Highly Capitalized Network Launches “Battle of the Brands” — A New Show Redefining Cannabis Marketing Conversations

LOS ANGELES— Highly Capitalized Network (HCN), a leading business and financial media platform for Cannabis, today announced the launch of its newest original series: Battle of the Brands. This new podcast series brings together some of the most respected voices in the industry for candid conversations about the future of Cannabis branding, marketing, and consumer loyalty.

Battle of the Brands introduces a first-of-its-kind format that blends hard market research with personal brand perspectives. Hosted by Tim Naughton, the Founder of cannabis marketing agency Heady, each episode features a rotating panel of experts — including researchers, retailers, and brand builders — who analyze performance data, both hard and soft, and share on-the-ground insights, and debate which Cannabis brands are truly standing out in today’s competitive market.

“Too often, brand conversations in Cannabis are either hype-driven or focused solely on sales numbers,” said Tim Naughton, host of Battle of the Brands. “This show changes that by combining real data with authentic voices. It’s equal parts fun, educational, and competitive.”

Changing the Paradigm

HCN believes that brands should be measured by more than just market share, profit share, or volume share.

Battle of the Brands aims to shift the conversation, exploring the intangible reasons why people buy brands — including the values or identity they express through their purchases.

Inside and outside of cannabis, consumers aren’t just shopping for products — they’re shopping for meaning. More and more buying decisions are affected by whether a brand’s ethos resonates with a consumer’s own values and beliefs. From fashion to food to cannabis, people are looking to support companies that reflect who they are and what they care about.

• How have brands focused on social justice incorporated this value into their brand identity & story?  Who’s winning the most hearts & minds with this message?
• Are there cannabis brands focused on sustainability, winning with that message?
• Are there cannabis brands winning with a conservative-leaning identity?

This show opens the door to a broader, more meaningful dialogue about how brands impact both consumers and culture.

About The Host – Marketing Expert Tim Naughton

It’s crucial to have marketing and brand experts in the show especially our host. So we’re delighted that Tim Naughton has agreed to host the series. Tim Naughton is a digital marketing expert with experience in ecommerce and software. Tim was the first business hire at MyFinance (acquired by Red Ventures/Bankrate) and the first GM at Jane Technologies (valuation of $600M in 2021 Series C round). Tim later founded Heady to help cannabis retailers & wholesale brands fix broken marketing, build stronger digital footprints, cut waste, and better align marketing efforts with overall business goals.

Image: Battle of the Brands host: Tim Naughton: Founder of Heady | Former GM at Jane Technologies | Digital Marketing & Ecommerce Expert. Courtesy of Tim Naughton.

A New Kind of Brand Competition

Unlike traditional podcasts, Battle of the Brands uses a tournament-style format with structured, battle-like rounds. In each episode, panelists evaluate and debate Cannabis brands across five core categories, nominating standout brands and optionally scoring them on a 1–10 scale.

The competition is set to unfold in rounds, designed to reveal where brands stand apart.

It all begins with Branding & Story, where judges look beyond the surface to see which company can spark a real emotional connection through its logo, packaging, and the way it tells its story. From there, the spotlight shifts to Product Quality & Innovation, a round celebrating the brands bold enough to push categories forward and create products fans can’t live without.

Next comes Customer Love, the test of who inspires fierce loyalty — the kind of devotion that drives word-of-mouth advocacy and keeps people coming back. In Distribution & Presence, the question becomes who has earned the prime shelf space and cemented themselves as a dominant force in the marketplace. Finally, the stage widens with Marketing & Cultural Impact, showcasing the brands that don’t just sell products, but actively shape conversations and influence culture.

But the fun doesn’t end with the scoring. The event’s closing segment turns into a lively debate, pitting household names head-to-head in spirited showdowns:

Who wears the crown in the gummy world — KIVA or Wyld?
Which giant carries more cultural weight — Raw Garden or STIIIZY?

This is where sparks fly, loyalties are tested, and bragging rights are truly earned.

The emphasis is on why a brand wins, not just which brand wins, encouraging deeper analysis and compelling storytelling.

About the Sponsor

Heady (Useheady.com) is a full-service Cannabis marketing agency built to maximize output to deliver compounding gains over time. Heady’s method takes the same resources available to any Cannabis brand and makes them work harder through turnkey workflows across SEO, CRM, social, PR, and paid media. The result? Revitalized brands that capture attention, build loyalty, and turn one-time buyers into life-long customers.

Tracking the Winners

At the end of each episode, one brand is voted forward to the next round.

• Season results are tracked through a public bracket.
• Quarterly winners compete in finals, leading up to an annual Cannabis Brand of the Year title.
• Fun segments like “Marketing Blunder of the Week” and “Underdog Shoutout” keep the energy high and the content shareable.

Why It Matters

For the Cannabis industry, Battle of the Brands is more than just entertainment.

It offers a new framework for evaluating brands, one that goes beyond numbers to examine purpose, impact, and cultural relevance.

“Cannabis brands deserve a platform that balances data with personality and heart,” said Mark Collins, President of HCN. “Battle of the Brands is that platform, and we’re proud to bring these important conversations to the industry.”

Availability & Distribution

Episodes of Battle of the Brands will be recorded and distributed across HCN’s digital channels, including the HCN website, LinkedIn newsletter, YouTube, and podcast feeds reaching at least 70,000 people active in cannabis.

Copyright ©Tim Naughton and Highly Capitalized Network. All Rights Reserved. Not to be replicated without the express permission of Tim Naughton. You can reach Tim here.

For episode schedules, and other information visit highlycapitalized.com