CORE Summit · Thursday, May 7, 2026
Marketing & branding
Where cannabis brands get built, picked up, and remembered.
Nina Parks
Equity Trade Network
Jessica Pichardo
Canna Luz
Thank you to our sponsor
Three sessions on marketing & branding.
White Labeling
Nina Parks · Equity Trade Network
Brand Development: Building Value Before You Launch
Nina Parks · Equity Trade Network
Integrating Your Brand into the Customer Experience
Jessica Pichardo · Canna Luz
What this track covers.
Session 01
White
Labeling
Presenter
Nina Parks
Equity Trade Network
Why white labeling?
A financially viable entry point.
Asset light
Curated
Collaborative
IP heavy
Compliance & licensing.
These are just guides. Consult an attorney to CYA.
- You must work with a licensed manufacturer and/or distributor.
- The licensed company must have its name and license number on labels.
- Get papered up. There are restrictions and regulations when you are a "financial interest owner" — which is why brand licensing agreements with quality control standards are so important and so distinct.
Reducing friction with licensed partners.
Clarity is key.
Make sure roles & responsibilities are clear.
Have clear, transparent manufacturing directives.
Licensing agreement.
Distribution agreement.
Three potential deal structures.
This is not legal advice. Please consult a lawyer before engaging in any deals.
Licensing deal.
- · Negotiate brand value minus hard cost.
- · Common range: 10–25% based on cost-to-market.
- · Brand owner collects on licensing fee & marketing.
- · Manufacturer / distributor collects on services, packing, labeling, compliance, transport, warehousing.
Front the production cost.
- · You front startup production cost to partners.
- · You cover materials, labor, overhead.
- · A little more control.
- · You still get paid based on your marketing efforts.
Fully collaborative.
- · Partners negotiate the value of the variables.
- · e.g. a 60 / 40 split.
An example formula (per unit).
A starting point.
Retailer Price = (Base Cost × Manufacturer Markup) + Royalty + Taxes & Fees
Quick example: a pre-roll.
Session 02
Brand Development:
Building Value
Before You Launch
Presenter
Nina Parks
Equity Trade Network
Building value before you launch.
What is a brand?
Connecting to people.
- What do you stand for? The meaning behind your logo — think Cookies' C, the Nike swoosh, the Polo pony, Toyota's rings.
- Who are your people?
- Why do they want or need what you're offering?
- How are you connecting with them? In person and digitally.
Defining Value
Contributing to people's lives in meaningful ways.
- Something they can trust?
- Something that satisfies a want or a need?
- Are they willing to exchange something for it?
- Is it special? Is it scarce?
Protecting your Brand
- Stay consistent and trustworthy — easier said than done.
- Build a relationship with an IP lawyer.
Session 03
Integrating Your Brand
into the Customer
Experience
Presenter
Jessica Pichardo
Canna Luz
In California, the sale
often happens before the store.
In markets like Sacramento, many customers are deciding what to buy before they ever step into a store — or never step in at all.
That decision happens:
On delivery platforms.
Through price comparison.
On familiarity, visibility, perceived value.
Your brand has to compete in that environment first.
Section · Visibility
Visibility is the
first barrier
Across shelf, search, and scroll.
How products are chosen in California.
Customers are navigating high-volume menus and price-heavy environments.
What shapes their decision:
Eye-level placement and staff recommendations matter.
Top placement, clean listings, and a strong first impression.
Your brand competes in a crowded, price-sensitive market.
California consumers are experienced and often comparison-shopping.
Your product needs to communicate quickly:
What it is.
Who it's for.
Why it's worth the price.
If your positioning is unclear, it gets lost. If it feels interchangeable, it gets compared on price.
Influence happens in two places.
Budtenders guide discovery.
Familiarity with your product increases the likelihood of a recommendation.
The platform replaces the conversation.
Filters, rankings, and descriptions determine what gets seen.
Your brand has to perform both with people and without them.
Price shapes perception in California.
Customers consistently compare across brands, formats, and retailers.
- · Price per gram or unit
- · Potency relative to price
- · Brand familiarity and trust
- · You get undercut.
- · Or overlooked.
- · You can justify your position in the market.
In a price-aware market, clarity around value is critical to maintaining margin and movement.
Placement is built through relationships.
Success in California depends on understanding and working within the full ecosystem.
Brands that perform well:
Support sell-through.
Build relationships at multiple levels.
Stay consistent across locations and platforms.
Getting placed is one step. Staying visible requires performance.
Where brands lose momentum.
- No clear differentiation beyond THC or price.
- Product descriptions that are vague or inconsistent.
- Limited or no budtender awareness.
- Inconsistent presence across retail and delivery platforms.
- Over-reliance on packaging without supporting sell-through.
When clarity, consistency, and support are missing, products stall — regardless of brand intent.
Closing
Connection
drives movement
Across shelf, menu, and experience.
Visibility
Is your product positioned to be seen in-store and online?
Clarity
Can someone understand what it is and why it matters quickly?
Confidence
Does the customer feel good choosing it at that price?
In California, brands that connect clearly and consistently are the ones that continue to move.
Entrepreneurship Program
LaunchMyCannabiz™
Entrepreneurship Program Series
Empowering entrepreneurs to build, launch, and scale successful cannabis businesses.
Contact us to enroll: hello@launchmycannabiz.com
CORE Summit · Thursday, May 7, 2026
Thank you
For joining us at the Summit Learning Sessions.