What's the difference between a household brand and just another product?  Strategy. You may not have a gazillion dollar advertising budget... But for just a moment, pretend that you do. As the pot industry grows, you want to stand above the crowd. How would you invest your resources to support your brand?

Marijuana is not exempt from sound branding strategy. In fact, it is more important to be impeccable with your brand than in most other product segments, as this renegade industry becomes more mainstream, each individual store or product will reflect on the overall "marijuana" brand.
Industry leaders stress caution when positioning your dispensary, product or service.

For a more in-depth read check out FastCoDesign article.

6 Branding Lessons from the Pioneers of Weed Design Four experts in cannabis culture explain how to brand a high-demand, once-illegal product.

Have you ever looked at your #potshop from your customers point of view?  How do they experience your brand?
And more importantly, aside from your stellar strains or the best pricing in town - what really keeps your customers coming back?

Have you ever wondered what people say about your shop when they leave, or what they say to their friends about the experience... or if they even bother mentioning you?

How does your space feel to your customers? How is the lighting? Does it create both a mood as well as highlight your product in the best possible light? Are the corners of your store dark and dank...or does it feel like an operating room? Think about your favorite restaurant, bar or retail shop, what is it about the atmosphere that keeps you coming back? Have you achieved a similar response to your space? Does your artwork and merchandising engage and entertain the customer. Are you able to easily upsell accessories. Is the flow of your store functional not only for business operations, but also for your customers to easily browse products and feel comfortable?

How would you like customers to describe your store? Food for thought... Can they even remember the name of your store or do they simply know it's on the corner of such and such.

As #DenverDispensaries are ready to rebrand from medical to recreational, does the face of your business need to change to attract both target markets? Do you cater to college kids or baby boomers? The demographics of these target markets are very different, are you successfully attracting all of them?  The consumer has many choices, how they "feel" in your space matters.

Interior Designers help you to effortlessly pull together the elements to make a store special, giving it a cohesive look and feel. To make sure that colors, textures and furnishings are balanced and in scale. Their job is to make the process easy and fun for you, to ensure that the final result will be worth the investment. Many a DIYer has wasted a ton of money, only to achieve mediocre results. Designers have resources and ideas that you don't have the time to track down or even care to think about.

As the #CannabisIndustry grows and struggles to maintain a professional front, it is our responsibility, to the industry to show our operations as serious businesses that will be around for the long-term. Think of an Interior Designer as an investment in the concept before the investment in the build-out. In the long run, this will save you time and money and help you avoid costly mistakes. Wise entrepreneurs look to the professionals for the skills they lack. Chances are, you are more interested in running your budding business than searching for the perfect shape, size and color of ______ for your space. Interior design is all about the details. It takes time and patience... It's a process and most business owners don't have the interest or experience to attend to these details effectively.

The good news is that you don't have to let your business suffer as a result of your lack of time and patience.  Luckily there are design geeks out there obsessed with creating amazing transformations and cultivating loyal customers for the long-term.

For help with your #Dispensary interior design and branding, consider a professional who is passionate about their craft.
Click here for more Pot Shop Designs

Thanks High Times for the perfect weed related playlist for our 420 celebration in Denver. Starting with Cab Calloway's 1932 tune "Reefer Man" to "Don't Bogart that Joint" to the Bob Marley classics. Here's 25+ tunes to make your celebration stoked with meaning.  http://www.hightimes.com/read/top-25-pot-songs-all-time

I am the Walrus

What is your brand doing to engage me? Jack Morton Worldwide nailed it. Brand as a Verb.
From creating a video to designing a space, the thing that has made me a successful brand champion for my clients, is that I experience them as a consumer. The message and the actions must be relative to your customer. Ultimately, it's how your customer "feels" about you that will determine the strength and longevity of your brand.

Marijuana had been legalized well over a month before I decided to check out my neighborhood dispensaries. Although I know a few people with MMJ licenses, nobody really talked about "my dispensary" with any kind of pride or belonging. Never a  recommendations, like "you really have to check this place out". 

As a hometown "Marijuana Tourists", my buddy Jim and I made a day of it  and decided to visit 7 or 8 shops. The few Jim had been to in the past were pretty ratty and made him feel uncomfortable like he was doing a back alley deal. He too,  was on a mission to find "my" favorite pot shop.

For the most part, I felt like these businesses were just thrown together like a college frat house. Being well past the college age, I was craving a hip environment that I would enjoy patronizing in the future. I wondered why these dipensaries didn't put more effort into creating an amazing decor and memorable customer experience. It seemed the focus was on the back room and the product.  Not a bad thing, but honestly, I felt a little neglected.

The next stop was even worse.  I felt interrogated and violated in a strange little sterile lobby where they swiped my drivers license. I wanted to run. Once inside, we were lined up like sheep prohibited from wandering. The institutional look was understandable, considering they wanted to be seen as 'medicinal" in the early days, but I felt cold and wanted to break out of the line and go sip a latte in a cozy coffee shop.

After a few more seedy attempts, we finally stopped in a Victorian cottage in uptown.  Scattered with a few antique pieces, it had a comfortable charm, but very little product selection and a back alley entrance. We finally found another comfortable downtown dispensary where we hung out on couches, took in the sights and soaked up the vibe before we made our selections.

As an interior designer, I couldn't help but wonder why so many of these dispensaries thought so little of the front of their store and the customer experience. I realized they didn't understand the value in it and probably didn't have the time or skill to improve their space and brand their business. And then we became inspired to help change the perception of recreational and medicinal marijuana shops in Denver.

Welcome to Pot Shop Designs. 
Interior Design & Branding for the Cannabis Industry
www.potshopdesigns.com

Pot Shop Designs sees the big picture of your business. It's all about how your customers FEEL about you...
the vibe in your space, your culture, and the opportunities you provide to engage them. We want your customers to love your brand so much that they tattoo your logo on their chest!