Vic Mensa Explains Why Publicity Is More Important Than Advertising

Summary

Podcast Summary: Earn Your Leisure

Episode: Vic Mensa Explains Why Publicity Is More Important Than Advertising

Date: July 22, 2026
Hosts: Rashad Bilal & Troy Millings
Guest: Vic Mensa (identified as “Guest - Cannabis Brand Owner”; founder of the 93 Boys cannabis brand)

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Overview

This episode features a candid conversation with Vic Mensa on the strategies behind launching and growing a cannabis brand, focusing especially on why he believes that publicity and organic marketing far outweigh the impact of traditional advertising. Mensa breaks down the launch of his brand 93 Boys, his approach to community engagement, branding, and lessons on consumer behavior in the cannabis space.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Publicity vs. Advertising: The Foundational Principle

• Vic Mensa emphasizes: “Publicity over advertising.” (02:21)
  • Explains how organically-spread awareness, whether through word of mouth or community-centered action, is “10 times more stickier” than paid ads.
• The impact of earned media: “I’m like, no, send it to a bunch of different people. Let them tell you that we’re dope. Like we said, you know, that’s publicity over advertisement.” (03:12)
• Insights from research: Mensa learned that billboards and traditional ads are for established brands, but “for a new venture, a new brand, you want other people telling your story for you.” (04:09)

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2. Multi-Layered Launch Strategy for 93 Boys

• Being first to market was critical: “I wanted to make sure we were the first. So that means certain things I had to push to the side so that I got in there first. Tyson was two weeks later... My claim as first black brand wouldn’t have been true anymore.” (02:59)
• Community-based stunts: Example of “the gas giveaway” where 93 Boys filled up gas tanks for residents—a play on “gas” meaning both gasoline and high-quality weed. (03:52–05:00)
  • “We did a campaign where we were giving away free gas... and sent that around to the different platforms... Instagram so they could talk about 93 boys as opposed to just me screaming in your ear.” (03:37)

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3. The Power of Wordplay & Visual Branding

• Dual meaning behind campaigns:

  • “I just want to nail the word gas into your mind. So when you think of 93 boys, then you think gas you think yellow.” (07:55)

• Choice of color scheme is deliberate:

  • “At the gas station, the labels for 93 or 89 are yellow. In Chicago, at least, yellow and black. So that’s why I went with that color scheme.” (08:08–08:15)
  • Aspirational vision: “I would like to get to a point where I can do a billboard off the side of the road, and all it says is a yellow screen with gas in black letters, and you just know what it is.” (08:17)

• Strong brand identity: Comparing to other iconic brands like Supreme, Burner/Cookies, Obey, All Money In, Crenshaw, and how a color or simple word can signal a whole lifestyle or culture.

  • “Having a brand that’s so strong that you don’t even have to put its name on.” (08:49–08:52)

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4. Product Insights: The Power of Pre-Rolls

• Dispensary dynamics: Mensa describes the cannabis pre-roll as the “cream of the crop.” (05:17)
• Market reality:
  • “It’s something that you don’t buy from your weed man... it’s a higher level of luxury.” (05:42–05:50)
  • Price point and convenience make pre-rolls popular, especially given taxes: “Our pre rolls are like the highest selling SKU in some stores...” (06:00)
• Consumer base:
  • Distinction between “weed snobs” and the mainstream dispensary shopper:
    • “I do want to onboard our community into the dispensary space... but I’m also not particularly concerned with it right now because there’s so many people that don’t even look like us or hang with people that know us.” (07:10)

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5. Community Engagement as Core Marketing

