Two established Little Rock marketing and advertising executives have announced the launch of a boutique, full-service advertising and public relations agency for Arkansas’ medical cannabis industry.

Elizabeth Michael and Martin Thoma

Bud Agency, led by principals Elizabeth Michael and Martin Thoma, will work exclusively within the cannabis sector to deliver industry-specific advertising and marketing. Little Rock-based Bud offers creative services, digital design, community relations, government relations and media training among its catalog of services to cannabis related businesses.

“Cannabis businesses in Arkansas and across the country can and should have an advocate in advertising and marketing who understands the marketplace and the political landscape,” said Michael. “With Bud, we will focus our efforts on ensuring our clients stand out from their competition while adapting to an ever-changing regulatory and legal environment.”

Arkansas voters enacted Amendment 98 to the state constitution in 2016, legalizing medical cannabis in the state. The first of 32 medical cannabis dispensaries across the state are scheduled to open this spring.

“The people of Arkansas made the choice to bring medical cannabis to this state to help patients with chronic illness or pain,” said Thoma. “Those of us within the marketing industry understand the positive benefit of medical cannabis to the medical community, patients and to Arkansas’s economy as a whole, but we still have a long way to go to educate and advocate for this important new sector. Bud is glad to fill a marketing and advertising void within the industry, and we’re eager to get to work for our clients.”

Bud Agency’s team of cannabis communications professionals will help businesses cultivate their brand identities through research- and data-driven strategies that produce results.

Over his 30-year marketing communications career, Thoma has represented local, state and national organizations in the tourism, health care, energy, financial services, transportation, retail, hospitality, government, insurance and technology industries. He is the author of Branding Like the Big Boys and is a recognized industry leader in branding, marketing strategy and communication.

Michael has worked with the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Association, the Arkansas Cannabis Industry Association, and number of cannabis companies in Colorado and Arkansas through her decade-long career. She also worked at Arkansas-based advertising agency CJRW, building and leading the social media and content strategy department. A native of Lake Village, Arkansas, Michael helped grow her family’s home décor and furniture company, Paul Michael Company, into a regional brand with five stores in three states.

Visit Bud Agency on the web at budagency.co or email cultivate@budagency.co.

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