Ryan Thomas
30
Marketing director
Aeriz
As the marketing director for Aeriz, Ryan Thomas is thankful to the company’s grow team for giving him and his team a direct path to consumers. A path, he describes, that “all comes down to authenticity” and “not forcing a message.”
“We believe in our products, and thanks in no small part to our amazing grow team, we know our products are high quality, honest and sustainable,” Thomas says. “Our branding relies on authentic messaging and trust in our customers to be discerning. Consumers are sharp, and they recognize when something is worth their time.”
Thomas was working in the world of B2B project management before joining Aeriz in 2017. The decision to join the cannabis industry was easy because it gave him an opportunity to combine his passions and strengths into a career.
“I still utilize the management and people skills I sharpened while in B2B project management, but with the added ability to let my creative side shine,” he says.
At Aeriz, Thomas combines his love of art, culture and design into the company’s marketing while helping guide its sustainability efforts.
“When you look at our Instagram photos, you see a product that is as close to the earth as possible, because that’s what we aim for,” he says. “Everything communicates, and good communication is transparent and rooted in emotional understanding.”
Q&A
Could you tell me a little about your career transition from B2B project management into marketing – how did that come about and are there parallels?
I’ve always loved creative work and creative people. The excitement of dreaming up something new and making it happen never gets old. Working in the finance industry in Chicago, my favorite moments were always new product launches and building new client relationships.
When I had the opportunity to join Aeriz back in 2017, it was an easy decision because I knew I could incorporate my love for art, design, and culture into the work. I am grateful for all that I learned in my project management position because there are a lot of parallels that have made me a better marketing manager, including task delegation and keeping an overall eye on the big picture. I still utilize the management and people skills I sharpened while in B2B project management, but with the added ability to let my creative side shine.
What environmental/sustainable changes has Aeriz made since you joined in 2017?
We have and continue to make many changes to achieve our sustainability goals. A few highlights – We’ve worked hard to economize our grow and packaging processes and to make sure that we use as little water as possible. We also implemented a closed-loop nutrient system that keeps us from creating unnecessary waste. We’ve even switched up our Arizona biosecurity suits from one-time use to reusable options.
Our most substantial sustainability investment is our partnership with Pachama, an organization that offsets our carbon footprint with modern forest carbon credits. Our carbon credit investments, spread from Northern California to Brazil to Indonesia, are fully vetted and audited by Pachama’s state of the art monitoring technology.
How do you communicate those changes in your marketing?
People love watching Instagram reels, Youtube videos, and other forms of engaging content that gets right to the heart of our cultivation practices. But we don’t overdo that messaging because we like to let our products speak for themselves, too. You can see it in our branding—everything is clean, close to the earth, and simple. When you look at our Instagram photos, you see a product that is as close to the earth as possible, because that’s what we aim for.
Similarly, where do your personal interests in music, art and design intersect with the branding at Aeriz?
Everything communicates, and good communication is transparent and rooted in emotional understanding. Whether I’m working on a song with my band No Star or building a new campaign or SKU with the team, I am thinking about the same thing – communication. What are we trying to say? How can it be said in the most emotionally resonant, concise way? For better or worse for my own sanity, these are the questions that keep me up at night!
What have you found in Aeriz’s branding/marketing that resonates with consumers?
I think it all comes down to authenticity and that idea of not forcing a message. We believe in our products, and, thanks in no small part to our amazing grow team, we know our products are high quality, honest, and sustainable. Of course we work to convey that message, but sometimes that can be overdone and make consumers feel like they don’t have the power to make their own conclusions. Our branding relies on authentic messaging and trust in our customers to be discerning. Consumers are sharp, and they recognize when something is worth their time.