• Strategic use of social media and community giveaways to build early buzz
• “So ultimately I was just transferring [my] brand identity into 93 boys. We did a campaign where we were giving away free gas... Just like, stood there asking people, do you want gas? You know what I mean?...” (03:32–03:42)
• Elevating word-of-mouth and organic reach over direct advertising (see also section 1)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Vic Mensa: “Publicity over advertising.” (02:21)
• Vic Mensa: “I wanted to make sure we were the first... Tyson was two weeks later, you know what I mean? My claim as first black brand wouldn’t have been true anymore.” (03:00)
• Vic Mensa: “I just want to nail the word gas into your mind.” (07:55)
• Vic Mensa: “Having a brand that’s so strong that you don’t even have to put its name on.” (08:49)
• Vic Mensa: “There are so many mothers and grandmas and just like coders and regular working people that really shop in the dispensaries.” (06:26)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 02:11 – Start of discussion: Publicity vs. advertising
• 02:59 – Mensa’s entry strategy for 93 Boys; importance of being first
• 03:32 – “Free gas” campaign and community activation
• 04:09 – Why billboards/ads don’t work for new brands
• 05:17 – The unexpected dominance of pre-rolls in dispensaries
• 06:26 – The evolving dispensary consumer base
• 07:38 – The double entendre of “gas” and reinforcing brand word association
• 08:08 – Thought process behind brand color scheme
• 08:49 – The power of a logo/color to carry a brand

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Tone & Style

Mensa’s delivery is candid, introspective, and passionate about both branding and community. The hosts match his energy with genuine curiosity, making the episode rich in practical insights and relatable anecdotes, blending deep business strategies with pop culture references.

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Conclusion

Vic Mensa’s appearance on Earn Your Leisure offers a masterclass in launching a lifestyle brand in a challenging, competitive market. From prioritizing word-of-mouth publicity and community engagement to crafting a memorable visual and verbal identity, Mensa unpacks the mechanisms behind the 93 Boys brand. His approach affirms that in today’s noisy universe, authentic stories and focused brand symbolism cut deeper than paid ads—especially in growing, culture-driven industries like cannabis.

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For listeners or entrepreneurs looking to build a disruptive brand, this episode is packed with actionable takeaways and memorable quotes—well worth a focused listen.

Transcript

[Podcast Host]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human earners.

[Interviewer]

What's up?

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[Guest - Cannabis Brand Owner]

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[Interviewer]

network there was a few points, but I wanted to go back to the other point because it was very insightful. You said marketing over advertisement.

[Guest - Cannabis Brand Owner]

Yeah. Publicity over advertising.

[Interviewer]

Yeah, that's something that's extremely important for anybody in business to understand because the thing is like 10 times more stickier if it comes organically as opposed to an ad. And it actually helps advertising as well just to have more of a brand recognition. So now when you see an ad, now you're more likely to engage with that ad from that. So being that that's the case, like what, what exactly is your strategy? Like, come on, different podcast shows, Is it. Is it social media? Is it print? Is it just everything all wrapped in one?

[Guest - Cannabis Brand Owner]

It's definitely a multi layered strategy that I've been taking with 93 boys. I think to begin with, as I said, I wanted to make sure we were the first. So that means certain things I had to push to the side so that I got in there first. Tyson was two weeks later, you know what I mean? My claim as first black brand wouldn't have been true anymore.

[Interviewer]

Tyson. Mike Tyson.

[Guest - Cannabis Brand Owner]

Mike Tyson. Tyson 2.0. So we got into dispensaries right before Mike Tyson did in Illinois, being first, you know, really using these community initiatives, obviously to uplift the people, but also to impress our brand identity, you know, on the mind of the Chicago consumer. My brand identity is that. So ultimately I was just transferring that into 93 boys. We did a campaign where we were giving away free gas. Gas prices was through the roof. And so we went to the gas station in the trenches and just like stood there asking people, do you want gas? You know what I mean? And filling people's tank up and sent that around to the different platforms, you know, different pages on Instagram so they could talk about 93 boys as opposed to just me scream down your ear like, listen to me, we're dope. Like, I'm like, no, send it to a bunch of different people. Let them tell you that we're dope. Like we said, you know, that's publicity over advertisement. Because at first in the budget was billboards planned. But through studying, I learned that statistically, billboards are actually more impactful for a largely established brand to just stay present in the mind of their consumers before a new venture, a new brand, you want other people telling your story for you. So definitely interviews and. And podcasts. And genetics, though. I mean, when you're talking about cannabis, it's like it's got to come down to weed. So that's a space in which we've just been doing a deep dive to really nail our genetic portfolio before even introducing new SKUs. Like, I've learned a lot though, in the past year. One thing I didn't know coming into it is that pre rolls are really the cream of the crop in cannabis.

[Interviewer]

Why?

[Sponsor Announcer]

Because it's super, super convenient.

