Bang Holdings Corp. (OTC:BXNG), a digital media company that provides content and its influencer-based marketing network to the legal cannabis industry, reports today that, in recent days, it has received extensive media coverage which includes a spate of articles on 4/20. “420” is a synonym for marijuana, which makes April 20 the semi-official holiday of the cannabis community.
An excerpt from this April 20, PC Mag article titled, “Meet the Yale Grads Running a Social Ad Start-Up for Legal Weed Brands,” reports, “Right now, the industry is very fragmented; it’s very mom-and-pop,” said Berke. “You’ve got brands in Colorado that aren’t in Washington, Oregon, or California. So how are you going to be able to build a national brand when the major digital players aren’t allowing you to advertise?” See the complete article (here)
The Yale Daily News, April 20, published an article titled, “Alums Market Legal Marijuana.” This feature length article provides insight into Mr. Berke’s personal journey from pro tennis player to Bang Holdings CEO. An excerpt follows: “A tennis player at Yale, Berke said he looked down upon recreational marijuana users during college.”
After a post-graduation injury left him unable to play tennis professionally, however, Berke was offered the opportunity to appear on a reality television show, The Rebel Billionaire — an entrepreneurial competition featuring Virgin Group CEO Richard Branson — while he was in rehabilitation for his injury. While Berke did not win the competition, Berke said Branson introduced him to cannabis, which offered Berke pain relief and eliminated his negative perception of marijuana. Read the entire article (here)
This April 20, Santa Cruz Sentinel article is titled, “It’s 420, Time for Pot-Lovers to Celebrate.” It features Bang Holdings Founder, Chairman and CEO Steve Berke, a highlight of which reports: 420 has also been a particularly good day for Steve Berke, Founder and CEO of Miami Beach-based Bang Holdings. Today they announced the launch of a “first-of-its-kind social media network” that would “allow advertisers to reach their desired market in areas where marijuana has been legalized for medical or recreational use.”
That news sent shares of his company flying high on the Nasdaq, under the symbol BXNG, closing up a blazing 40% this afternoon. See the rest of Mr. Berke’s interview (here)
On April 23, Quartz published an article titled, “Facing Red Tape Online, Marijuana Companies are Inventing a Totally New Breed of Advertising.” One excerpt: “Bang is more subversive. The company was started by Steve Berke, a pot activist and YouTuber known for parody videos such as the one below.”
Bang’s plan is to bypass online ad bans by publicizing brands in posts by affiliated “influencers,” which Berke says have more than 10 million followers. While the ban on pot promotion also applies to product placement and sponsored videos on sites such as YouTube, Berke says Bang has developed ways for the influencers “to tease their fans and use the trust of their audience to re-direct them onto one of our proprietary sites.” The entire article is available (here)
In an April 12 radio interview titled, “Marijuana Advertising,” aired on News Talk WMAY: Bishop On Air, Mr. Berke discusses that with Google, Yahoo and others not accepting ad dollars from cannabis related companies, there is no online advertising network to service the legal cannabis industry. Mr. Berke discusses how Bang Holdings is solving the problem to fill this gap. Listen to the complete interview (here)
On April 21, the Mercury News published an article titled, “It’s 420, Time for California Pot-lovers to Celebrate.” In it, Mr. Berke is quoted, “420 is the national stoner’s holiday and it’s also an important day for our company because we announced we’ll be creating the first advertising network to service the cannabis industry.”
Berke says that if California legalizes pot this fall, “an industry now estimated to be worth $6.7 billion would double overnight.” Read the entire article (here)
Bang Holdings provides the information and links in this news release as a courtesy to its shareholders, partners and friends of the firm for informational purposes only. The Company neither endorses nor refutes the content or opinions the media contain.
About Bang Holdings Corporation
Bang Holdings Corporation (OTCQB:BXNG), through its subsidiary Bang Digital Media, innovates and utilizes new Advertising-Technologies to help cannabis brands connect to cannabis consumers. Through their original content, digital channels, and influencer-based marketing platform, Bang Digital Media enables cannabis brands to bypass a restrictive mainstream advertising system to reach cannabis consumers directly. For more information, please visit our website.
Forward-looking Statements
Certain matters discussed in this press release may contain statements, estimates and projections that involve risks and uncertainties in Bang Holdings Corporation’s business that may cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated by the statements made herein. Such statements, estimates and projections constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Bang Holdings undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. The recipient of this information is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. No representations or warranties are made as to the accuracy of such forward-looking statements or whether any of the projections included herein will be realized.
Investor Contact
Bill Miller, Investor Relations
Phone: 844-565-5665
Email: bmiller@irpartnersinc.com
Lee Molloy, Company Contact
Phone: 786-499-6134
Email: lee@bangholdings.com