Deschutes Serves Slang to Bring Together Beer & Weed

Oregon is a state where marijuana is legal. This is uncharted territory for advertising and fertile ground to plant a stake in; an opportunity brands might want to be part of. One such brand is Oregon-based brewing company Deschutes Brewery. To advertise their embrace of the Mary-Jane culture, they decided to speak its language.

Companies in states such as Oregon are marketing their products with ads that push the envelope when it comes to weed. Deschutes Brewery with Portland agency Opinionated unveiled a digital-first campaign called “It Comes with the Territory.” It debuted with two spots this past May. One 30-second spot told the story of the brewery’s history in the Pacific NW with a series of images to “Louie, Louie” by the Kingsman.

However, another spot showed a woman in a kitchen, clearly pretending to be a TV show personality reminiscent of Martha Stewart (she just can’t win). In the ad, the woman used numerous slang terms for marijuana in comparing how the drug and Deschutes compliment each other. She wrapped up the spot telling her audience the brew is “the super dank refreshment when you’re not toking the reefer.”

The ads run across Oregon and Washington, two states where weed is legal. Deschutes is the largest brewery to embrace marijuana. It’s uncharted territory, but speaking the language is a good first step.