PHILADELPHIA, PA — Enradius says it has compiled a location-verified audience of more than 1 million cannabis consumers across Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware, highlighting how marketers are increasingly using geolocation data to reach consumers in industries where direct advertising remains heavily restricted.
The Philadelphia-based geo-targeting company reported capturing more than 800,000 unique mobile devices at cannabis dispensaries on April 20, commonly known as “4/20,” before expanding the audience to more than 1 million verified devices in subsequent weeks.
The audience is being offered to advertisers through Enradius’ Pennsylvania Ad Network and is targeted toward non-cannabis businesses such as food delivery services, rideshare companies, convenience retailers, and entertainment providers.
The strategy reflects a broader shift in digital advertising as marketers seek alternative methods of reaching cannabis consumers without directly promoting cannabis products, which remain subject to advertising restrictions on many major platforms.
According to Enradius, the company geofenced 390 dispensaries across markets including Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, Harrisburg, Pittsburgh, and Salisbury to identify consumers who physically visited licensed cannabis retailers.
Chief Executive Officer Dave Carberry described the audience as difficult for advertisers to access through traditional digital advertising channels.
“These are the most sought-after, hardest-to-reach consumers in advertising,” Carberry said. “We can put a food, rideshare, or convenience brand directly in front of real dispensary visitors — at scale, across three states, without the platform restrictions that block cannabis advertising itself.”
The company cited third-party foot-traffic data showing dispensaries experienced some of their highest visitation levels around April 20, a key retail event for the cannabis industry. Enradius also reported year-over-year visitation growth at several dispensaries within its coverage area.
The audience is built using location data from dispensary visits rather than purchase records, allowing advertisers to target consumers based on observed behavior patterns. Enradius argues the approach enables advertisers to remain compliant because campaigns promote non-cannabis products and services.
The Pennsylvania Ad Network is part of a broader rollout of state-level advertising networks that the company has launched in Maryland, Virginia, New York, Texas, California, Ohio, and Florida.
As legal cannabis markets expand across the United States, marketers and advertising technology firms have increasingly focused on developing alternative audience-targeting tools that can operate within a patchwork of state regulations and platform-specific advertising restrictions.
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