Green Monké: Driving Beverage Awareness Through Budtender Influence
The Challenge
In a competitive cannabis beverage category, Green Monké needed to do more than generate consumer awareness. The brand needed to build product familiarity and advocacy among the Budtenders and retailers who influence purchase decisions every day.
Working with St. Peter’s Drinks, Tether developed an integrated digital and influencer campaign designed to keep Green Monké visible, educate the trade and put product directly into the hands of influential industry voices.
The Strategy
The April–August 2025 campaign combined content marketing, social media, email, product education, giveaways and targeted Budtender outreach to create multiple touchpoints with the cannabis retail community.
Tether developed the campaign around the idea of “redefining happy hour,” using Green Monké’s products, charitable initiatives and community-building efforts to give the brand a broader story beyond the product itself.
The strategy included social features, newsletter placements, original blog content and an influencer program targeting influential Budtenders with direct-to-door product experiences.
Turning Tether's Audience Into Brand Reach
The digital campaign generated 49,811 impressions across Tether's platforms, leveraging an audience that included 6,100+ Instagram followers, 1,700+ LinkedIn followers, 3,600+ newsletter subscribers and approximately 1,500 monthly website visitors.
More importantly, the campaign generated 816 direct engagements across social content, newsletter links and the campaign blog.
A giveaway became a particularly strong engagement driver, generating 123 thoughtful brand and product testimonials and demonstrating positive sentiment toward Green Monké within the community.
Creating Content With Staying Power
Tether collaborated with St. Peter’s Drinks to develop original editorial content around changing attitudes toward alcohol, positioning Green Monké as an option for consumers looking to redefine their relationship with traditional happy hour.
The content was published on Tether's website and amplified through its owned channels, while campaign creative extended the story across Instagram, LinkedIn and multiple newsletter placements.
Visually, the campaign leaned heavily into Green Monké's colourful packaging and lifestyle positioning. Pages 3 and 4 of the campaign report show the mix of product education, giveaway creative, new-product messaging and real-world retail activation used to keep the campaign varied rather than relying on repetitive product posts.
Turning Budtenders Into Brand Advocates
Sampling was a critical component of the campaign.
Tether activated 20 influential Budtenders through targeted direct mail, putting Green Monké products directly into the hands of people who regularly speak with cannabis consumers.
The program ultimately captured 21 pieces of user-generated content from 12 influential Budtenders and retailers, representing 32,431 potential impressions. Feedback was also collected from 13 recipients, giving Green Monké additional insights that could inform future marketing and product development.
As shown throughout pages 6–9 of the report, the resulting content wasn't highly scripted brand creative. Budtenders photographed, reviewed and incorporated the drinks into their own environments and social content—helping the product appear naturally within the cannabis community.
Building a Retailer Database
The campaign was also designed to create value beyond impressions.
Retailers were encouraged to sign up for Monké Mail, resulting in 28 new sign-ups that Green Monké could use for future initiatives.
That turned a short-term awareness campaign into an opportunity to build an owned audience and continue the relationship with interested members of the retail community.
The Results
Across digital content and influencer activation, the campaign delivered:
49,811 digital impressions
816 direct engagements
32,431 potential influencer impressions
21 pieces of organic UGC
12 Budtenders and retailers creating content
123 thoughtful giveaway testimonials
28 new Monké Mail sign-ups
13 influencer feedback responses
The Takeaway
Cannabis trade marketing works harder when digital awareness and real product experience work together.
For Green Monké and St. Peter’s Drinks, Tether combined its owned media network with targeted Budtender sampling to generate awareness, engagement, authentic content, retailer data and direct product feedback within one integrated campaign.
The program demonstrated the value of going beyond a single sponsored post or sampling drop. By surrounding the industry with multiple, coordinated touchpoints, Green Monké was able to build familiarity with the people who ultimately help consumers decide what to try next.