Worcester Business Journal

32 Worcester Business Journal | October 25, 2021 | wbjournal.com F A C T B O O K M A N U F A C T U R I N G starts wi an idea. EVERY BUSINESS A N D S O M E O N E E L S E W H O B E L I E V E D I N I T. M E M B E R F D I C | M E M B E R D I F 2 7 8 P A R K A V E | 3 1 5 M A I N S T W O R C E S T E R P U B L I C M A R K E T I N T E R A C T I V E A T M countrybank.com/business starts wi an idea. EVERY BUSINESS A N D S O M E O N E E L S E W H O B E L I E V E D I N I T. M E M B E R F D I C | M E M B E R D I F 2 7 8 P A R K A V E | 3 1 5 M A I N S T W O R C E S T E R P U B L I C M A R K E T I N T E R A C T I V E A T M countrybank.com/business starts wi an idea. EVERY BUSINESS A N D S O M E O N E E L S E W H O B E L I E V E D I N I T. M E M B E R F D I C | M E M B E R D I F 2 7 8 P A R K A V E | 3 1 5 M A I N S T W O R C E S T E R P U B L I C M A R K E T I N T E R A C T I V E A T M countrybank.com/business starts wi an idea. EVERY BUSINESS A N D S O M E O N E E L S E W H O B E L I E V E D Mazin predicted cannabis brands will begin honing in on marketing to specific consumers in the next one to two years, a step away from the broad- range marketing occupying dispensary shelves today. From their vantage points, specificity may be cannabis' next big step. e Massachusetts market is still very young, defining itself against West Coast markets, which got off the ground before the East Coast's, and adapting quickly to a rapidly expanding industry. Jonsson said there tends to be a trickle-over effect, with products and technologies growing popular in California, first, before making their way to Massachusetts. But still, the two regions are far from alike. Mazin likened the distinction between the coasts' cannabis cultures to the differences between their music cultures – part of a whole but still very different. "When I think about the New England brand, I think about the Americana brand," Mazin said. Since lifestyles in the West are Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 0 $20K $40K $60K $80K $100K Worcester County U.S. $63,082 $53,489 $81,401 $73,397 2007 '08 '09 '10 '20 '19 '11 '12 '13 '14 '15 '16 '17 '18 Manufacturing employees average annual salary different from lifestyles in the East, branding and marketing should reflect that, he said. Touchstones among New England consumers, he said, include things like sports, Cape Cod, and visiting places like New Hampshire. He tries to incorporate those ideas in his own branding, using millwork and steelwork to invoke those vibes in his shops. At this point, as new dispensaries in Central Massachusetts open at a near-dizzying clip, with 58 retailers now having their final license – a far cry from the market's beginning, when there were only two options in the entire state – bringing customers not only in, but back, is essential to a store's business plan. at means clearly separating oneself from the competition. How that plays out, exactly, is a story still unfolding. "We're still in our infancy as an industry. We're just at the beginning," Mazin said. Continued from previous page W

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