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Twister T6 Trimmer: A Cannabis Cultivation Revolution

From smoking and vaping, to beverages, cooking, and health and beauty products, cannabis consumption is rapidly expanding, and it shows little sign of slowing down. In an effort to meet this rising demand, cannabis cultivation products have proliferated in every category of the marketplace, especially here in Canada. While some are newcomers to the industry, companies like Twister – a leader in cannabis trimming machines, and the creator of the highly regarded Twister Trimmer – are pursuing product-expansion strategies – in particular, line extensions.



Debuting in 2017, the Twister T6 was designed to fill a particular niche in the industry. Following the amazing success of the Twister T2 and Twister T4 (machines developed for large licensed producers and small to medium greenhouses, respectively), the Twister T6 is a revolution in home grow automation. Its small footprint and tabletop design lets craft cultivators take their home grow to a level that, previously, would have been considered impossible. But selling a new product to a niche market can be a difficult task, so Twister asked for our help in producing a print and digital campaign to help kick-off the launch of the innovative Twister T6 trimmer.

Following the successful launch of the new TwisterTrimmer.com website, our team had a firm grasp on the Twister brand, its products, and its position in the marketplace. We worked closely with Twister to carefully evaluate not only how the brand would impact this new line extension, but also how this line extension might impact the brand.





New extensions to a well-established product line can satisfy a market need by providing a wide variety of goods under a single corporate brand. They can foster innovation, enhance a brand's value proposition, and even block competitive options. But they can also cannibalize existing sales. Companies will often try to use product line additions as a short-term weapon to seize more ground in a highly competitive marketplace, but this approach can cut both ways. Even a successful extension can damage a company's public image (look at Crystal Pepsi or Apple's "Newton" computer).

Similar concerns accompanied the launch of the Twister T6. Home growers are often very devoted to the hands-on, meticulous art of cultivation, foregoing much of technology and sacrificing speed and efficiency for quality and craft. The Twister T6 was engineered to produce hand-trim quality product, but produced by a brand that seemed focused on the needs of larger, more "corporate" producers. Could home growers be compelled to abandon their scissors and embrace technology from a "corporate" brand? There were also worries about cannibalization. The compact Twister T4 had been released just three years earlier to outstanding success. Would the T6 displace the T4? Finally, how would the T6 impact the Twister brand? Twister's core audience had always been the medium to large greenhouses and licensed producers. Twister would have to be careful to avoid alienating their core audience.

Together, we came up with a plan. ODG would work with the marketing team at Twister to develop the key multi-phase marketing narrative and visual assets, coordinate the marketing release efforts and support Twister's internal sales team, while they would work to educate their dealer network and foster a seamless product launch.

For Phase 1, we crafted a strategic print piece and pre-launch campaign that was rich with teaser videos. Phase 2 included a fully responsive website with product animations that highlighted the Twister T6's key innovations.



The result was a hugely successful product launch, achieving over $1 million in pre-order sales within the first few weeks. The creative campaign helped make the brand more relevant, interesting and top-of-mind with craft producers, and solidified Twister's foothold in a niche but lucrative market.

Twister is a global leader in cannabis cultivation and processing, and the gold standard for single-piece flow trimming equipment. We're proud of our role in helping Twister expand their market, increase their sales, and secure a prominent place for their new T6 trimmer without sacrificing volume or market share.