Create your customer avatar

Photo: Pictured here is the inside of a medical marijuana dispensary in California.

For me, creating a customer avatar is a little tricky because I don’t have a prototypical customer. Most medical marijuana patients suffer from AIDS, cancer and glaucoma, and those patients are of many different demographics: children, young adults, male, female, parents, grandparents, gay, straight, etc. However, they all share one thing in common – they strive to get better and are progressive thinkers in the world of medicine. They possess strong personalities even at times of physical weakness.

Therefore, my customer avatar participates in different hobbies and lifestyles (I tried creating three avatars, but the program only let me make one free one). One patient could enjoy a day on the playground, while another might love a good game of chess. Some patients can’t drive at all, while most older patients likely drive mid-sized, neutral-colored SUVs or sedans to fit friends or family. They may be a part of a big family, or they’re going through treatment without much support from loved ones. Most are likely to have dogs as companions since dogs can provide emotional support. Some of the younger patients could be adopted, but that wouldn’t affect their feelings about their sickness. The biggest thing, however, is that many of the symptoms patients experience make their bodies feel weaker and their minds are not as sharp, ultimately making them feel older than they are.

Because I’m not a medical marijuana patient suffering from a chronic illness, I don’t have much in common with my customer avatar because I don’t experience their symptoms and don’t qualify for the drug. However, that doesn’t mean we both enjoy the fun things in life: binging a new Netflix show, going to hockey games, taking a hot air balloon ride, going to Disney, etc. It’s likely I enjoy some of the hobbies they do because the demographic for marijuana patients is wide and varied, but I don’t understand the daily pain and frustration they face while treating their illnesses.