Top Performance Media Agencies for Cannabis, CBD, and Regulated Wellness Brands

Cannabis, CBD, and regulated wellness brands need compliant growth strategies. Here are the top performance media agencies specialized in regulated industries.

Marketing cannabis, CBD, and regulated wellness brands is not business as usual. Performance marketing in these industries requires a careful balance of strategy, creativity, and technical execution.

Brands in regulated wellness markets need performance media agencies that understand how to drive measurable growth without risking regulatory exposure.

Below are the top performance media agencies that know how to scale responsibly.

1. Avenue Z

Agency Rating:

★★★★★

Avenue Z works with high-growth brands operating in regulated industries where performance marketing must align with strict rules and platform limitations. While not cannabis-exclusive, the agency’s experience in healthcare compliance marketing and regulated consumer categories makes it a strong partner for CBD and wellness brands navigating complex advertising environments.

Avenue Z connects performance media with broader brand trust. Their experts build campaigns by keeping compliance in mind, leveraging data-driven audience targeting, creative testing, and measurable KPIs. This approach allows regulated wellness brands to grow responsibly while still seeing clear performance outcomes.

Avenue Z-logo
Location:New York, NY
Employees:50-100
Industries:Regulated wellness, cannabis-adjacent brands, healthcare, eCommerce/DTC
Specialties:Performance media, compliance-aware growth strategy, analytics, PR for regulated markets

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2. Mantis Advertising

Agency Rating:

★★★★★

Mantis Advertising is one of the most established performance media agencies dedicated specifically to cannabis and CBD brands. The agency focuses on channels that allow for scale while staying compliant, including programmatic display, connected TV, and digital audio.

Rather than relying on restricted social platforms, Mantis helps brands reach audiences through privacy-safe and regulation-friendly channels. Their performance-driven approach emphasizes measurable reach, frequency control, and ROI, making them a go-to partner for cannabis brands seeking growth without constant policy risk.

Location:Los Angeles, CA
Employees:40-50
Industries:Cannabis, CBD, regulated consumer brands
Specialties:Programmatic advertising, CTV, audio, compliant digital media

3. Surfside

Agency Rating:

★★★★★

Surfside blends retail intelligence with performance media to help cannabis brands reach consumers based on verified purchase behavior. Their platform allows brands to activate campaigns using compliant, anonymized data.

For cannabis and CBD brands, Surfside enables closed-loop measurement that ties media exposure to real-world outcomes. This makes the agency especially valuable for brands that want performance accountability without relying on restricted third-party targeting methods.

Location:New York, NY
Employees:150-200
Industries:Cannabis, regulated retail, consumer wellness
Specialties:Retail media, audience targeting, performance analytics

4. Alpine IQ

Agency Rating:

★★★★★

Alpine IQ focuses on helping cannabis and wellness brands unlock the power of first-party data. As performance marketing becomes more privacy-driven, Alpine IQ’s CRM-led approach helps brands drive retention, repeat purchases, and long-term customer value.

Their performance programs center on loyalty marketing, personalized messaging, and compliant customer engagement. For regulated brands with limited paid media options, Alpine IQ provides an effective path to sustainable growth through owned data channels.

Location:Denver, CO
Employees:150-200
Industries:Cannabis, regulated wellness, retail brands
Specialties:First-party data, CRM marketing, lifecycle performance

5. Growth Mode Marketing

Agency Rating:

★★★★★

Growth Mode Marketing works with regulated wellness and CBD brands that need disciplined, performance-focused execution. The agency emphasizes building paid media strategies that respect platform policies while still delivering measurable growth.

Their work often includes funnel optimization, conversion rate improvements, and ongoing campaign refinement. For wellness brands operating in gray areas of regulation, Growth Mode’s careful approach helps reduce risk while maintaining momentum.

Location:U.S.-based
Employees:40-50
Industries:CBD, wellness, regulated consumer brands
Specialties:Paid media strategy, CRO, performance analytics

6. Single Grain

Agency Rating:

★★★★★

Single Grain is a well-known growth agency with experience supporting brands in regulated and compliance-heavy categories. While not cannabis-specific, their expertise in healthcare and wellness marketing makes them relevant for CBD and regulated wellness brands seeking scalable acquisition.

