Sweet Flower

THE CLIENT:

Sweet Flower is a Los Angeles-based cannabis dispensary with an approachable, inclusive, and uplifting approach. They source and sell products known for quality, purity, sustainability, and equitable values. Sweet Flower wants to shape the cannabis experience into a mindful sensory experience akin to choosing a craft beer or a vintage wine, and offer value to the new and seasoned customer alike.

MY ROLE:

After working with a creative agency to develop their brand identity, Sweet Flower hired me and my graphic design partner to take the identity and create the functional elements of the brand. I began with customer research and ICP development, comparative analysis and overall brand positioning strategy, and brand storytelling pillars (mission, vision, brand story, key messaging, taglines, brand phrases.) Next, we developed all store merchandising to create a unique, differentiated experience. This included packaging for an in-house cannabis flower line, merchandising for all cannabis flower, instore guides for customer education and engagement, loyalty program ideation and supporting assets, and online content.

My work clarified the brand difference and values, speak to a new type of cannabis customer, and solve the challenge of low customer-to-retail-associate-engagement through merchandising assets that acted as a bridge and inviting conversation (essentially, a low=pressure soft-sell). Sweet Flower had a clear idea about how they wanted to come across, and how they wanted customers to feel after visiting the website, app, or store, and that was communicated in the visual identity but not in the messaging, content, merchandising, or any other customer-facing element (online or in stores). As the brand strategist and copywriter, I was responsible for defining the ICP, understanding key players and the historical “way things are done” in the cannabis industry, as well as building the overall brand voice, tone, and core brand story that translated to copy and communications rules for all content across digital touchpoinst and then shaped the in-store customer experience. I led ideation then worked with my design partner to create the print and packaging assets, all aimed at solving the challenges relating to customer experience and engagement, and Sweet Flower’s goal of creating a new and unique cannabis shopping experience for a different type of customer.

MY CONTRIBUTION:

Since our client, Sweet Flower, came to us wanting to improve their digital and in-store customer experience and solve some stubborn challenges while trying to reach a new customer niche, I began the project with an audit of existing content and messaging in the marketplace, a comparative market analysis of leading dispensaries, and customer research of their target customer. I then created a content style guide that clarified and defined their brand story pillars and guided all print and digital communications, ensuring a consistently voice, tone, and message in all customer interactions (web, app, in-store, social, ads, emails). During this phase, I also created key brand phrases and naming conventions that brought personality and recognizability to the brand.

Next, I created merchandising concepts alongside my designer that guided a customer’s journey through the store, making it both a self-serve educational experience to pique interest, help a customer feel more comfortable in the space, and then prompt or invite engagement with the store associates. This solved the challenge of customers within the client’s target marketing coming into stores and feeling apprehensive of salespeople if they just wanted to browse, or self-conscious about their interest (or lack of knowledge) in cannabis, then leaving feeling overwhelmed and out of place. We placed a heavy emphasis on individual product education as well as the brand values of Sweet Flower as a company, which was a defining difference of the company within the broader cannabis marketplace. This differentiated our client as a value-focused dispensary approaching cannabis like a craft beer or vintage wine, which was hugely appealing to their target customer. By emphasizing these values in-store and on web, app, social, email, it was easier to connect with and welcome their target customers and improved the experience of people who were otherwise uncomfortable in the cannabis retail space.

RESULTS:

Our work was well received by the client and immediately transitioned to an expanded list of deliverables so as to further build upon the customer experience journey I conceptualized. Sweet Flower was able to define its place in the competitive cannabis market as an approachable, values-driven retailer and immediately saw increased customer-associate engagement which translated to accelerated sales, brand loyalty, and customer retention. The company has since doubled its year-on-year store revenues, won additional store licences (including two new stores and more to come), raised a $15M investment, and donated over $175K to community initiatives.