A Cannabis Growers of Canada video has been viewed over 1 million times after being shared on the Videos Worth Watching Facebook Group on Mar. 28.
Cannabis Growers of Canada Executive Director Ian Dawkins said the response to the video, which was posted last year, has been fantastic over the last week since the post went viral.
“There’s tons of voicemails and emails we’ve been getting from people who saw the commercial, and loved it, and now they want to participate and they want to be involved,” said Dawkins. “It just goes to show that the message we’re sending to the general public and to the politicians does resonate with everyday Canadians.”
Over the last several several days, since the video was posted to the Facebook group, traffic to the CGC website has increased over 400 per cent.
Dawkins said the unexpected popularity of the video has given the group the opportunity to fundraise and introduce the public to the CGC.
Jade Maple president Chris Horlacher, whose group created the ad, said the video has resonated with viewers due to their interest in the cannabis industry and the message of the CGC.
“Early on in production, we knew we had to make something that not only communicated to people what the CGC was about, but also make them proud to be in this industry,” said Horlacher. “The CGC is leading the way when it comes to bringing a formerly underground industry in to the light. No other organization is committed to the rights of patients and entrepreneurs in the cannabis industry like they are.”
Jade Maple creative director Redmond Weissenberger helped produce the video and said he couldn’t be more pleased with the public’s reception.
“A few thousand views could have been attributed to curiosity. But 1.2 million views shows us that the people believe in what we’re doing; aesthetically, artistically, and politically,” said Weissenberger. “The video shows how committed we are to this important cause. The attention shows the public’s on our side.”
Dawkins said a surprising result of the video’s popularity was the amount of Canadians called and emailed the group asking how they can get involved.
“Our vision is for an economy of cannabis that creates jobs and keeps this stuff local, and people can really get involved in it and actually have a positive impact in our communities,” Dawkins said. “I believe that’s a message that people are really energized by and that’s something that we can really build off of.”