Ladyjane: Empowering Cannabis Businesses Through Inexpensive Branding

Ladyjane Branding is a branding services firm devoted to helping cannabis businesses develop smart, strategic and consistent brands that create deep connections with consumers.

“Our mission is to help startups stand out and sell more,” Jennifer Whetzel, the company’s founder, told Benzinga. 

Using Brand Archetypes For The Cannabis Industry

Archetypes are universal characters used in storytelling: if you hear "hero," "outlaw" or "lover," you instinctively assume that a hero is courageous, an outlaw is disruptive and a lover is sensual. 

The clue to getting brands to stick in people’s minds are memorable characters, and that’s where archetypes come along, Whetzel said. 

“At Ladyjane, we developed 16 archetypes that are specific to the cannabis industry, and brands can discover their archetype through our free brand archetype quiz.”

The brand archetypes include activist, doctor, hippie, rock star, stoner, farmer and healer. 

Once brands know their archetype, they can use those universal qualities in their branding and messaging.

That helps build an emotional connection with potential customers, because they understand the brand’s values and know instinctively that the brand is a good fit for them, Whetzel said. 

“This can help brands stay consistent in their branding. Consistency is a significant factor in building a strong, strategic brand," she said.

"If your brand is a doctor archetype, then it wouldn’t make sense to act or look like a stoner brand on occasion or vice versa. It confuses your customers." 

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Leveling The Playing Field

Ladyjane focuses on free and low-cost tools for hustling entrepreneurs to make sure everyone has the chance to make it in a fast-growing industry, the company's founder said. 

The output of the process is a creative brief, which is a roadmap for a brand's strategy, Whetzel said. 

“We want to empower our clients; we aren’t the type of agency to create your brand behind closed doors without your input before we present your options. Companies can use this brief when working with any creative partner so that everyone who works on the brand is singing from the same hymn book.”

Advice For Cannabis Brands

Instead of focusing on cannabis health claims, Whetzel recommends messaging that’s based on building an emotional connection.

“Let’s say you decide that your brand has the sensibility of a scientist; you’re on the cutting-edge and are excited to use research to make the next big discovery," she said.

"You might use words like 'innovation,' 'invention' and 'curiosity' to inspire your audience to pay attention to your brand. Those words build excitement while staying true to the scientific spirit of your brand, while sleek metals and cool tones will convey a modern sensibility in your design. In other words, everything comes together to tell the story of your brand.”

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Photo by Diego PH on Unsplash.