ISA President Jacqueline Rosales Profiled by Cannabis Media Outlet, Ganjapreneur

Rosales’ exclusive interview explores how she spearheaded the field of cannabis consumer research. The interview also showcases her predictions for the future of the industry.

ISA announced today that company president, Jacqueline Rosales, will be featured in an upcoming release by Ganjapreneur, an industry-leading cannabis-focused business publication. The extensive interview will be released June 29 on ganjapreneur.com.

In her interview, Rosales, a 25-year veteran of the insights industry, shares her personal history with medical cannabis and talks about what drives her passion for the industry. “After having a personal experience with the benefits of cannabis after a life-changing car accident, I felt even more passionate about helping brands understand how complex and layered the consumers are in this market. Having that perspective helped our teams deliver those “ah-ha” moments of learning to our clients,” Rosales commented in the interview.

In addition, Rosales touches on ISA’s research tools that have been developed specifically to serve the cannabis industry. Rosales and ISA are widely known for founding The Green Time, the world’s first cannabis consumer research community, providing brands with quick, targeted access to cannabis consumers and business leaders. In 2018, ISA grabbed headlines with the launch of the CANNApinion poll, a bi-monthly online survey of 1,000 cannabis consumers, developed to be a low-barrier-to-entry research product for emerging cannabis brands.

When asked about what advice she would give to other entrepreneurs, Rosales describes the importance of building a team with diverse viewpoints and the role of passionate leadership. “My advice is this: be passionate and believe in what you’re doing. Having a way to display your passion is extremely helpful for leaders,” Rosales said.

Ganjapreneur provides up-to-date insights on the cannabis industry for cannabis entrepreneurs, investors, and thought leaders. Their partnership with ISA began in 2020, when Ganjapreneur published a series of articles about the impact of COVID-19 on cannabis consumption and product preferences, backed by ISA’s data and analysis. Since the launch of their dedicated cannabis division in 2018, ISA has demonstrated their commitment to sharing business intelligence with the cannabis industry. On Monday June 21, at 2 pm PST, ISA’s VP of Demand Adriana Hemans will lead an Arcview mentorship workshop. The interactive 60-minute discussion will feature new research about evolving consumer preferences. On July 27th ISA will bring together a panel of experts to discuss marketing and branding in the cannabis industry, with key takeaways for business leaders.

ISA’s VP of Demand, Adriana Hemans, Will Lead Mentorship Workshop for Cannabis Entrepreneurs

As part of Arcview’s Mentorship Workshop, Hemans will share data and insights about the cannabis industry.

June 16, 2021, Los Angeles, CA — Insights firm ISA announced today that their VP of Demand, Adriana Hemans, will lead a live event titled Define and Align Your Data for Success, presented by Arcview’s Women’s Inclusion Network (WIN). Hemans will lead the interactive workshop and share data and insights developed by ISA’s dedicated cannabis research division. The content is aimed at helping cannabis entrepreneurs grow their businesses by identifying market opportunities and understanding their target audience. The 60-minute program was designed exclusively for WIN members and will take place Monday, June 21, at 2 pm PST and 5 pm EST. Attendees can register here.

 

“I’m thrilled to be involved in Arcview’s mentorship workshop,” Hemans commented.  “The mentoring program goes hand-in-hand with ISA’s interest in empowering women and expanding opportunity in the cannabis industry.  I believe that the openness and flexibility are the strengths of this program.  We feel that this offers participants the chance to develop in a relaxed, yet professional, setting.”

 

During the session, Hemans will share new research about emerging trends shaping the cannabis industry. Attendees will learn how consumer feedback can be harnessed to develop personalized marketing strategies. Additionally, the session will explore how consumer data and analytics can provide directional support for new product development. Hemans will offer a sneak peek of a yet-to-be-released cannabis consumer segmentation study and introduce the audience to the six key consumer personas driving the growth of the cannabis industry. 

 

Adriana Hemans leads ISA’s cannabis research division. Under her direction, ISA emerged as an early leader in cannabis consumer research. Their cannabis-focused product offering includes the CANNApinion Poll, a bi-monthly survey of 1,000 US cannabis consumers developed as a low-barrier-to-entry product for emerging brands. In 2021, ISA launched the first cannabis consumer research panel, The Green Time. ISA is the first insights firm to conduct an in-home usage test with cannabis products containing THC and the first to conduct cannabis consumer research using their proprietary insight community platform, icanmakeitbetter.

 

For more information on the Mentorship Workshop or to register, please click here.

