At Quaker City Mercantile, we have a long history of dealing with sensitive clients. We’re just not scared to go places most agencies won’t dare go. So when a Colorado-based, medical marijuana dispensary called us up we can’t say that we were exactly surprised. Considering that marijuana is now legal for medical use in 14 different states and generates $1 billion nationwide in revenue a year, we couldn’t see any reason not to look at these guys as legitimate clients. After working with Big Tobacco for 17 years, we knew a thing or two about brand building in the combustible category. Silverpeak Apothecary was really impressed by the dynamic brand worlds we’ve created for other clients like Hendrick’s Gin, Sailor Jerry and Art in the Age.

We started out by giving the place a name—everyone loved Silverpeak Apothecary—and setting about defining every aspect of the brand from its logo to what it would feel like when you walked into its retail space in downtown Aspen. (We’ve done a lot of work creating ambient experiences for other brands like Art in the Age and Sailor Jerry.) What we came up with was a premium apothecary vibe that was upscale, but still very down to earth and natural. Silverpeak Apothecary, Aspen’s first medical marijuana dispensary, opened in August 2009.  Since then, we took this feeling and translated it into a series of print ads and radio spots for the dispensary, as well as a line of t-shirts and branded products. The QCM designed website for Silverpeak will launch in Spring 2010.

The whole thing worked out really well. Our client is really buzzed about our work, and so are we. We’re actually pretty excited about the potential to help out other dispensaries around the country. We think there is a lot of opportunity to come up with really unique branding strategies to help these guys achieve their unique marketing goals. While other agencies have turned their backs on the immense opportunities in the medical marijuana industry, for fear of pissing off other corporate clients, QCM welcomes them to our client portfolio with open arms.