This month, viewers of several major television networks will see a historic first – a nationwide TV spot that mentions the previously-forbidden word “cannabis.” The ad was created by Hoban Law Group, a Colorado-based law firm that specializes in providing commercial legal advice to both the industrial hemp industry and state-legal canna-businesses.
The 30-second advertisement features the firm's founder, Bob Hoban discussing the legal and business services his firm offers to the cannabis industry. Visually, the ad looks similar to ads for other legal services, and carefully avoids using photos of pot plants or other stoner-friendly imagery.
Hoban explained that the TV networks asked him to ensure that the commercial “‘didn’t hit people over the head with the word ‘marijuana.’ So in the ad we talk about industrial hemp, and the medical and adult use marketplaces,” Hoban said. “They asked us not to flash a lot of marijuana plants, which was fine, that’s not our M.O. anyway.”
Hoban Law Group does not deal directly with cannabis, but provides services specifically catered to cannabis-related businesses. It was this level of seperation that helped convince TV executives that it was safe to air the spot during prime time. The ad first aired on August 21st, and is currently airing eight times a day on CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, Viceland, The Weather Channel, Headline News, and Fox Business through the middle of September.
“As the first ‘cannabusiness’ law firm, we’ve seen firsthand how the industry has significantly evolved in the last nine years,” Hoban said. “We’re excited to once again make waves in the legal side of the cannabis industry, starting a new trend of legal advertising.”
