Rootsuit.

A real product differentiator consumers couldn't see.

J.R. Strain grew cannabis using aeroponics: plants cultivated without soil. That was a problem. Almost no one knew what aeroponics was. No one was asking for it. The brand had no presence in Ontario. The product advantage was structural and invisible.

Cannabis consumers are brand-skeptical, THC-focused, and hard to reach in a crowded, heavily regulated market where mascots aren't allowed.

Aeroponics produces a unique root structure. Dense, white, exposed.

A full-body root sculpture, something close to a mascot without technically being one, would stand out on a shelf and spark curiosity where technical copy would slide off.

"We're your guy with the roots to prove it."

We used Runway ML and Midjourney to explore how aeroponic root structures could take a human-sized form. AI outputs guided the costume designers to build the final Rootsuit. The roots positioning carried through the rest of the campaign language.

Integrated launch: voice development, visual identity rebrand, sales collateral, PR, print, digital display, audio, dispensary OOH, event activations.

Problem clarification · Insight development · Idea development

Problem clarification: Reframed the brief from "explain aeroponics" to "make the part of the plant consumers never see the thing they remember."

Insight development: Digital ethnography on cannabis forums and retail-floor observation. Surfaced the invisible-differentiator problem — aeroponics had a vivid physical signature no one was being shown.

Idea development: AI prototyping in Runway ML and Midjourney to translate aeroponic root structure into a human-scale form. Output briefed the costume build and the campaign's visual premise.