What Apple taught me about cannabis branding and customer experience
I worked with Steve Jobs. Well, not really. I worked at Apple while Jobs was still the chief executive, right around the time the first iPad hit shelves and we were all fascinated with the beer-drinking simulator app and the Paper Toss game.
Working in sales at Apple in the early 2000s meant I got a crash course on how to develop an iconic brand and sell products in a way that generates lifelong customers, all while wearing baggy jeans.
Rethinking sales: It’s about trust, not upselling
Prior to working at Apple, I had a misguided view of sales. I thought all salespeople needed to upsell the most expensive item in the store. Turns out, Apple had a different playbook. The goal wasn’t to sell the priciest gadget; it was to sell the right gadget.
Often a customer would walk in and say, “Give me the biggest, baddest desktop you have.” But Apple taught sales reps to slow down the process and ask questions. What do you do? How are you planning to use this machine? Why do you think you need so much hard drive space or RAM? By the end of the conversation, it usually became clear the customer needed something way cheaper than what they initially expected.
If all someone needed was a machine to check email and watch YouTube, I wasn’t going to convince them they needed a NASA-level supercomputer. And guess what? That approach built trust. People would come back and ask for me by name. They weren’t just customers at that point. They had become loyal fans of the brand.
Why intentional design creates loyal customers
Apple’s philosophy stuck with me as I advanced in my career and started my own marketing and branding agency for cannabis businesses. I know a one-time sale means little if the customer doesn’t buy from you ever again. Great brands aren’t built on aggressive sales tactics. They’re built on relationships.
What cannabis dispensaries can learn from tech retail
If you walk into a dispensary today, odds are the vibe is either sleek and minimalist with glass and wood (like an Apple Store) or crammed with mismatched displays like a convenience store. It’s obvious brands have taken cues from the tech world, but the industry is still young and many businesses are figuring things out as they go.
This is where the Apple mindset comes into play. Cannabis branding is more than just a cool logo; it’s about creating an experience. At Apple, every product, every box, every store was meticulously designed to reflect the brand’s essence. Cannabis brands need that same intentionality—not just so they look good but also so they build trust, loyalty, and long-term success.
Aesthetic alone isn’t enough—branding must reflect identity
Of course, not everyone is looking for the sleek, white-box aesthetic. Some brands embrace neon, pot leaves, and classic stoner culture. And that’s fine. Great branding isn’t about forcing one style. Instead, great branding involves understanding your audience and telling your story in a way that resonates.
At its heart, great branding is about creating experiences, emotions, and even cultural moments. Remember when Apple released the first iPhone? That moment marked a cultural shift that shaped not only the mobile phone industry but also our daily lives.
The heart of cannabis branding: authenticity and innovation
Sure, good design and marketing are crucial, but they can take a brand only so far. Authenticity and innovation are what make brands stand out and build trust. Apple is iconic because the products and the people selling them are reliable. Diehard Apple users are on their fourteenth iPhone. We keep buying the next generation because we trust the new model is going to mesh with our lifestyles and workplace needs.
So, what’s the secret sauce? Killer design, trustworthy branding, and a customer experience that makes people feel like they’re part of something bigger are all essential components of Apple’s success. Cannabis brands need those same ingredients—because at the end of the day cannabis, like Apple, is more than just a collection of products. It’s a movement. The brands that embrace that truth will last.
Can cannabis brands reach icon status?
Brands that attain icon status evoke a feeling or lifestyle. Sure, there are plenty of notable cannabis companies, but far fewer truly memorable brands. Cookies, Stiiizy, and a handful of others come to mind, but there is no cannabis brand with the significance of a Nike or Apple. Currently, there’s no individual cannabis brand that defines the culture at a mainstream level.
Until federal legalization opens the floodgates, we’re stuck in a fragmented market where most companies are forced to think locally rather than nationally. But that doesn’t mean they can’t build something iconic.
The secret to long-term branding success
Cannabis branding is a balancing act. On one hand, regulation threatens to squeeze the creativity out of the industry, forcing companies into compliance-first, personality-second branding. On the other hand, trends evolve. Like fashion, branding is cyclical, and the cannabis brands that thrive will be the ones that adapt without losing their core identity.
But the real key to longevity? Authenticity. The great brands—the ones that will stand the test of time—are the ones that build real connections with their customers. And when the first true “Apple of cannabis” emerges, you can bet it’ll be a brand that understands this at its core.
Key takeaways for cannabis executives
- Great cannabis branding starts with knowing your customer.
- Design and experience should reflect your brand’s identity, not just a trend.
- Authenticity builds trust—and trust builds loyalty.
- The “Apple of cannabis” will be the brand that connects on a cultural level.
As founder and CEO of CannaPlanners, Will Read brings a no-nonsense approach to disrupting the industry. His background is as dynamic as his leadership style, spanning music, tech, and entrepreneurship. After sharpening his business-development skills at Apple, he launched CannaPlanners in 2016 to normalize cannabis through bold design and next-level digital marketing.
