When the easiest number becomes the whole conversation, the rest of the product needs a better explanation.
That question came up in my conversation with Jason Harris and David Bavlnka about treating THC percentage as a complete product story. The wider marketing question applies beyond cannabis: what happens when customers are taught to compare only the simplest visible specification?
What does the number leave out?
Write down the qualities your customer would miss if they looked only at the headline figure. Keep the list relevant to the buying decision. More information is useful when it explains a meaningful difference; it becomes clutter when it simply displays everything the team knows.
How do you turn qualities into understandable language?
Ask how an informed customer would describe the distinction to a friend. Explain the process, use, design, or experience in concrete terms. Avoid replacing a thin numerical claim with a thick paragraph of adjectives.
A product page might need a clearer explanation of intended use, materials, or the choices made during production. Those details should be accurate and supportable. The exercise is to make the product easier to understand, not to invent a more flattering story.
What does a retailer need to explain the product?
Create a short product brief that answers the questions staff actually receive. Make the distinction easy to find on the page or menu. If the customer cannot locate the product or understand the description, a thoughtful brand story has little room to help.
What are people already repeating?
Ask the sales and retail teams which parts customers remember and where they still get confused. Use that feedback to refine the explanation. The words your team enjoys writing may differ from the words that make the choice clearer.
For the original conversation, watch Some Guys Talking with Jerome Baker Designs and Kaleidoscope Collective. For the operational follow through, use a shared retail launch brief. A useful product story should help the people responsible for explaining and delivering it.
Source credit: Expanded from Brian Holler’s public post about product quality and headline metrics. This version adds a new practical framework.