ISA Announces Speaker Lineup for April 29 Edibles Webinar

Industry experts from Undefined Inc, Wana Brands and dreamt will discuss the future of infused edibles

ISA and Vertosa announced today the speaker lineup for their upcoming webinar “Form, Function & Flavor: Edibles for 2021 and Beyond.” Dorian Morris, Founder and CEO of Undefined Inc., Mike Hennesy, Vice President of Innovation at Wana Brands and Carolina Vazquez Mitchell, MS, Chief Science Officer at dreamt will join the live event starting at 2 pm PST on April 29, 2021. This engagement is the second in a series of webinar events stemming from a strategic partnership between ISA and Vertosa, announced in November 2020.

“Our speaker lineup brings together a diverse group of powerful industry leaders, each with their own unique perspective and in-depth knowledge of both the edibles market, and the cannabis industry as a whole,” said Jacqueline Rosales, President of ISA. Jacqueline will moderate the event and lead the conversation about product development in the edibles market and how the products of the future will fit into consumers’ lives. The event is free and open to the public. Attendees can register here.

In 2021, we’ve seen an explosion in new edibles products that address specific needs – sleep, anxiety, creativity, energy, diet support and immune support. Innovative brands are embracing new delivery forms, flavors and functions to meet consumers’ evolving interests.

“With stress at an all-time high, accessibly priced, plant-based solutions are even more important now,” said Dorian Morris, Undefined Beauty Founder and CEO. Morris was recently featured in the Target Takeoff Beauty cohort, in which she discussed her new collection, focused on adaptogenic mushrooms for stressed skin.

MEET THE SPEAKERS
Dorian Morris

Founder and CEO of Undefined Inc. A true champion of inclusivity within wellness, Dorian Morris is a beauty junkie with deep expertise across categories from cosmetics to haircare to skincare to food/wellness. She is the Founder/CEO of Undefined Inc which includes Undefined Beauty, a clean, conscious, inclusive lifestyle brand focused on democratizing wellness and destigmatizing plant magic.

Adriana Hemans

Vice President of Demand at ISA, where she heads up the Cannabis Research Division. She helps cannabis brands build more customer-centric businesses through data and insights. Adriana’s work has been published in numerous industry publications including mg Magazine, Marijuana Venture, and The Cannigma. She has been invited to speak onstage at cannabis events across the country, including NECANN (Northeast Cannabis Business Conference) and the NCIA’s Annual Cannabis Business Conference.

Austin Stevenson

Chief Innovation Officer at cannabis and hemp infusion technology company Vertosa. Austin plays an integral role in the business development of Vertosa, facilitating partnerships with leading brands to produce top quality cannabinoid-infused beverages, topicals, edibles and more. Prior to joining Vertosa, Austin leveraged his bio-tech experience building the regulatory Hemp/CBD testing program for Eurofins – a world leader in food, environment, and product testing services – where he worked with CVS and Walgreens to test and verify the quality of their retail CBD topicals. Austin and the Vertosa team are also committed to community action and industry leadership. He serves as a Member on the City of Oakland’s Cannabis Regulatory Commission, for which he supports the licensing of equity partners and works to break down financial barriers to entering the industry by championing grant funding. He is also an Advisory Board Member on EAZE’s Momentum Program, a business accelerator designed to support and empower underrepresented founders in the licensed cannabis industry, as well as a founding board member of the Cannabis Beverage Association.

Mike Hennesy

Vice President of Innovation at Wana Brands where he oversees their research and development program, new product design, educational training content and growing partnerships with new cannabis technologies. Hennesy led the team in creating Wana’s new Quick line of gummies and tinctures that use innovative encapsulation techniques to increase the bioavailability of cannabinoids that bypass liver metabolism and take effect quickly. He developed Wana’s online interactive training program for budtenders and employees that covers the science of the endocannabinoid system and directed the development of Wana’s vape line, including the line’s unique proprietary terpene blends.

Carolina Vazquez Mitchell, MS

Founder and Chief Science Officer at dreamt. A gifted academic with deep experience in the developing regulatory standards of the cannabis industry. Carolina’s areas of specialty include organic chemistry and biochemistry research, laboratory testing and laboratory practices, quality assurance, and R&D for cannabis products, pharmaceuticals, foods, and beverages. She has more than 10 years’ experience with organic synthesis and extractions and has extracted DNA, RNA, proteins, terpenes, and other pharmacologically active molecules. Carolina is a nationally recognized cannabis scientist, and has been a featured expert in Rolling Stone, HelloGiggles, mg and Forbes, and was named one of Dope Magazine’s “Outstanding Women in Cannabis.”

