The Future of Cannabis Branding: It’s Time to Build a Female-Focus Business
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Studio Linear

The Future of Cannabis Branding: It’s Time to Build a Female-Focus Business

The cannabis industry has gone mainstream, and it’s the talk of the town these days. With the majority of states legalizing marijuana products in the U.S., there is a good chance that a cannabis business will succeed however, not having a clear target audience and launching in the hopes to appeal to the masses is not the best way to approach marketing.

Currently, the majority of marijuana users are men, but that won’t be for long. 48% of the women when asked say they’d want to try out cannabis. And in 2021, 39% of new cannabis users are women. Once the market matures, and as cannabis usage is normalized, women will take up a more significant percentage of the market share.

So with such information in mind, are you ready for the new wave of the industry – a female-focus cannabis brand?

More women are buying cannabis, which could lead to shifts in product demand.

Marketing your business toward women is not only the right target for revenue but also because there are very few brands doing this currently, female-concentrated cannabis brands are in great demand!  

1. Numbers speaks for itself:

As most of us know, household purchasing decisions are driven by women. According to the Harvard Business Review, 94% of home furnishings, 51% of consumer electronics, 60% of automobiles, 91% of homes, and 92% of vacations are based on women's decisions. Worldwide, women earn roughly $13 trillion yet control around $20 trillion in consumer spending.

According to a survey by Van der Pop, nearly 70% of women who use cannabis believe that there will be judgment around the use of marijuana. Another 66% of female cannabis consumers confess that they mostly hide their usage, mostly due to the stigma around cannabis. Moreover, as we’ve mentioned earlier, the percentage of female consumers would want to try cannabis product is definitely impressive.

While the trend of retail marijuana sales is yet absolutely affected by the gender shift, it could have a lasting effect. Female buyers are more likely to purchase products compared to men.

2. Just a few brands are female-focused:

Currently, there are very few women-owned cannabis businesses but we are very excited to see that trend shifting! A majority of brands that are out there right now are male-owned and as female consumers enter into this marketplace, they will actively seek other female-owned businesses. Therefore starting your own female-focused cannabis brand is a great strategy if you have been toying around with the idea. Some female-owned brands we love are Miss Grass, 1906 Edibles and Leune.

How to focus your cannabis brand on females?

So you’re probably thinking, how do we market female consumers? Decades worth of sexist advertising have made mistakes that we can learn from. So when first starting out, there are some tips you should pay close attention to and avoid re-doing any clichés.

1. Let's start with the research

The first thing to do is to "draw" a portrait of an ideal customer. Research can help unlock critical customers insights that you would have never thought of. Thoughtful studies about female customers will help you get rid of offensive euphemisms, stereotypes and create better connections. Furthermore, with good research results, you can craft up marketing messages that are resonating with the correct audience.

One more mistake most cannabis brands made is communicating with mass audiences. Each group of audience, differentiate by age, habits, and demographic, will require different ways of communication. So if you’re not fulfilling what they need, you’re literally not talking to them, and they won’t hear from you.

2. Pass on the pink?

As a women-based creative agency, we love discussing color palettes for new brands. Exploring more diverse color palettes for female-owned cannabis brands will lend you the upper hand in setting your business apart. In fact, we recommend avoiding any of the stereotypical marketing ploys that companies use to “appeal” to women. Your female customers are much more sophisticated and interested in your brand backstory, value and UVP so If as a cannabis brand and you’re a bit lost with your design, then opting for a consultant or a cannabis packaging company might be the best option. Now don't get us wrong, we do LOVE pink but we are seeing an oversaturation of this color used in cannabis female marketing so if you do wish to still use this shade, try playing around with some neat color combos like pink and bright orange or maybe pink and neon green.

3. Create messages that tap into the pain points of new female users

When crafting your marketing messaging and how to communicate with female customers, keep in mind that an emotional & delicate brand voice will be a great starting point. Tapping into the pain point of women who haven’t used cannabis and show them how life-changing your product would be to them, the benefits, will go a very long way.

When devising your branding/marketing strategy, pay attention to the kind of woman would want your products. Does she suffer from a medical issue that your product can address? Is she looking for an alternative to alcohol that can help her relax?

Whichever traits you aim to focus on, have a specific idea of your consumer and speak her language.

4. Together with other women you create a great strategy for your brand

Yes, there are some men who understand women well enough to craft a successful marketing strategy for a female-owned business BUT in our experience, they are very hard to find! Working with other women in the industry will help leverage your messaging.

If you’re in doubt, ask Studio Linear

Interested in working with a female-owned team for your branding needs? We are not only a team of creatives but we are cannabis users ourselves! Feel free to set up a free call with us to chat more, we can't

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