Pubdate: Thu, 5 Nov 2009
Source: New York Times (NY)
Page: B4
Copyright: 2009 The New York Times Company
Contact:  http://www.nytimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/298
Author: Andrew Adam Newman
Graphic: A new print ad for the Hapa Sushi restaurant chain shows its 
locations among a growing number of medical marijuana stores. 
http://www.mapinc.org/images/marijuanadispensaries.jpg
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topic/dispensaries
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?253 (Cannabis - Medicinal - United States)

USING MARIJUANA STORES TO MARKET FOOD

AFTER Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. announced in March that he 
would end the Bush administration practice of frequently raiding 
medical marijuana dispensaries, the dispensaries have been growing, 
appropriately enough, like weeds.

Among the 14 states with medical marijuana laws, Colorado has 
experienced particularly brisk growth in the stores. From fewer than 
two dozen dispensaries in the state in January, there are now more 
than 60 just in Denver and nearby Boulder, and more than 10,000 
registered medical marijuana patients statewide, according to reports 
in Westword, a Denver alternative weekly.

When Westword announced recently that it would hire a registered 
patient to write reviews of the dispensaries (for a column called 
"Mile Highs and Lows"), it received 400 applications, according to 
Patricia Calhoun, its editor. And dispensary owners -- called 
ganjapreneurs in a recent headline in the weekly -- are placing ads, 
accounting for nearly seven pages of advertising in a recent 92-page issue.

Now a business that has nothing to do with cannabis is aiming its ads 
at medical marijuana patients. A new print ad -- by TDA Advertising 
and Design of Boulder -- for Hapa Sushi, a restaurant chain based in 
Boulder, features a map of Denver and Boulder with 63 dots. Four dots 
are red, representing the four Hapa locations, and the remaining 59 
are blue, representing medical marijuana dispensaries, some of which, 
it turns out, are just a stone's throw from the restaurants. The ad 
was to appear Thursday in the Denver/Boulder edition of The Onion and 
in Westword later in the month.

"We're just kind of saying, 'Look, these dispensaries exist and 
they're becoming part of our community, so let's welcome them in and 
have some fun,'" said Mark Van Grack, owner of Hapa Sushi, a 
privately held, 10-year-old chain. "If you're going to smoke pot, 
you're going to get the munchies, so come to Hapa to eat."

As in most Hapa advertising over the years, something is 
conspicuously absent from these ads: food.

"Most restaurants show food, but then you're just one of a hundred," 
Mr. Van Grack said. "We think that our clientele appreciates smart 
ads that grab their attention. By creating ads that people want to 
talk about, that are creative and maybe controversial, then at least 
they are talking about our ads and Hapa is top of mind."

Jonathan Schoenberg, the creative director at TDA, said of the Hapa 
ads, "We try to keep these guys in a culturally significant place."

In 2007, when Barry Bonds hit his 755th home run to tie Hank Aaron's 
record (which Bonds soon broke), the agency created a Hapa print ad 
that alluded to allegations of steroid use by Bonds.

"Congratulations Hank Aaron on 755 home runs," the ad declared. 
Smaller print below added, "Organic beef and chicken, no added 
steroids." An Associated Press wire story about the ad was reprinted 
in publications throughout the country, and some readers were not amused.

"I had some guy from San Francisco call me every day for a week 
because he was offended by the ad," said Mr. Schoenberg. "But he 
lived in San Francisco, so we didn't care."

Mr. Van Grack, Hapa's owner, recently came up with a marketing stunt 
on his own, with no help from his agency.

Last month, Boulder's police chief, Mark Beckner, announced a 
crackdown on a 10-year-old tradition, the Naked Pumpkin Run, in which 
as many as 100 runners wearing only footwear and pumpkins over their 
heads streak through the city. The chief said participants would be 
arrested and charged as sex offenders, a threat that had teeth 
because a dozen runners were arrested last year.

In response, Mr. Van Grack had about 100 pairs of orange briefs and 
thongs printed with the Hapa logo and the words "Run Responsibly." 
Restaurant representatives stationed along the streaking route on 
Halloween night planned to distribute them.

Only three runners took part, however, and they had already heeded 
the police and wore skimpy bottoms.

But while the runners were not exposed, the restaurant got plenty of 
exposure. The Wall Street Journal mentioned Hapa Sushi in a 
front-page article about the Naked Pumpkin Run hubbub. The restaurant 
also was named on Web sites including The Huffington Post, not to 
mention local television and print coverage.

"We salute Hapa owner Mark Van Grack, who clearly knows when to serve 
things raw -- and when to take cover," Ms. Calhoun, the newspaper 
editor, wrote in a blog post on Westword.com. 
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake