Qonkur Media Group

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president and founder of one of the largest Michigan cannabis brands. We started out last year and were in about eight stores. By January we were in 30 stores, and now it’s May and we’re in 98 stores.

What challenge were you trying to address with Qonkur Media Group?

I came to Qonkur Media Group (Qonkur) with the name and idea. I knew I wanted something luxurious and royal. Mike (President) and I had always talked about building an empire together, so we came up with the name “Empire”. They were able to do the logo, all of the packaging, and more. Their team brought my idea to life.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Qonkur came up with the logo, colors, style, and brand guide, as well as the logo applications for all of the packaging, website, billboards, Instagram, vendor tents, fliers, and apparel. We did a $200,000 billboard campaign with them for six months.

After we designed the packaging, everything blew up from there. Mike handled everything for us, including reaching out to all the vendors and licensed retailers here. My team was on standby, and after they got involved, the product sold itself. Right now, all we're responsible for is actually packaging the product and delivering it to the stores.

Additionally, Qonkur has been able to get us influencers and huge collaborations. We just did a million-dollar collaboration in which they were able to source the people, introduce the brand, and pretty much get us the meeting. They do all the legwork and discussion. All we have to do is show the product to these collaborators in order to ultimately sell the brand to them.

What is the team composition?

I work with Mike personally; he’s in all the meetings, and we work on a different level than the rest.

We have a client director specifically dedicated to us to make sure all of our requests are handled, three account managers for all of my people’s requests, marketing assistants that help us create graphics or get specific stuff done, and then four designers specifically on our payroll to work on our brand.

Additionally, there are more photographers and videographers that Qonkur has at their disposal. All in all, we use 30%–40% of all of their team.

How did you come to work with Qonkur Media Group?

When I originally started working with Mike, it was before I had the company, and he was working on his own. He was doing social media work for some dispensaries I had, and even then I knew he had potential. He was using all the money I was paying him back then to buy equipment and hire freelancers to help him work. I was his only client, and he was spending all of his money on me.

Then, when I had the money and license to create my company, I knew I had to go back with Mike. I linked up with him and was astonished to see that their space was amazing and he had 20–25 employees already. Now, they’ve flourished into at least 30–40 employees, and Qonkur is known for being one of the biggest cannabis marketers in Michigan.

When I first looked for him again, it was funny because I had forgotten how to spell "Qonkur" and I couldn’t find it. Then, I googled “cannabis marketing” and they were the first that popped up. He had changed his cell phone number, and after we linked up, we went out for a couple of drinks. I told him my idea and he told me he would make it happen. In a month or so, he had the entire brand identity crafted. We had no revisions or anything; it was ready to get fired up immediately, and I completely fell in love with it.

How much have you invested with them?

I’ve spent more than $5,000,000 in the past 16 months.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in April 2018, and the relationship is ongoing.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Just in the increase of stores that we’re in, we went up from three to 98 stores. In under a year, my sales increased by 3,100%. We don't even have a sales team because the product and its marketing are so good that people just want us in their stores, and we've just expanded our operations so we can continue to grow and create more inventory.

Similarly, when we first dropped our product line, we sold out within two weeks. We were anticipating that supply for three months, and we ran out. People loved our modern, hip brand and vision.

In summary, without Qonkur, I don’t think we’d be where we are today. I wouldn’t have a company because I wouldn’t have a good brand, and we all know that nowadays, the brand is more important than the product. Luckily for us, we have an amazing brand and an even more amazing product line.

How did Qonkur Media Group perform from a project management standpoint?

To be honest, their performance is beyond words; I can’t do it justice. I like solutions, and with Qonkur, if I have a problem, they have a solution.

Basically, any hiccup that we've had in the past has been rectified within 24–48 hours. If our product isn't in every store or our tent hasn't arrived in time, they'd resolve the issue. I’ve never had to wait for a status update or someone to get back at me — they’re always available.

For communication, I typically approach Mike via text message, but we’ve also used Monday and Slack.

What did you find most impressive about them?

No matter the date, time, or holiday, they always answer. They’ve never left us hanging, and whenever we need something, it’s immediately given to us. In fact, we have our own dedicated team. Plus, if needed, Mike easily contacts me with his account manager to talk to her. I don’t feel like just a client, I feel like this company is working just for me.

Additionally, they really know how to do branding.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The only thing I don’t like, and I can’t use this against them, is that my facility is in Detroit and they’re in Ferndale, which is like a 30-minute drive. Of course, being able to call has leveled out that playing field.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Always sit down with Mike and tell him your budget, because if you’re going to play around and you don’t know how much your budget is, then there’s going to be a lot of back-and-forth. Being specific with the budget lets them craft the right plan for you.

For example, when I tried calling, I told him we had a budget of a couple million dollars. He told me that he needed to know an exact number, and then he laid out everything for me. Therefore, being able to differentiate and be very specific about the budget helped us to stay a step ahead, because we knew what we were paying for and how much we were spending on billboards, packaging, labels, tents, digital ads, and so on.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner and founder of MKX Oil Co. We’re an edibles and vape brand.

What challenge were you trying to address with Qonkur Media Group?

I originally managed all of the brand’s social media and marketing efforts. I met Mike (President) and decided to give his business a chance. At the time, we were a big account for them.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Qonkur took over our marketing initiatives. For our social media marketing efforts, they create content such as posts and graphics. Their team works on Instagram, Facebook, Snap Chat, and YouTube. I created the logo and designs but Qonkur helps process my designs into different formats.

Their team has helped with commercials, videos, and all kinds of other content as well as managed interactions with dispensary owners and managers for projects. They also redesigned every aspect of the website. 

What is the team composition?

There’s probably a team of 5–6 working on our project. They provide a project manager.

How did you come to work with Qonkur Media Group?

A friend posted a live graphic that I thought looked cool. I asked who created it for him and then he connected me with Qonkur. After talking and meeting with them, I hired Qonkur.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent more than $200,000 on their services so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started our ongoing partnership about a year and a half ago. We just paid a large retainer for them to handle everything on a monthly basis.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

Qonkur produces a good return. They relieve a lot of stress by handling a lot of work for us. Their team makes it effortless for us to deal with social media and marketing initiatives. They work quickly so products are timely. They make stellar art.

How did Qonkur Media Group perform from a project management standpoint?

We primarily communicate with their project manager via cell phone. They talk with someone from my company every day. I personally communicate with them once a week. Their team’s efficient.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their ability to achieve excellence stands out to me. For example, we had a video script for a commercial with Tommy Chong in Michigan. They dropped out at the last minute because he had to film a commercial in California. I called Mike and told him that I needed a couple of commercials for TikTok and Instagram. He pulled a group of 15 from other projects and had them work on a script that they handed to me within hours.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, everything’s great.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I recommend Qonkur.