ABOUT VERTOSA

Vertosa creates industry-leading active ingredients for infused product makers. Their catalog of patented and patent-pending nano-emulsions are carefully designed  for the specific needs of each customer, with pre-suspended aqueous solutions that create incredibly homogeneous and stable products while maximizing bioavailability, clarity, and taste. Vertosa works closely with their lab partners and clients of all sizes throughout the manufacturing process to achieve target potency and successfully bring consistent, reliable, quality infused products to market.  Learn more about Vertosa at vertosa.com.

ABOUT WANA BRANDS

Wana Brands is the No. 1 edibles brand in North America. Wana leads the industry in quality, consistency and potency, providing a range of different options that enable customers to create the specific cannabis experience they want. Wana products offer diverse product forms, four different CBD/THC ratios as well as a variety of different dosages, onset times and duration of effects. The portfolio is designed so products can be used singly or in combination to address specific health, wellness, and recreational needs. Wana products are available in California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Arizona, Oregon, and Oklahoma dispensaries, with Massachusetts among the states imminently coming online. Wana Brands is available internationally in Canada. For more information or to subscribe to Wana’s e-newsletter, visit www.wanabrands.com.

ABOUT UNDEFINED INC

Undefined is clean, conscious, inclusive plant magic. We live at the intersection of wellness meets adaptogens (like beautiful CBD) meets purpose-driven conscious capitalism. My mission is to “undefine” and democratize beauty and destigmatize plant-based solutions through an unapologetic, uncompromising, unfiltered approach. Wellness shouldn’t be illusive or exclusive—let’s democratize it.

Undefined Inc partners with BIPOC founded, female-led, LGBTQ+ suppliers from their manufacturing partners to their creative team.

ABOUT DREAMT

dreamt is an award-winning sleep aid made with cannabis. The science-backed formula is a precise blend of THC, CBD, and other sleep-inducing compounds, such as melatonin, valerian root, and L-theanine. This unique formula was created by dreamt’s founder and Chief Scientific Officer, Carolina Vazquez Mitchell, to treat her insomnia during her chemistry PhD at USC.

dreamt is a female and minority-owned social equity business based in Los Angeles.

SoapBoxSample Will Provide Critical Data for USC-LA County COVID Research Collaboration

LRW’s Access Division, SoapBoxSample will assist USC and Los Angeles County with antibody testing and behavioral surveys of LA residents to gain a deeper understanding of the impact of COVID-19

March 29, 2021, Los Angeles, CA — LRW, a Material company will join forces with the University of Southern California (USC) and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LACDPH) to conduct the Los Angeles Pandemic Surveillance Cohort Study, which is designed to track changes in residents’ health and wellbeing as well as gauge behavioral effects of the pandemic within the region. The complex study of 3,000 county residents will involve multiple touch points – including COVID antibody testing and re-testing at timed intervals, along with surveys to measure residents’ behavioral patterns and test hypotheses significant to public health.

The collaborative project is an early initiative within the Population Health COVID-19 Pandemic Research Center (CPRC), part of the Keck School of Medicine of USC. It brings together multi-disciplinary thought leaders from medical, health and public policy fields of academic research, LA County medical and public health officials and experts in sampling strategies, analysis and research design from LRW’s Access Divison – SoapBoxSample.  Principle investigators of the Los Angeles Pandemic Surveillance Cohort Study include Professor Howard Hu, MD MPH ScD, of the Keck School of Medicine at USC; Professor Neeraj Sood, PhD, of the Price School of Policy at USC; Rani Kotha, JD MPH, of the Price School of Policy at USC; Paul Simon, MD MPH, of the LACDPH, and Will Nichols, MD MPH, of the LACDPH.

“Our partnership with USC and LA County began last year, when SoapBox was brought on as a partner for the first COVID antibody research in LA County. We will continue to provide critical insights as we strive toward restoring normalcy in LA County,” said Jacqueline Rosales, President of LRW’s Access Division. It’s the most challenging yet rewarding work of my 25+ year career in the data insights industry. ISA has been headquartered in Los Angeles for nearly 40 years, and our deep roots in the community make us uniquely suited for this groundbreaking research engagement.”

