Alfred Viggiani’s Clear Advantage
When consumer products in the ‘60s needed a shot in the arm, they called Madison Avenue. When a modern cannabis company needs guidance, they text Alfred Viggiani, cannabis marketing guru.
The New York-based founder and creative director of Advantage Marketing Solutions has built a career as the industry’s go-to guy for branding and promotions. From designing packaging to crafting social media strategy to business consulting, Viggiani’s expertise spans nearly every aspect of the industry.
“I try to get my hands physically involved with the projects I take on, which is probably what makes me a better tool. I know the process from beginning to end, from concept to completion. You could sketch something on napkins and hand them to me, and as long as I consulted with you and understand what you’re looking for in your end product, I can make it work,” Viggiani said. “It goes deep. I have a factory and a partner in China. I manufacture. I know the importance of what things need to feel like in your hands. I do market analysis to help you understand what part of the market you want to target. Are you looking at a female market, a male market? Are we adding soft touch to the packaging with raised emboss for touch and feel? The longer I talk with my clients and the more information I get from them, the better results they’re going to have.”
A graduate of the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan and a former employee of advertising juggernauts Saatchi & Saatchi and Calvin Klein, Viggiani radiates New York hustle. He thinks fast, he talks fast, and he seems allergic to bullshit. A quick chat with him feels like walking into an MBA-level course in consumer research at THC University.
I see a lot of money mismanagement, where people will pour a lot of money into one area, and do not diversify enough. Then, if something goes sour, or the FDA happens to step in, it all goes down. I saw that a lot with Delta 8.
When asked about the most common errors that new cannabis ventures make, he answers before the question is finished.
“—Money management! I see a lot of money mismanagement, where people will pour a lot of money into one area and do not diversify enough. Then, if something goes sour or the FDA happens to step in, it all goes down. I saw that a lot with Delta 8,” he said. “I also see a lot of new companies dump a lot of money into their product, but they don’t do research into marketing or get the proper marketing company to help them, so then they put a really good product into a horrible package, and nobody picks it up. That’s a big one.”
A Lot Less Garbage
Over a decade ago, Viggiani’s big city bona fides helped fuel the professionalism of the cannabis industry. Now, his style has become the standard. New entrants must invest in advertising and design to gain traction with consumers, and established brands need near-continuous reinvention to stay competitive against a horde of newbies vying for space.
“There’s been a lot of higher quality products on the market over the last couple of years; a lot less garbage,” Viggiani explains. “Technology has changed a lot in terms of both making the products and the packaging. If you’re trying to jump off the shelf in an over-saturated market, there are a lot of techniques we can do now that weren’t available back in the day. You can print on plastic boxes, you can do foil, you can emboss. Years ago, these packaging options were only available if you had a very large size. Now, you have the tools to really tell the story of who your company is and what you’re trying to do.”
Pop into any smoke shop in this country—and many overseas—and you’ll come across dozens of products that have benefitted from Advantage Marketing Solutions’ help. Viggiani’s hard-charging style has led him to sign some of the biggest players in the game. He’s redesigned packages for Mike Tyson, helped Rick Flair with advertising, and served as an instrumental part of success stories like High Times’ venture into making their own vapes.
The Wild West
Despite his resume, it’s not the fame that drives Viggiani.
“The industry, at this stage of the game, is moving very quickly. You have to move very fast with it. If you don’t, you’re going to get knocked out. That probably is one of the things that keep me here, keeps me in it,” Viggiani says. “I’ve been around marijuana my whole life. My father smoked, my aunts and uncles smoked. I smoked on and off, but it wasn’t taboo growing up. What I really enjoyed was when I worked for Smokers Choice, I got exposed to CBD and CBN and all of those cannabinoids. When I actually saw what it did for the people I know who have Parkinson’s, reducing their shake so they are not embarrassed to go food shopping. That gave me more of a passion and more of a drive to get behind the people in this industry who are doing the right thing with it.”
He’s watched the industry come of age before his eyes, going from a niche sector to just left of mainstream. And while some lament the end of the hippy-led head shop era, Viggiani is taking pains to ensure the future of cannabis is so bright he’ll need shades.
“Right now, it’s the Wild West. I’ve been waiting for there to be a lot more regulations coming down, and they haven’t,” he said. “I think that has a lot to do with the competition amongst the companies. They’re producing better-quality products with a better-quality packaging, which is probably pushing the FDA off somewhat. Five years ago, this wasn’t the case. I mean, then you could make e-liquid in your bathtub and print out boxes in your basement. But now, well, now it’s a different story.”
