PROGRAMMATIC ADVERTISING
Cannabis Programmatic Advertising (Add-On)
Reach cannabis consumers off-platform — across display, video, native, and connected TV — through cannabis-compliant DSPs that traditional ad networks won’t touch.
Real-time bidding for cannabis-friendly ad inventory across compliant DSPs (Fyllo, Mantis, MediaJel, Surfside) — display banners, pre-roll video, native articles, and CTV. Sparks targets your buyers by zip, behavior, and lookalike audience while staying inside every state's ad rules.
What we run on programmatic
Programmatic is six distinct ad formats running across one bidding system. The right mix depends on whether you’re driving foot traffic, launching a product, or scaling a brand.
Display & Banner
Cannabis-compliant display across DSPs reaching 18,000+ websites and apps. Banner, leaderboard, MPU sizes — geo-targeted to your service area.
Video & Pre-Roll
In-stream video and out-stream native video. Best for brand awareness, product launches, and dispensary openings.
Native & Sponsored
Native ads that match the look of content sites your audience already reads. High completion rate and lower CPM than display.
Connected TV
CTV via Hulu, Roku, Pluto, and Tubi — where cannabis is permitted. Reaches cord-cutters who never see traditional ads.
Geo-Fencing
Build audiences from people who visited competitor dispensaries. Retarget them with your offers for 30 days.
Audience Building
Upload existing customer data to build lookalikes. Retarget website visitors across the open web.
How Sparks runs programmatic
- 1
Strategy & audience build
We map your buyer (zip, age, behavior, lookalikes) and choose the right ad mix — display vs. video vs. CTV — for your goal.
- 2
Cannabis-compliant creative
We design banners, videos, and native that pass cannabis ad reviews on every DSP. No rejected ads, no wasted spend.
- 3
DSP launch & bid management
Campaigns go live across Fyllo, Mantis, MediaJel, Surfside, or whichever DSP fits the market. We optimize bids and budgets daily.
- 4
Weekly performance reporting
You see exactly what worked — by audience, creative, placement, and conversion. We rotate underperformers out.
Why programmatic fits cannabis
Programmatic reaches buyers in moments where Weedmaps and Leafly can't — while they're reading news, watching streaming TV, or scrolling apps. It compounds the rest of your listing strategy by warming up audiences before they ever search you on a marketplace.
Who programmatic works for
Dispensaries scaling beyond their zip
Once your Weedmaps and Google ads are saturated, programmatic expands reach without doubling your platform spend. Best for multi-location operators.
Cannabis brands launching products
Display, video, and CTV build product awareness across the entire state — driving shoppers into dispensaries that carry you. Ideal for product launches, line extensions, and category education.
Operators entering new markets
Pre-warm a market 30–60 days before opening. Programmatic builds geographic awareness before your dispensary ever rings its first sale.
Why Sparks for cannabis programmatic
Programmatic compounds the rest of your cannabis advertising mix. Customers who see your CTV spot in the evening are more likely to click your Google ad the next day, see your Weedmaps featured listing the day after, and walk into your store by the weekend.
Sparks runs programmatic as one layer of comprehensive listing management — coordinated with your marketplace, search, and on-site advertising. Brands working with multiple dispensaries should also see our ecomm advertising service for dispensary-site placements.
Cannabis programmatic — frequently asked questions
What is cannabis programmatic advertising?
Programmatic is automated, real-time bidding for display, video, native, and connected TV ad placements. For cannabis, it runs through compliance-vetted DSPs like Fyllo, Mantis, MediaJel, and Surfside — networks that traditional ad platforms (Google, Meta, TikTok) restrict for cannabis.
Is programmatic advertising legal for cannabis?
Yes — across cannabis-compliant DSPs that vet inventory and creative against each state's regulations. We only run on networks that have already cleared the cannabis policy bar, and every creative goes through a compliance review before launch.
How much does cannabis programmatic cost?
Typical entry budget is $3,000–$5,000/month minimum to generate meaningful reach. CPMs run $3–$8 for display, $15–$30 for video and CTV. Most dispensaries spend $5,000–$15,000/month; brands run $10,000–$50,000+.
What ROI should I expect?
Programmatic is primarily upper-funnel (awareness + retargeting), not direct-response. You should see brand search lift, return-visit lift on your dispensary website, and an uplift in your conversion rates on Weedmaps/Google ads. Direct ROAS measurement requires customer match-back, which we set up at onboarding.
How does programmatic differ from Weedmaps or Google ads?
Weedmaps reaches shoppers who already know they want cannabis and are deciding where to buy. Google reaches shoppers searching specifically. Programmatic reaches everyone else — in their feeds, on streaming TV, on news sites — before they ever search. It builds the brand, the others close the click.
What about geo-fencing for cannabis?
Geo-fencing builds audience profiles from devices that visited specific places (competitor dispensaries, dispensary clusters, events). We can then retarget those devices with display, video, or native ads for 30 days afterward. It's powerful but state-regulated — we'll review what's permissible in your market.
OUR HIGH-TECH DATA
A world-class dashboard, built in.
Every Programmatic dollar — tracked, attributed, ROAS-graded.
Every Sparks Programmatic engagement includes our world-class dashboard — the only cannabis advertising tool that ties Programmatic impressions all the way back to POS-verified revenue. See what Programmatic actually earned this week, live.
See the Dashboard →Ready to reach buyers beyond the marketplace?
We’ll audit your current ad mix and tell you exactly where programmatic should fit for your market and budget. Free, no commitment.