SoapBoxSample will recruit a representative sample of 3,000 LA County residents, including 2,000 adults and 1,000 children. Participants will be recruited from neighborhoods with high, medium and low population densities. By including a diverse cross-section of the LA community that represents multiple age groups, socioeconomic strata, genders, and the racial and ethnic makeup of the county, this study aims to shed light on the potentially inequitable impact of the pandemic. The overall goal is to generate data on the “true” prevalence of COVID-19 infections, as well as it’s progression over a defined period of time.

Thus far, SoapBoxSample has assisted with COVID-19 antibody testing for over 5,000 California residents. County-wide testing programs in Los Angeles County, Orange County, Riverside County and Stanislaus County have leveraged SoapBoxSample to reach and test representative samples of their populations, empowering health officials to develop public health policies supported by critical data.

“Even as the vaccination campaign proceeds and continuing measures such as masking, social distancing and other guidelines are embraced, it is clear that this pandemic has a long way to go,” said Howard Hu, professor and the Flora L. Thornton Chair of the Department of Preventive Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine. “A rigorous understanding of the pandemic’s ongoing impact will be critical to devising the public health strategies to navigate this current situation and to allow us to return to some form of ‘normalcy’ as quickly and safely as possible.”

Top 5 Reasons Your Company Needs An Employee Insight Community In 2021

Mike Chavarria, Expert In High Touch Research Approaches: Insights Communities, Mobile Research, and Digital Passive Metering

Who could have predicted that a year into the pandemic, we’d still be doing Zoom happy hours with friends, or changing diapers during conference calls (just me?), or even something that seems so normal now like working from home full time? Let’s be real, when this pandemic hit most of us thought “maybe this will last two or three weeks then we’ll get back to normal.” Seems silly to look back on now. What we’ve all done, even the most inflexible of us, is learn to adapt.

Employers are learning to adapt to this new environment too. According to research conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management 7 in 10 employers have struggled to adapt to remote work, and 2 out of 3 employers say maintaining employee morale has been a challenge. This makes all the sense in the world for those of us used to being able to collaborate with our colleagues in real time, whether it’s in a meeting, at the water cooler, or happy hour after work. It’s also the key reason we’re seeing a major increase in our research clients reaching out with interest in building Employee Insight Communities.

Insight Communities are the fastest growing Market Research methodology because they allow brands to gather continual and fast feedback from their core audiences, all while having an ecosystem that encourages community members to interact and engage with each other, kind of like social media. Predominantly we think about Insight Communities as a tool for customer or potential customer research, but there are a number of reasons they’re ideally suited for employers in our post-COVID world. For brands that want to do multiple things at once – gather critical insights about their employees while keeping them engaged, communities can be a time-saving and cost-effective tool.

Without further ado here are five reasons employee communities are blowing up in 2021:

Employee Engagement

With workers spread all over the place it’s super important to find new ways to keep connections with colleagues online. Most people think of Insight Communities simply as a place to do surveys or focus groups, but the interface is perfect for fun and interactive employee engagement activities. In our own ISA Employee Community we’ve had activities like Pet Pageants, Recipe Shares, and an ongoing Coworker of the Week. All of these activities have helped foster relationships and helped our team feel like a team, even though we’re all spread out.

Employee Pulse and Satisfaction Research

Let’s be real, it’s a lot easier to gauge an employee’s happiness in their job when you’re around them in person every day. Things get a bit trickier when you see each other in Zoom meetings here and there. Employee Communities are the perfect way to track employee satisfaction. Our clients have leveraged them to run quarterly satisfaction surveys, and some have even gone so far as to build Morale Diaries where employees check in each week to share how they’re feeling, what’s working, and what challenges they’re facing.

Ideation, Innovation, and Crowdsourcing

One of the biggest pain points for companies in a remote work setting is losing the collaboration that comes from your face-to-face interaction with colleagues. Using the Ideation Session functionality that comes in some Insight Community platforms such as ours (shameless plug) can help foster that same collaboration that might be missing. The crowdsourcing can run the gamut from perks and benefits workers would like to see, to new product and service ideas. Employees can vote on each other’s ideas, follow each other, and provide their own feedback on new ideas in the comments. Major bonus – your employees know your customers wants and needs more than anyone! Why wouldn’t you want to have a pulse on what they’re hearing from your customers?

Employee Recognition

I’m not going to lie, I miss hugs. I also miss pats on the back, and giving pats on the back. I think it’s safe to say I’m not alone. It’s tougher to give shout outs for a job well done in a remote world. Now, I’m not going to say an Employee Community can totally replace the feeling of an in-person shout out, but being recognized by your boss or coworkers in an online environment can feel pretty darn good too. We have clients who leverage the community interface to announce promotions, and in our own ISA Employee Community we built a “Shout Out” page where workers can give each other kudos for whatever they want. Shout outs for the win!

