is internationally recognised as 'Weed Day', Canadian cannabis brand Tokyo Smoke is celebrating the October 17th legalisation of recreational cannabis in Canada with the launch of the awareness campaign 'Ten Seventeen'.

The centrepiece of the campaign is a 60-second video developed by Toronto-based Common Good with assistance from Tokyo Smoke’s in-house creative team. The vibrant, occasionally surreal video is comprised of more than 35 quick-cut vignettes depicting the various ways Canadians can celebrate the October 17th legalisation of recreational cannabis, giving them their own annual day and time of celebration, October 17th or at 10:17 every day.

The video encourages Canadians to think about how they can make the most of 10.17, either by maximising 10-mins and 17-seconds of their day doing something they enjoy, or spending $10.17 on something special. In doing so, the video cleverly bypasses strict government restrictions around cannabis marketing by expressing the date as a dollar amount ($10.17) and as time (10:17). It uses a similar approach in its visual representations – many of them literal – of common consumption terms including 'blow trees', 'smoke a bowl', 'hotbox', 'spark one' and 'roll one'.

Over a dozen prominent Canadian influencers are featured in the spot, including Tristan Banning and Hawley Dunbar, co-founders of the Toronto-based music/fashion/art/design/lifestyle blog Sidewalk Hustle; art installation expert Trevor Wheatley, and drag queen/fashion icon Tynomi Banks.

The stylised video contains several juxtapositions of low and high culture such as a model wearing a couture dress in a Canadian Legion basement, as well as specific colour palettes for each of the vignettes. There is also a reference to Harmony Korine’s 1997 indie movie Gummo (a shot with a model eating pasta in a bathtub) and other winking references to popular culture. 

The associated website, SpendTenSeventeen.com, features content including trivia questions linked to 10:17, such as 'How long does it take a 150lb person to burn 1017 calories?' and 'Which Canadian team made history on October 17th, 1992?' as well as recipes and a meditation guide. The site also provides information on upcoming Tokyo Smoke events.

The influencers will share the campaign elements through their social channels, while also contributing content to the SpendTenSeventeen.com microsite. The 14 influencers will create content that is either linked to their specific area of expertise, or around what they will be doing on 10.17 – such as who will be their 10.17 'vibe guide', the five essential songs on their 10.17 playlist, and their style inspiration for the day.

The website will eventually feature five playlists, five recipes that can be made in 10 minutes and 17 seconds (for when celebrants get the munchies) and an array of 10.17-related content, including recommendations for a 10.17 movie marathon, a 10 minute, 17 second stretch routine, and ways to burn 1017 calories.

The accompanying media plan is built around online video, digital media, partner events, social media amplification, PR and influencer. The intention, says Josh Lyon, Partner & VP Marketing & Partnerships, Tokyo Smoke, is to insert Tokyo Smoke into the broader conversation around cannabis legalisation.