[Guest - Cannabis Brand Owner]

Very convenient. And it's something that you don't buy from your weed man. You can't like your weed man ain't going to roll your way for you. A couple of them will, but that's kind of.

[Sponsor Announcer]

You might have to get somebody to

[Guest - Cannabis Brand Owner]

roll it for you, you know, I mean, like, it's a higher level of luxury.

[Sponsor Announcer]

It's like.

[Guest - Cannabis Brand Owner]

Yeah, it's just. It's just simple. It's easy. It's also a lower price point because taxes and cannabis are crazy.

[Sponsor Announcer]

Yes.

[Guest - Cannabis Brand Owner]

So, you know, we've gotten to a space where like our pre rolls are like the highest selling SKU in some stores, like across all the brands. And that's not even really geared towards the like the real heads, the real stoner smokers. Dispensary is a different game, man. It's like, especially in Illinois, so you're finer smoker. That's for like just regular people, bro. Like, that's one thing you'll peep is like, there are so many mothers and grandmas and just like coders and regular working people that really shop in the dispensaries. Like your weed snobs. Illinois is not there yet. The quality standard is not to that level. Like weed snobs that are my friends will go to LA and just like buy out jungle boys or something because it's a flex too. But none of them shop at dispensaries in Illinois. They probably go buy my to tell me or say they did, but it's like, I know they don't shop in dispensaries, you know, I mean, I'm not even particularly focusing on them. Ultimately, I do want to onboard our community into the dispensary space. That is one of my aims with this brand and with this movement. But I'm also not particularly concerned with it right now because there's so many people that don't even look like us or hang with people that know us.

[Sponsor Announcer]

I've seen it. It's like for that professional person who, I mean, they might just go out on their break and like, I gotta

[Guest - Cannabis Brand Owner]

take a couple pulls.

[Sponsor Announcer]

It's like I don't have time to take out weed. Roll it up. Put like you don't do it. Exactly. But I was just thinking as you were saying that the $10,000 gas giveaway. I'm thinking about the double entendre day. Like you're giving out gas. But you said gas is the word.

[Guest - Cannabis Brand Owner]

That's what I'm saying.

[Sponsor Announcer]

So there's the double entendre. That. That was the play.

[Guest - Cannabis Brand Owner]

Yeah, 100%. I just want to nail the word gas into your mind. So when you think of 93 boys, then you think gas you think yellow. So what? Get.

[Interviewer]

Why yellow? Just chose it randomly?

[Guest - Cannabis Brand Owner]

No, because at the gas station, the labels for 93 or 89 are yellow. In Chicago, at least, yellow and black. So that's why I went with that color scheme. Like, I would like to get to a point where I can do a billboard off the side of the road, and all it says is a yellow screen with gas in black letters, and you just know what it is.

[Interviewer]

It's like Supreme.

[Sponsor Announcer]

It's like Supreme. Even better. It's like Burner. When you see that blue sea, you

[Guest - Cannabis Brand Owner]

see the blue sea. And you don't need to see Cook.

[Sponsor Announcer]

You know, it's cool.

[Interviewer]

Or like Obey, you know, that's.

[Sponsor Announcer]

Yeah, that was. That was crazy. But this isn't his, like, you know what I'm saying?

[Interviewer]

No, but some things are just a brand. Yeah.

[Guest - Cannabis Brand Owner]

I mean, like having a brand that's so strong that you don't even have to put its name on.

[Sponsor Announcer]

Yeah.

[Interviewer]

It's like. It's like All Money in.

[Sponsor Announcer]

Yeah, You.

[Interviewer]

You just see the logo and, you know, it's already synonymous with Nipsey Hussle and All Money in and a variety of other different things that come along with it.

[Podcast Host]

Right.

[Sponsor Announcer]

You spoke. You spoke about the verticals.

[Guest - Cannabis Brand Owner]

Like Crenshaw.

[Sponsor Announcer]

Like Crenshaw.

[Guest - Cannabis Brand Owner]

Right. Because that's not the name of the brand.

[Interviewer]

Not the name of the brand, but it's synonymous.

[Guest - Cannabis Brand Owner]

On enough stuff, it's synonymous. Know the color, you see Crenshaw, that's about. That's not just the street. That's Nip. You know what I mean?

[Interviewer]

Exactly.

[Sponsor Announcer]

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[Interviewer]

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