Lori Rosen, Founder and President of Rosen Group – Interview Series

As the cannabis industry expands beyond expectations, there have been numerous very high-profile and established PR firms with decades of ample experience that have taken on cannabis clients. One such prestigious PR firm that has become increasingly involved in representing many large and growing brands in all sectors of the cannabis industry is the New York City-based Rosen Group. To better understand what goes into representing such notable cannabis clients and the various sectors of a still-nascent industry, mycannabis.com had the pleasure of speaking with Lori Rosen, Founder and President of Rosen Group.

What initially interested you about studying speech and communications, and why did you pick George Washington University?

I had a slight interest in the broad topic of communications, and the major’s focus on speech was appealing to face my weaknesses head on. I was not a great public speaker, so I thought majoring in this would help strengthen those skills. I picked George Washington University in part because my older sister was there and from my parents’ perspective though we only overlapped for a year, it was easier for them to head in the same direction to see us and for us to head back together during school breaks. Back then college choices were based more on practical terms, rather than academic concentrations. Most colleges checked the boxes in terms of undergraduate studies if you wanted to be a doctor, lawyer or accountant. The rest was catch as catch can and make the best of it.

Do you believe that attending such a prestigious university in the nation’s capital, among all cities, provided you with certain educational or professional advantages when working in the communications/PR fields?

One hundred percent yes. Once I got to college I knew immediately that I made the right choice. I fell in love with politics and political issues; started reading the Washington Post; and took advantage of all the internships that were available on Capitol Hill, at industry associations, and ultimately at a public relations agency, which set the stage and gave me an excellent foundation to pursue a career.

Prior to forming the Rosen Group, what positions did you hold in the communications/PR industry, and what were some important lessons you learned during those first formative years?

As mentioned, I interned at a D.C.-based public relations agency while in college and stayed three years after graduation. I first worked in the D.C. office and then moved to New York City when the agency opened an office in Midtown Manhattan. I learned that writing was the most important skill to have to be successful and that it is something that is always being honed and improved. Reading two to three newspapers before the day starts is a great and effective habit. Then you must push the creative button and think outside the box to stand out.

Finally, my first boss was a big proponent of “breaking bread” with a reporter to form long term relationships. All of these lessons are as effective today as they were when I started my career and I try to impart these principles on my colleagues to this day. I also worked with two publishing companies in advertising sales positions. These experiences taught me the fundamentals of selling, which are invaluable today, particularly in the field of public relations. I enjoyed working for magazines; it fueled my passion for journalism.

What in particular inspired you to create the Rosen Group, and who were your first few clients? What industries did you primarily work with in the early years of the company?

I was working in the New York office of the Washington, D.C. firm and an opportunity came up to branch out on my own. I was young and fearless, and decided it was a good time to take the leap. We had one project from Chrysler Corporation for a six-month program to introduce the new Minivan. This window provided enough runway for me to get new clients. We began with a specialty in the automotive industry, representing Range Rover in the Northeast region, One Lap of America, l’art et l’automobile, and the New York Auto Show, among others. Then we morphed into representing media brands including titles from Time Inc., Hearst, Meredith, Reader’s Digest, Inc., PC, Magazine, Hemmings Motor News and Car and Driver and dozens of others. We loved representing the media brands, and the business flourished during that period.

When did the Rosen Group begin to work with cannabis clients, and what interested you about working with cannabis clients? Did you have any initial concerns about working with such a young and still federally illegal industry?

Our foray into cannabis coincided with the year that Colorado became the first legal green state in 2014. In a fortuitous move, a Rosen Group colleague moved to Denver that year, so we set up an office there and quickly built up a cannabis practice. We loved it from the start. Everyone was learning at the same time, tackling all kinds of legal challenges, creating innovative solutions and learning by, in many cases, in a “trial by fire” mode. It was great getting into the industry from the ground floor and working with so many entrepreneurs. I had no concerns that cannabis was not federally legal. I was always a proponent of legalizing cannabis, so this fit into my sensibility.

When it comes to the communications/PR work that the Rosen Group has done with cannabis companies, what have been some of the largest and/or most commonplace issues that you’ve run into? I would imagine Meta and Google’s very anti-cannabis policies would be troublesome, but are there other issues at play as well?

Social media was and continues to be a challenge. You must vigilantly keep abreast of what is allowed and what is not allowed on social media, in terms of messaging, claims and content. In a highly regulated industry, you cannot cut corners so it is important to keep up to date on state and national laws and regulations.

Conversely, what have been some of the most successful or otherwise memorable campaigns and projects that the Rosen Group have done with their cannabis clients?

We have had several successful client campaigns, including the launch of Wana Brands in 2015, which is today one of the OGs in the industry. Another great cannabis client is Azuca, an ingredients provider and brand that infuses its fast-acting technology into over 100 brands. The Azuca leadership team is one of the best and brightest in the business, which makes it particularly gratifying as a client partner. Another stellar client is Jaunty, a leading New York producer and brand specializing in cannabis oil-based products, who has emerged as one of the top cannabis sellers in New York state. Jaunty’s leadership team is equally impressive: savvy, visionaries with an uncanny devotion to quality products.

What have been some of the most important milestones and/or awards in the four decades of operations that the Rosen Group has achieved?

Each decade was different, marked by cultural trends, press “stunts,” and a lot of risk taking. Prior to the internet, there were a lot of old fashioned press conferences, media tours, attention grabbing mailings and late nights in the office. Early on, we got Sting to drive the first Land Rover in the US up a man made mountain to demonstrate its off-road capabilities. We found the world’s strongest man to pull a car in front of the Javits Center to kick off the New York Automobile Show.

We lit up the Empire State Building to celebrate an ivory crush for the International Fund for Animal Welfare to raise awareness for elephants. When we entered the cannabis field we won several awards recognizing our agency for its achievements, including being named one of the “Most Effective PR Firms” by Green Market Report and receiving an Independent Innovation Award. Most recently I was inducted into the PR Hall of Fame, a rewarding honor, however it is not related to retirement anytime soon. I am enjoying the green rush too much.

What would you say are the most monumental ways that you’ve seen both the Rosen Group and the greater communications/PR industry change over the decades? Did the advent of the internet and social media change everything as much as most people would assume?

The advent of the internet and social media were certainly monumental changes that fundamentally altered the way we communicate and created thousands of new touchpoints to reach the respective audiences, whether it be B2B or B2C. Cable television did that too years ago. Generating a placement on one of the big three networks was no longer as impactful as it was two decades ago. Consumer attention is forever fleeting, so we must work smarter to make an impact. However, the core of what we do has not changed: we educate the public on a particular topic or product through earned media. Social media allows us to provide “legs” for media placements, with cross promotion and posts.

How do you envision a federal rescheduling of cannabis changing the projects/work that Rosen Group does with cannabis clients?

We can’t wait! As much success as we have now for our cannabis clients, a federal rescheduling will open the floodgates and do wonders for mainstream acceptance and de-stigmatization of cannabis That said, the journey is the destination, so there’s so much impactful work on the communications and media relations fronts to be done that can go a long way in educating policy makers, financial stakeholders and the general public that cannabis is a legitimate and multi-faceted industry that’s here to stay.

Thank you for joining us, Lori! For more information on Rosen Group, please visit its website.