4 ways MedMen became #goals of the marijuana dispensary world

By: Roxanne Szal

@roxysizzle

The marijuana industry is exploding, but one brand in particular seems to be leading the charge: MedMen. In the months following the legalization of recreational cannabis in California on January 1 of this year, the company’s West Hollywood store reported a 480 percent increase in revenue, reports Ad Age.

So what is the company doing to stand out so dramatically? And what can other dispensary owners learn? Read on.

1. Make your dispensary somewhere people want to be.

While a marijuana business is unique in several aspects -- namely, its illegality still on a federal level and the sheer newness of the industry as a whole -- your dispensary is still just that: a business. Which means that the normal rules of business still apply: Create strong products, make users feel comfortable at your store and make them want to return. In other words, make it a worthwhile and enjoyable experience, for both new and returning customers, for those experienced in the industry and for those just beginning to dip their toes into the water.

On that topic, one obstacle of shopping for cannabis products has to do with users feeling safe and secure. Typically, dispensaries are found in less-than-desirable real estate locations. In fact, results from a three-year study in Denver indicate the location and presence of legal marijuana shops has been linked to higher levels of crime in surrounding areas. Traditional dispensaries are usually distinguished “for having bars on the windows and frosted glass,” writes Lindsay Rittenhouse for AdWeek.

MedMen executives have the user experience always on the forefront of their minds, including the feeling of safety for visitors.

“One of the components of our strategy is to ensure we’re a destination for retail shopping just as any other premium retailer—to ensure customers know they can go to safe neighborhoods where they don’t need to be ashamed of shopping for cannabis,” says David Dancer, MedMen’s newly appointed CMO.

Main takeaway: Put yourself in your shopper’s shoes. What would it be like to be a customer in your dispensary? In the surrounding neighborhood? How can you leverage your business’s real estate location to ensure it makes customers feel the way you want them to feel?

“We’re letting people know that we’ve found a home in iconic neighborhoods around L.A.,” Dancer said. “And that we’re in premium shopping districts.” / Ad Week

2. Set yourself apart from your competition.

As explained above, one way MedMen distinguishes itself from other dispensaries is through strategic geopositioning.

“In Southern California and Nevada, MedMen’s recreational dispensaries can be found in the affluent areas of Beverly Hills, Orange County, West Hollywood, Venice Beach and Las Vegas,” Rittenhouse writes.

Another way is through its internal layout.

Prompting some refer to MedMen as “the Apple Store of Weed,” all the locations rely on “brightly colored products, an emphasis on quality, and open, airy shops,” writes Kate Taylor for Business Insider. “MedMen is on its way to becoming perhaps the first American $1 billion marijuana startup thanks in part to its chain of slick, high-end marijuana dispensaries.”

The Orange County MedMen location in Santa Ana, California: Note the tables, bright lighting and iPads which allow users to browse leisurely through all available products. Knowledgeable employees circulate, checking in on customers that need help. / LA Times

"We want the store to show our vision of the future for cannabis," says Daniel Yi, a senior vice president at MedMen.

Yi and other MM execs work hard to create sleek places for any kind of customer, not just the brave.

3. Keep your branding consistent.

Nike has its swoosh and catchphrase “Just do it.”

McDonald’s has Ronald McDonald the Golden Arches.

Starbucks has that weird green mermaid.

The most successful companies recognize the importance of branding -- and MedMen is no exception.

MedMen’s attention-grabbing and repetitive ad campaign attempts to break down the typical stigma of the classic “stoner.” Laws prohibiting marijuana ads in prominent places like social media and major media outlets make advertising a unique challenge for canna-businesses, but MedMen has relied on a combination of outside and print ads to get its message across.

Ad Age writes, “MedMen made $2 million worth of media placements, covering more than 35 billboards as well as print buys in publications including OC Weekly, LA Magazine and San Diego Magazine. That's up from the $1.5 million spent on a campaign that in ran in January that used taglines like “‘Relax. It's legal.’ … As it seeks to spread the word with a new campaign, MedMen has been forced to become resourceful, including placing ads on the sides of trucks that deliver fruit and office supplies.”

Source: Ad Age

(It’s important to note: Last week, Facebook loosened previous restrictions by verifying some marijuana pages and allowing certain pages to show up in marijuana-related searches, allowing for more wiggle room for these legal-gray-area business, Benzinga reports.)

In-store branding is no exception. Customers leave the store with a fire-red shopping bag designed to be “iconic,” says CMO Dancer, and something they’re “proud of.”

Source: @ShopMedMen Twitter

4. Cast a wide net, targeting a wide variety of customers.

MedMen hopes to appeal to a wide variety of customers, moving beyond “stoner-centric” marketing strategies previously utilized by marijuana brands, Taylor writes.

One example is through its advertising. Alluded to above was MedMen’s new ad new campaign, "Forget Stoner," focused in California and Nevada.  “Ads seek to shatter stoner stereotypes by featuring a variety of people—including a police officer, an ex-NFL player, a grandmother and a teacher—who use cannabis for reasons including pain management,” writes E.J. Schultz for Ad Age.

In that vein, interest in marijuana as a medical option is growing: Some of the most popular marijuana articles in the past year have to do with using cannabis as an alternative to big pharma to treat certain diseases, like fibromyalgia and cancer, and their symptoms, according to BuzzSumo. By casting a wide marketing net, MedMen -- and other dispensaries that follow its lead -- create a multitude of customers that had previously felt shut out of the weed-purchasing experience.

-------------------

MedMen has enjoyed success by seemingly keeping the customer and her experience in mind at every turn. What are your main takeaways? How can you similarly optimize your user experience, turning first-time customers into lifetime repeats?
-------------------




Roxanne Szal is a University of Nebraska grad student studying Journalism and Mass Communications. She manages a blog at https://roxanneszalportfolio.wordpress.com that observes current issues on the forefront of not only journalism, but the world. Szal is a freelance blogger, content creator, and communications consultant ready to engage readers of all demographics with a thoughtful, clear and meaningful voice.


Check out her misogyny in the media watchdog project here: www.hownottobesexist.com.