Prima Primes The CBD Market With The Launch Of Its Educational Platform

After raising nearly $3.3 million in venture funding last month, Prima is launching a digital magazine and educational platform designed to help consumers understand the role hemp products can play in self-care.

Prima co-founders Christopher Gavigan, Jessica Assaf and Laurel Angelica Myers are employing the content before commerce strategy for the CBD brand to supply information about the non-psychoactive cannabis constituent that, while exploding, is still new to many people. As of today, 35 pieces of original content, notably interviews with actresses Nikki Reed and Ricki Lake, and entrepreneur Jesse Israel, articles, recipes, guides and a glossary, are live on Prima’s website as a precursor to its rollout later this year of hemp-based wellness and lifestyle products such as supplements and skincare.

“As long-time health advocates, we really feel that education is the gateway and that, before you can understand what products to buy, you have to understand the ingredients and how nature collides with our bodies,” says Assaf. “We realized that our first job is to educate. So, we’ve built this beautiful digital magazine and educational platform to demystify hemp and CBD and humanize the science around all aspects of health. And, when we say health, we align with the World Health Organization’s definition of health, a complete state of physical, mental and social well being.”

Prima’s content is intended to be read by consumers that range from CBD novices to experts. Assaf says, “We needed to take a big step back and understand the different places that people are starting at and how we can create different pathways to get everyone to the same destination, which is the realization that there’s a reason why this plant works so well with our system.” She continues, “It’s really helpful to understand that for some people self-care starts with positive thinking, for some people, it starts with meditation. Everyone has their own approach, but we need to talk about it more.”

“As long-time health advocates, we really feel that education is the gateway and that, before you can understand what products to buy, you have to understand the ingredients and how nature collides with our bodies.”

On top of its interviews with celebrities, Prima spoke to leading medical cannabis researchers to explain cannabinoids. In a series called The Doctor is in, Assaf interviewed Dr. Jeff Chen, a proponent of studies on the health effects of cannabis, and Dr. Raphael Mechoulam, an organic chemist known as the godfather of cannabis who discovered the endocannabinoid system, and first isolated the THC and CBD molecules.

Although comprehensive, Assaf contends digital content won’t be sufficient to get Prima’s messages about CBD and self-care across to the public. She envisions the brand holding town hall-style gatherings to broaden its audience and deepen the conversation it’s beginning online. Assaf says, “In this digital age, it’s not enough to just provide education. We need emotional support. We need places to gather.”

In the meantime, Prima is introducing a self-care concierge where consumers can set up a times to chat to anyone on the Prima team, including the founders. “We want to be there 24-7 answering questions, helping people understand [and building] a one-to-one relationship between us and every person that wants to learn more,” says Assaf, noting monthly webinars with the founders are on the way as well. Prima’s site will also feature a coming soon section where consumers can catch a glimpse of upcoming products and sign up to learn more about them.

Prima may be one of the most anticipated brands in the increasingly crowded CBD arena. The deft strategies pursued by Assaf, Gavigan and Myers to build buzz around it demonstrate why industry insiders believe Prima has the potential to rise to the top of a crowded field of CBD players. The founders each have over a decade of experience in the beauty and personal care field. As co-founder of The Honest Co., Prima CEO Gavigan helped grow the Jessica Alba-fronted consumer goods company to a billion-dollar brand in eight years. COO and co-founder Myers spent six years at The Honest Co. prior to joining Prima. Assaf, who has an MBA from Harvard University, co-founded Beauty Lies Truth and Cannabis Feminist. 

“We’re taking these products and bringing them to the supplement and wellness industries, with good manufacturing-processes, quality controls and safety testing beyond what’s happening now because it’s so new,” previews Assaf. “Even when we’re thinking about product format, we’re doing things very differently.”