Charlotte's Web Put a CBD Vending Machine On a Mountaintop in Utah

The mysterious star of this campaign is sort of like the monolith in 2001: A Space Odyssey. But instead of popping up in unexpected places to guide humanity toward cosmic evolution, it dispenses Charlotte’s Web tropical hemp-infused CBD balms, soothing aches and pains for folks who participate in grueling sports and active outdoor lifestyles.

The company’s creative team recently placed one such mystical artifact—well, a vending machine, actually, which provides creams and ointments for free—atop a jagged sandstone slab rising 400 feet above the scorching sands of Moab, Utah.

In addition to Castleton Tower, the “Going the Distance” campaign also features machines in four other rugged locations, including Flagstaff Road in Boulder, Co., site of the Leadville Mountain Bike Race Series, just a few miles from Charlotte’s Web headquarters.

Set to launch last year, but work was held back owing to pandemic cancellations. Moving forward, Charlotte’s Web plans to bring vending machines to endurance events across the country, including bike races (such as Leadville), marathons and triathlons. The units are self-powered and have no negative impact on the environment.

“We looked at the outdoor sports world to help us show off the potential benefits of CBD,” explains Andrew Lincoln, former associate director of integrated marketing at Charlotte’s Web, who oversaw the campaign before joining FCB Chicago as an executive creative director a few months ago. “If it works for hardcore endurance athletes, then it must work for fair-weather athletes, or just desk jockeys like me who need muscle relief. The target market is really anyone who is looking for relief when it comes to their overall physical wellness.”

Professional climber Jon Glassberg of Louder Than Eleven directed the campaign, working with production company Shine and Polish. You can see more videos on the Charlotte’s Web YouTube channel.

Charlotte’s Web likes to go big with its marketing. Last year, it created a brand-iconography art installation covering 3 million square feet in a Kansas wheat field. That followed a 51-foot-high “Trust the Earth” mural in Brooklyn.