Branding your Cannabis Brand takes some foresight and some thought. These tips will help you do so.
Tell a Story
Today’s consumer is smarter than ever and has caught on to the usual sales language. However, one thing they cannot resist is a good story.
A good brand story is one that entertains while connecting to consumers emotionally. Think about the “Most Interesting Man in the World ads” by Don Equis. All they did was take a cheap lager and turn it into something else completely. A cheap beer suddenly takes on an attitude of sophistication and adventure. To make things worse, consumers took the story and molded it to their lives with the “I don’t always/but when I do” meme. It is a story that’s likely to continue selling years after the conclusion of the campaign.
You don’t even need to have an elaborate story. A complex fiction may work wonders, but you might be surprised by what a simple origin story of your brand is capable of accomplishing. It provides a sense of authenticity and leaves your customers feeling like they are taking part in something greater than themselves.
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So, you need to think about your brand’s story and find a good way to tell it. If you do that, you are guaranteed to connect with an eager audience.
Think “Lifestyle” Rather than LOLs
The Dazed and Confused image of marijuana was ubiquitous when cannabis was sold exclusively via the black market. However, as it enters the mainstream market, savvy businesses will brand their cannabis products for audience that’s more expansive.
It means marketing cannabis products as “lifestyle” enhancers instead of sticking to the traditional stoner niche. Think sophisticated and sleek i.e. a new product for a life of luxury. Apple is a prime example.
You can alternatively consider what the craft breweries did as their industry exploded following the turn of the millennium. Beer suddenly tool on a completely different level of refinement. Each brewery, today, has a distinct, storied brand. Beers are available for all occasions and to be paired with certain foods. A massive brewery tourism industry has even blossomed.
Think of it like this: The average consumer of cannabis is a middle-class, late twenties to early thirties. So, what kinds of products do these people buy? Organic foods, bespoke clothing, craft cocktails… you get the picture. Simply put, your brand should appeal to their desire for a more refined lifestyle.
Cannabis companies should be looking at more innovative techniques of branding in the modern cannabis era – use a cannabis marketing agency to help.
Elevate the Language
This is an extension of the point above. All the outdated slang i.e. herb, grass, pot, bud, etc., speaks to the outdated and under-the-radar market. Today, you are selling in a mature and vibrant industry. You now sell “doses” rather than “hits” or “flowers” instead of “buds.”
Obviously, there’s enough room for all the silly aspects of marijuana culture that people know and love, but stay classy and still refer to it as cannabis for branding purposes.
Don’t Use Clichés
Never forget that you are attempting to elevate the conversation and that tired old clichés do everything besides that. Afro man songs, 420, tie-dye, laziness, and Rastafarian colors and even the long-embraced pot leaf have all started to fall by the wayside.
Sure, there’s a place and time for all these, but if you do have to use cliché and nostalgia, only include them as periphery elements – never make a tie-dyed pot leaf the basis for your whole brand.