The agency focuses on performance fundamentals: customer acquisition cost, lifetime value, and conversion optimization. For brands ready to professionalize their paid media efforts under regulatory constraints, Single Grain provides structured, data-driven execution.

singlegrain-logo
Location:Los Angeles, CA
Employees:150-200
Industries:Regulated wellness, healthcare, consumer tech
Specialties:Performance marketing, paid search, growth strategy

7. Power Digital Marketing

Agency Rating

★★★★★

Power Digital Marketing supports regulated wellness brands with full-funnel performance marketing and advanced analytics. Their teams understand how to build compliant paid media strategies while maintaining visibility into ROI and attribution.

For CBD and wellness brands aiming to scale responsibly, Power Digital’s performance dashboards and growth frameworks help leadership teams make informed decisions while staying aligned with regulatory realities.

Power Digital Marketing-logo
Location:San Diego, CA
Employees:500+
Industries:Wellness, healthcare, regulated consumer brands
Specialties:Performance media, analytics, growth consulting

8. Brado

Agency Rating:

★★★★★

Brado specializes in marketing for highly regulated industries, particularly healthcare and public-sector adjacent organizations. This compliance-first expertise translates well to regulated wellness and CBD brands.

Their performance marketing programs emphasize education, trust, and compliant messaging. For brands selling wellness solutions into regulated markets, Brado offers a structured approach that balances performance goals with regulatory discipline.

Location:St. Louis, MO
Employees:150-200
Industries:Healthcare, regulated wellness, public-sector adjacent brands
Specialties:Healthcare compliance marketing, performance strategy, digital campaigns

9. GSW (Publicis Health)

Agency Rating:

★★★★★

GSW operates within the Publicis Health network and is deeply experienced in regulated advertising environments. While focused on healthcare, the agency’s performance media expertise is highly relevant to CBD and wellness brands facing similar compliance challenges.

Their strength lies in executing large-scale campaigns under strict regulatory oversight. For enterprise-level wellness brands, GSW offers performance marketing grounded in governance, process, and compliance.

Location:New York, NY
Employees:1000+
Industries:Healthcare, regulated wellness, life sciences
Specialties:Regulated performance media, healthcare marketing, analytics

10. Metric Theory (Now .Monks)

Agency Rating:

★★★★★

Metric Theory, now part of .Monks, brings deep expertise in performance media for restricted and regulated categories. The agency is known for rigorous testing, attribution modeling, and ROI-driven optimization.

For CBD and regulated wellness brands that want enterprise-grade performance marketing, Metric Theory provides scale, sophistication, and strong measurement practices.

Location:U.S.-based
Employees:51-200
Industries:Regulated consumer brands, wellness, healthcare
Specialties:Performance media, paid search, advanced analytics

11. Brightfield Group

Agency Rating:

★★★★★

Brightfield Group is best known for its cannabis and CBD market research, but its insights are often used to inform performance media strategy. Brands rely on Brightfield data to understand audience behavior, demand trends, and category dynamics.

When paired with performance execution, this data-first approach helps regulated brands reduce guesswork and build smarter, more effective campaigns.

Location:Chicago, IL
Employees:40-50
Industries:Cannabis, CBD, wellness
Specialties:Market intelligence, performance strategy, data-driven planning

Find the Right Performance Partner for Regulated Growth

Cannabis, CBD, and regulated wellness brands operate under stricter rules than most industries. Sustainable growth requires not only creative execution, but also a deep understanding of platform policies, compliance requirements, and how to scale responsibly without risking account stability.

The agencies listed above specialize in helping regulated brands navigate these constraints while delivering measurable business outcomes. From platform-safe creative to disciplined media buying and analytics-driven optimization, the right partner can turn regulatory complexity into a competitive advantage.

When you’re ready to build a compliant, scalable growth engine, Avenue Z helps regulated brands drive revenue and reputation across performance media, strategic communications, and AI-powered discovery.

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