Build Your Cannabis Brand Identity with The Right Swag

by Samantha Sage

As the US legal cannabis industry settles into its second decade of existence, one thing that's clear is market oversaturation acts as a major hurdle for brands of all sizes in every developed legal state. For the OG "Green Rush" states like Colorado, Oregon, California and Washington, creating a brand with a clear identity that stands out from the crowd and reflects product offerings that keep customers coming back has been especially essential to long-term survival in overcrowded local markets.

One of the key tactics for creating a solidified brand identity lies in selecting promotional swag and customized apparel merch that speaks to what your brand stands for, what price point your products command, and what values your production team adheres to when crafting your cannabis products.

In this blog entry, we'll demonstrate how selecting and leveraging the right swag items to align with your mission, market placement, and vibe is essential to building your brand's central identity - and finding fans who will resonate with it and support you!

Our team of cannabis swag specialists has been helping cannabis businesses effectively message their offerings and values since 2015. Whether your brand offers best-value CPGs or ultra-premium fresh flower,  we can match your marketing team with the right custom apparel and promotional products to get your logo seen and remembered.

Read on to learn how to build your brand identity in the cannabis industry:

Custom Decorated Apparel That Represents Your Brand's Vibe

Across every industry that utilizies promotional products, printed t-shirts and decorated apparel are consistently the most popular categories of items purchased. Why is that? 

Not only is branded apparel a universally useful item (everyone in modern society has to wear clothes!); industry research also indicates that 
branded apparel generates consistent excitement
in the recipient. People almost always love receiving free t-shirts, and especially free hoodies or other outerwear for premium giveaway needs.

If the designs are inventive and the construction quality of your branded apparel is perceived as high-value enough, you can even ask a fine margin on selling price for your cannabis merch, and your loyal fans will be willing to purchase to rep your brand!

Which brings up an important point - when you're ordering custom decorated t-shirts and other apparel, it may be tempting to choose the cheapest shirt style and print shop available to stretch your budget. But if you've ever received a free t-shirt with an unattractive boxy cut, scratchy uncomfortable fabric, or a sub-par print job, then you likely already understand why this is a bad idea for your brand's image. 

The look, feel, and fit of your custom t-shirts is just as important as the art and imprint method you choose to decorate them. For materials, consider what fabric best reflects your brand's vibe. Is it a soft, comfortable tee in a streetwear-informed weight for your laid-back cannabis brand? Or an eco-friendly material like an organic cotton/hemp fiber blend for your sustainability focused business? Maybe even name-brand apparel for a more upscale cannabis brand looking to appeal to traditional retail sensibilities?

Whatever your mission, product price point, and market placement may be, you can find ways to reflect your unique cannabis brand identity with the right apparel style. Not sure where to begin? Our swag specialist are here to help guide you! Just tell us a little about your brand's marketing and we'll match you with 2-3 shirt options tailored to your needs out of the thousands of options available.

The same goes for accessories like beanies, scarves, and outerwear like hoodies and jackets. A little extra investment into quality construction and styling that aligns with your cannabis brand ethos will go a long way toward increasing desirability in your custom branded merch.

Once you've decided on the right type of apparel to decorate with your logo or custom art, it's then vital to determine the best decoration method to accurately capture your art in a way that brand fans will want to wear.

While screenprinting is still the go-to decoration method on most t-shirt and hoodie materials - and can give incredible depth and detail - it does have its limitations. Aside from the inability to reproduce certain fine details at size and repeatable gradients, and the high cost of multi-color screenprinting with mutliple set-up charges, screenprinting is also not always able to provide the most exciting end result for all art.

That's where next-gen methods like all-over dye sublimation and digital direct-to-garment printing come in! These apparel decoration methods can capture art pieces never before possible to replicate with screenprinting. Now your cannabis brand can faithfully reflect any gold gradients in your logos, trippy tie-dye backgrounds, and deeply detailed art on custom t-shirts at a more economical price than full color screenprinting can offer. Digital prints also allow for lower order minimums - perfect for limited edition designs that your fans will clamor over! 

Curious about what it would cost to print your art on custom T-shirts? Simply send us your cannabis brand logo and/or art files to see what's possible - with free custom mock-ups included with quoting! You can also be the first to know about new apparel style releases by subscribing to our newsletter for bi-weekly swag updates sent straight to your inbox. 

Now that you're familiar with how well-executed customized apparel can transform customers into walking billboards, consider how the right swag items can make your brand fans into daily brand ambassadors...

Not Cheap Plastic Giveaways - Choosing Intentional Swag Customers Will Keep & Use

If you've ever been to a trade show, you've likely seen the mountains of budget pens, stress toys, and branded "cheap plastic stuff" that many booths will have piled high on their tables. And the piles tend to stay high, as visitors often choose not to take any of these common, low-value promotional products that they perceive as junk.

Our decades in the promo industry have showed us that utility and quality are the two biggest driving factors in whether or not your swag gets kept, and thus whether or not your swag choice provides a positive marketing return for your brand.

When it comes to useful promos, it's vital to consider how your cannabis products fit into your customer's lives, and which swag items would facilitate a more positive experience of consuming your products.

There are many promotional products that naturally align with cannabis consumption and common cannabis CPGs. Think about how your swag can encourage your brand fans to repeat their purchases and keep your brand top-of-mind.

For example, waterproof travel storage containers are ideal for taking edibles on-the-go. Premium stash jars and grinders in many materials can be digitally printed or laser engraved to match the quality of your flower. Dab tools with your choice of tip styles can be personalized with beautiful die-cast medallions or simple engraving for your extract brand's loyal fans. Our PuffCase combination pre-roll and BIC Lighter containers are a best-selling product for farms and dispensaries that offer house pre-rolls; add them as a point-of-sale add on for pre-roll purchases and throw the lighter in for free! 

However, it is extremely important to note that some state cannabis markets have heavy restrictions around free gifts and promotional giveaways - always be sure to review your state regulations to ensure compliance of your marketing plans before any expenditure! In doubt? Ask our swag specialists and we'll help you get to the bottom of it. We have clients in every state-legal market, so we likely have experience working within your state's cannabis marketing guidelines!

Equally as important as utility is the quality construction of your promotional products. Just like the look and feel of your branded apparel reflects the quality of your brand's marketing and products, so too does the form and function of your swag. When choosing what swag to best represent your cannabis brand, ensure that the construction of the item aligns with your brand's core values - think sustainability, premium feel, unique and novel design, or whatever else it is you want to come to mind when current and prospective shoppers think of your brand. Consider also the "unboxing experience" of your swag, especially for outreach kits used for influencer or business partner connections. The right custom packaging and presentation can help even budget-conscious items make a premium impact!

Bringing It All Together for A Cohesive Market Identity

We hope these insights into how choosing the right marketing materials helps build strong brand identity have given you solid ideas on how to make your brand better resonate with current and potential fans. 

Our team specializes in helping cannabis brands develop distinctive merchandising that excites customers and stands up to daily use. We'd be delighted to guide you through swag idea selection, decoration options, and design refinement to ensure your promotional products make the impact your brand deserves. Contact us today for assistance designing the most desirable marketing materials for your dispensary, farm, processor or edible brand.

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Samantha Sage is the Marketing Coordinator & Sales Assistant for Higher Promos. Sam has worked in many facets of the Oregon cannabis industry since 2018, and is now leveraging her 10+ years of multi-industry marketing experience to help cannabis businesses grow their brand and gain market share with quality promotional products. When Sam isn't researching new & unique cannabis swag options, you can find her hiking in the Oregon woods with her husband, watching motorsports, seshing with friends, or exploring Portland's vibrant local scenes.