Best Cannabis Ad Campaigns of 2019

Thanks to varying guidelines across all 50 states, cannabis marketing can be an utter nightmare. As senior editor, T.L. Stanley wrote, "Those byzantine rules mean that 2019 saw a lot of inventive and needle-moving, but little seen, work out there. Creatively, the work has also notably shed stoner slang in favor of wellness and lifestyle messages. Out: Cheech & Chong jokes. In: Appeals to the Chardonnay mom and the “Cali sober” crowd."

See more: Activations and stunning creative rule across the category.

Here's an eye-popping stat: The 10 biggest TV advertisers spent a combined $10 billion this year. The more than 2,000 new advertisers spent a billion bucks. The entrenched brands dipped deep into their pockets to dominate spend, with retail accounting for nearly 15% of spend. Who made up the top 10? Procter & Gamble, Berkshire Hathaway, Amazon, AT&T, T-Mobile and PepsiCo, along with auto brands General Motors, Ford, Hyundai and Toyota.

Read more: We've got more data that breaks down the year in TV advertising.

Next time you show up to your flight two hours early, only to find security lines are five minutes long (I guess that's technically a good problem to have), you might want to set aside that reading list you've been saving on Twitter for a shopping trip. Airports are increasingly expanding their brick-and-mortar offerings because they know passengers have plenty of dwell time to check out retailers' offerings. One estimate puts the sale of luxury goods in airports at $19.4 billion in 2019, an 11% year-over-year growth.

Read more: Experts explain why retailers' next move should be to open an airport location.

Let's knock the obvious trend out of the way immediately: mergers and acquisitions will continue to happen in the DTC world. Analysts made a number of other predictions, including how seed rounds will change, sustainability as a business model will continue to grow and founders-as-eternal-CEOs will fall out of favor (thanks Away and ThirdLove).

Read more: How DTC brands market themselves will continue to evolve as well.

Best of the Rest: Today's Top News and Insights:

Lena Waithe voices the spot's tagline.

In an ever-shifting brand landscape innovation, agility and consumer insights can make or break a brand’s success. Gain insights from the world’s most disruptive and legendary brands who are succeeding in the competitive brand landscape at Adweek’s second-annual Challenger Brands Summit, a Brandweek event, Mar. 4-5 in NYC. Don’t wait, ticket prices increase on 12/17 – secure your spot today.

Adweek talked with a lot of impressive people this year on its Inside the Brand podcasts. And as we look back on the year, we drew some of the most insightful, practical pieces of advice from conversations with 30 different women who are pushing the boundaries in the field.

Deirdre Findlay, CMO of Conde Nast

Be purposeful about the roles and projects you seek, to set yourself up for future success. On my path to CMO, I considered the skills I would need to secure that role, and went after them.

Jen Wong, COO of Reddit

I am seeing a lot more next-generation leaders and managers proactively manage their careers and ask for clarity and feedback on how to progress. … Careers are long – and you want to be set up for success.

Lara Hood Balazs, CMO of Intuit

Raise your hand for high-risk assignments. If you’re brave enough to take on a role or project that others have passed on, it could result in the opportunity to make an immediate and lasting impact. And you gain confidence and visibility in the meantime.

Piplsay found that 57% of survey respondents hadn’t heard of it, while just 9% were using it

Including Home Depot, Pepsi and Gillette.

Retail sales grew 3.4%, according to Mastercard.

Ad engagements rose 18% in December 2018 versus February through October.