Fluence

Establishing a leading horticulture lighting provider as the total solutions partner for cultivators

Fluence, a leading global provider of energy-efficient LED lighting solutions for commercial cannabis and agriculture production.

The Story

When cannabis and commercial agriculture operations need a sustainable alternative to outdated lighting systems, they turn to Fluence. Effective as they are efficient, Fluence’s LED lights are pioneering a new future for the entire horticulture industry. It’s a stark contrast to the lighting market of a decade ago, when high-pressure sodium or fluorescent lights were often the only options for commercial cultivators. LED lights were simply too cost-prohibitive to be deployed at scale in warehouses, indoor farms and greenhouses that measure in the tens of thousands of square feet. Over time, however, LEDs became both cheaper and more efficient, finally providing cultivators with a viable alternative to legacy lighting systems. HPS and fluorescent lights at scale rack up exorbitant operational costs, waste too much energy and, perhaps most importantly, lack LEDs’ ability to provide the light spectra and intensity that plants—and the cultivators that tend to them—need to reach their full potential. All Fluence had to do was prove it.

Fluence’s rapid growth in recent years came at the perfect time. The burgeoning medicinal and recreational cannabis markets arising throughout the U.S. meant a new generation of cultivators and investors were building their operations from scratch and often lacked the horticultural experience and knowledge that Fluence’s experts possessed in abundance. Combined with margins that receded every year—particularly in cannabis—as market supply became market surplus and drastically reduced prices, Fluence was perfectly positioned to serve as both lighting provider and horticulture expert, and ultimately to be a total solutions provider for an industry that craves knowledge and that will only continue to grow.

To reach its goal of becoming that total solutions provider for both the cannabis and commercial agriculture markets, however, Fluence embraced a fully integrated communications strategy with owned research at its center. Since 2019, Red Fan has worked closely with Fluence to integrate into its marketing department, science and research division and horticulture services practice, using PR as a major means of cohesively linking the entire brand behind a singular market goal: Be the first stop for every cultivator looking for proven ways to maximize plant yield and profits.

Since the start of Red Fan’s engagement with Fluence, we have:

Coordinated the creation, distribution and promotion of a market-leading research strategy that:
- Explores the real-world applications and effects of LED light spectra and intensity on a variety of crops and plants for the cannabis and commercial agriculture industries.
- Includes the annual publication and promotion of the Cannabis Business Times’s “State of Cannabis Lighting Report”—sponsored by Fluence—that tracks increasing market adoption of LED technology.
Boosted awareness of Fluence’s horticulture services team—a group of career plant scientists, photobiologists and proven cultivators that works with individual operations to optimize their cultivation and lighting strategies—through content development, thought leadership programming, event and webinar support and media relations.
Worked with Fluence’s marketing team and C-suite to develop a content strategy and thought leadership program spanning owned and earned channels that positions Fluence and its subject matter experts as the total solutions provider for cultivators.
Supported internal communications programs before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, working closely with the executive team to create messaging around remote work policies, office protocols and company milestones (often in the form of town halls featuring Fluence’s CEO).

Over the course of our partnership, we have seen Fluence achieve major growth. In 2020, the company opened two new manufacturing facilities, one each in China and Mexico. It has solidified its market position as a leading authoritative source for scientific innovation, photobiological research, horticultural expertise and LED lighting solutions that improve operational efficiency and maximize every plant’s potential. Just as importantly, the energy-saving capabilities of LEDs are a true bright spot for an industry that will continue to increase demand for electricity.

Share this Case Study

Red Fan has been a critical strategic adviser to my team from the moment we hired them. As a high-growth company, we’re constantly faced with new business challenges, and we needed a partner whose approach is built on trust, adaptability and results. Red Fan has brought a much-needed outside perspective to my own teams, from executive-level meetings and strategy down to specific marketing tactics and processes, and Fluence-LED is simply better off because of it. I’m confident Red Fan is the right agency to execute on the evolving needs of our business, including media relations and thought leadership as well as global expansion and growth.