MATTIO Communications CEO Rosie Mattio is teaming up with former Hawke Media executive Madison Fiore to create MATTIO+FIORE Media based in Los Angeles, CA. The new agency will spearhead PR and marketing campaigns for cannabis companies facing legal and regulatory hurdles in marketing their products through traditional paid media advertising.
MATTIO+FIORE will focus on guiding clients through the complexities of available paid media and performance marketing strategies, the new partners said in a statement.
Cannabis has found wide legal adoption in a majority of U.S. states. But most paid advertising is still inaccessible to businesses. Leading social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Google, LinkedIn and Twitter—marketing vehicles which smaller businesses have come to depend on—forbid most ads for cannabis products as a violation of their policies.
“MATTIO+FIORE’s mission is to eliminate the existing friction points in cannabis marketing by proactively building the infrastructure to execute effective paid media campaigns on mainstream platforms,” MATTIO+FIORE co-founder and CEO Madison Fiore said.
“Paid advertising remains an underutilized tool in cannabis. … MATTIO+FIORE’s services will be essential to brand growth once cannabis e-commerce hits its stride, and I am thrilled to partner with Rosie to push the needle forward within the realm of cannabis marketing.”
Fiore said MATTIO+FIORE Media will focus on growth strategies for clients via media buying, email and SMS marketing, creative campaign development and execution, and managing direct buy listings on third-party platforms such as Weedmaps, Leafly, I Heart Jane and springbig.
As head of growth at Hawke Media, Fiore helped execute million-dollar advertising campaigns on behalf of some of the most successful cannabis and CBD brands in the U.S., including Papa & Barkley, Heavy Hitters, EAZE, Miss Grass, Prima, WYLD, Kadenwood Brands and Parallel.
MATTIO Communications CEO Rosie Mattio has focused her strategic marketing firm on the cannabis lifestyle and emerging markets. With offices in New York, Los Angeles and Toronto, MATTIO prides itself on offering forward-thinking services that meet the evolving needs of cannabis companies, offering end-to-end marketing services, including media and investor relations, content creation, social media, SEO expertise and experiential marketing.