Viola is leading in the cannabis industry as the first multinational Black-owned cannabis brand, and it has no plans of stopping anytime soon.
Launch Of Viola Vibes System
Building off its momentum from the start of this year of securing $13 million in equity funding, Al Harrington’s company has created the Viola Vibes System — a new way to curate its customers’ experience — according to a press release shared with AfroTech.
Currently, the selection of Viola flower strains/vibes includes Get Up and Go, Good Times, Kick Back, and Lights Out.
Debut Commercial Featuring Guap
To officially kick off its new system, Viola linked up with rapper Guapdad to help narrate its first-ever commercial.
“Viola as a brand is in the culture. They are involved in a lot of cool stuff and I like to do cool stuff. Also, the name Viola is a nod to Al’s grandmother and I’m a sucker for a family origin story,” Guapdad told AfroTech.
He added: “It was great, I feel like Morgan Freeman. I just wanted to know what it would be like to be a character [like] Bruce Almighty…The Viola team was very particular about how they wanted me to sound. I had to make sure I matched the content, but we kept it fun and they let me explore!”
The Mission Behind It All
While Guap pulled viewers in with his signature voice, Viola’s head of brand marketing Najee Tyler is the creative mind behind the visual’s magic.
“We wanted to create a visual that consumers can relate to,” he said. “The goal for our visuals is always to normalize the plant. So with this commercial we wanted to feel like a normal every day community all consuming cannabis but from different walks of life.”
According to the creative, the vision for it first came in late 2020. Nearly two years later, Viola Vibes System is set to further educate its customers from all backgrounds, as well as host experiential events.
“We hope that through this new system we’ve created, people find a purpose and understanding of why they consume cannabis,” Tyler told AfroTech. “As for educating consumers, education is at the core of Viola. We’ve been educating people on the plant and the history of its impact on our culture and community from the beginning and have even partnered to create the Harrington Institute for cannabis education to further that on a scholarly level. Our mission is to educate, empower, and uplift our people, so best believe we’re going to keep it going.”