Advisory Boards and Leadership Committees

It’s very unlikely your company party planning committee is still meeting regularly. On the plus side, that leaves extra party planning budget for next year (goodbye pizza party, hello fancy corporate retreat, am I right?). You’ve likely thought about a Customer Advisory Board, or maybe you already have one in place. Employee Advisory Boards can fulfill a similar function. For those committees still meeting an Employee Community is a great way to connect. The built in Live Chat feature allows for real-time discussion among team members, or even Town Halls with leadership.

In this crazy environment it’s more important than ever to listen and keep a pulse on what’s going on with your workforce. Understanding employee satisfaction, crowdsourcing new perks and benefits, and gathering in-depth insights from your most valuable resource, your team, is crucial to a successful organization. Employee Insight Communities leverage the power of your team members engaging with each other while giving you the research tools you need to truly understand what’s going on in the workplace. It’s a win-win for everyone involved.

ISA Group Launches First Ever Cannabis Consumer Research Panel

The Green Time is a cannabis-focused research community, providing feedback to a multitude of cannabis brands

SoapBoxSample, a member of The ISA Group, announced today the launch of their new cannabis-focused research panel – The Green Time. The first of its kind, The Green Time is composed of both cannabis consumers and industry professionals. The community was created to gather open and honest feedback about cannabis products, brands and services. The goal is to fuel brands with data and insights, helping cannabis companies develop a strategic advantage through the deep understanding of their customers and future customers. The U.S. cannabis market is expected to top $40 billion annually by 2025, according to projections published by Forbes magazine.

“We believe in empowering the cannabis community through research. The brands of tomorrow rely on feedback from consumers to improve their products, services and marketing,” said Jacqueline Rosales, President of the ISA Group. “We believe that the new era of cannabis will be driven by data and shaped by the people who use it and love it.”

The Green Time was developed to meet a specific need within the market – quick and targeted access to cannabis consumers. The ISA Group is committed to constantly updating its products and services to meet the evolving needs of the industry. Brands can target consumers based on their preferred delivery form, frequency of consumption, method of obtaining, monthly spend, and other lifestyle considerations. All members of the Green Time are subject to a rigorous screening process, including identity authentication checks and age confirmation (21+) through Imperium’s Veritas and Relevant ID services. In addition, SoapBoxSample applies its own in-house security processes to ensure the highest-quality participants in all research studies.

The ISA Group is committed to moving the cannabis industry forward. Their cannabis research has been featured in Mg Magazine, Marijuana Venture and The Cannigma. Their ongoing research explores a variety of topics, including different types of cannabis gifters (Traditional, Shared-experience, Altruistic) and the effect of COVID-19 on cannabis consumers. In March 2020, a significant portion of cannabis consumers began turning to cannabis products for wellness and emotional health reasons. Among those who reported consuming more cannabis since the COVID-19 outbreak, 60% said they were doing so to relieve stress, 57% to ease anxiety and 34% were consuming to combat cabin fever.

In November of 2020, The ISA Group announced their strategic partnership with Vertosa, a leading hemp and cannabis technology company based in Oakland, CA that provides customized emulsion systems for infused beverages, edibles, cosmetics, and more. The partnership combines ISA’s research on the unique attitudes and experiences of cannabis customers with Vertosa’s experience in bringing cannabis-infused products to the market. They recently partnered on a cannabis webinar titled, “From Concept to Conception,” which featured two female Co-Founders in the cannabis beverage space. During this webinar, the ISA Group shared insights about cannabis beverage consumers and described the biggest hurdles for cannabis beverage makers.

Consumers interested in becoming a member of The Green Time, can find out if they qualify here: www.TheGreenTime.com.

About SoapBoxSample and ISA Group

You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know.

We believe that the new era of cannabis will be driven by data. Brands that deeply understand their customers have a strategic advantage. We connect cannabis brands with the people who matter most – their customers (and future customers). We provide guidance on the best ways to engage your target audience, and how to ask the questions that will support your business objectives. Clients leverage our expertise to develop new products, test marketing and advertising, understand opportunities in emerging markets (such as newly legal states), create detailed profiles of their customers, and stay on top of developing trends.

To learn more, visit www.isacorp.com/specialty/cannabis-research, where you can sign up for our weekly CANNAfact Friday newsletter. Get in touch: hello@isacorp.com.