Branding Considerations for Cannabis Imagery via Digital Platforms
- alyssamrtll
- Feb 23, 2021
- 3 min read
Like any marketplace, the cannabis industry is deserving of the freedom to brand, customize, and individualize the products and companies within. However, with inconsistent legality throughout the United States and less-than-clear advertising policies, cannabis companies may lack the market research and exposure needed to fine-tune their branding aesthetics, especially in such a visually-driven digital space.
For example, Instagram is a phenomenal app for visual storytelling. But what happens when a company's accounts, posts, or hashtags are shadowbanned on the platform...preventing users from seeing brand content, without the company's knowledge?
A complex web of policies, and sometimes the quiet non-existence of policies, makes it difficult for cannabis companies to advertise their goods, forcing them to use visual insinuations rather than explicit marijuana semiotics and language (such as using green and natural aesthetics.)
As federal legalization may be less of a pipe dream and more of a reality thanks to our blue Congress, digital branding will gain more freedoms as more pertinent regulation, such as decriminalization and declassification begins.
What is branding?
Branding is a "holistic approach to your company's position, customer interactions, and operations, based on your company's values,"
that aims to provide a
"...clearly identifiable presence in the marketplace that offers a unique experience to your target market." - Dr. Maria Moore of Illinois State University, 2021
A strong brand image contributes to higher consumer loyalty, which is critical for word-of-mouth advertising. Along with consumers, employees will find higher satisfaction with your company, positively impacting retention rate, productivity, and trust. Strong branding also gives your company a competitive advantage, which allows it to explore niche areas of interest.
Branding is about manipulating the audience's perception about your company to fit the values and rhetoric your goods and services are supposed to embody. A large part of branding is understanding your target audience, or consumer group.
Part of successful brand imaging is visually appealing illustrations or photography, especially in the age of digital advertising.
Visual Branding in the Cannabis Industry
Created by Jean-Pierre Lacroix are the three distinct consumer groups for the cannabis marketplace:
1. HABITUAL CANNABIS CONSUMER
2. CANNABIS AVOIDER
3. CENTER CANNABIS DABBLERS
While Jean-Pierre argues to aim for the centrist consumers, there is room for everyone as the industry continues to grow. The marijuana industry is expected to be valued at $65.1 billion by 2027.
The industry would benefit from examples of visual branding completed through photographs. These pictures are artifacts that would be used on a company's Instagram/social feeds in order to reinforce their branding image.
I am proposing design considerations and potential branding aesthetics for the three distinct groups of the cannabis marketplace using Unsplash photography collections. The collections are comprised of images that adhere to the group's branding values, which are included as tags in the collection's description.
Each collection is accompanied a description with tags articulating the board's thematic elements. There are intentionally overlapped images between collections to demonstrate how it is possible to distribute identical content and achieve different result, depending on the surrounding context.
The collections are not meant to be seamless mood boards, but a collection of individual photographs with explicit marijuana content that support the concept of branding through visual imagery.
Below are three images, each linking to a collection for its respective consumer group. Can you guess which is which before you click?
Reminder: the three groups are habitual cannabis users, cannabis avoiders, and center cannabis dabblers.
Cannabis content has a patchy relationship with the internet and its various policies, but with legalization on the RISE, proper articulation may be on the way. Once cannabis creators can constructively advertise in the digital space, how will they visually communicate to their distinct target group?
Discussion Questions
What consumer would you find most interesting to advertise to?
Do you see any differences between the three collections?
What companies do you like that have an example of strong visual branding through photographs on Instagram or other social media?
Are you overwhelmed by my hyperlinks?
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