Snoop Dogg's 'Giving Up Smoke' Campaign Causes CEO to Resign

UPDATE (Jan. 17):

When asked for comment, a Solo Stove spokesperson forwarded along the following statement regarding the Snoop Dogg marketing campaign.

"Solo Brands’ recent marketing campaigns drove and continue to generate exposure to new audiences, enabling us to reach previously untapped customer categories. In particular, Solo Brands considers the viral Snoop Dogg campaign extremely successful," the statement read. "It inserted our Solo Stove brand into cultural conversations, dramatically increased exposure for Solo Stove and laid the groundwork for future opportunities.

The statement continued, "As we continue to push a marketing strategy that blends direct response marketing with brand awareness campaigns, we recognize that brand awareness campaigns have a longer-term conversion cycle. That said, we believe there is a nurturing process that has to occur for those potential new customers who are being made aware of our brand for the first time – and the continued investment in this strategy and our overall brand awareness will set us up for long-term success."

Original Story (Jan. 16):

Snoop Dogg's 'Giving Up Smoke' marketing campaign for Solo Stove has reportedly failed and caused the company's CEO to resign.

Snoop Dogg's "Giving Up Smoke" Campaign Fails to Boost Sales

On Monday (Jan. 15), Solo Brands—the company behind Solo Stove—announced its CEO John Merris will "mutually separate" from the company in the wake of the failed marketing campaign. Vista Outdoor CEO Christopher Metz has since taken over the role of President, Chief Executive Officer and director of the board, as reported by The Daily.

"While our unique marketing campaigns raised brand awareness of Solo Stove to an expanded and new audience of consumers, it did not lead to the sales lift that we had planned, which, combined with the increased marketing investments, negatively impacted our EBITDA,” Solo Stove Interim CFO Andrea Tarbox said in a statement. “We believe there is a significant opportunity for us to build awareness and that these new campaigns will expand our reach and benefit our brands over the long term.”

The move comes after Snoop Dogg fooled the public into thinking he was giving up marijuana when he tweeted he was "giving up smoke" on Nov. 16, 2023. The tweet ended up being the launch of a new partnership with Solo Stoves. Snoop clarified his statement in a commercial advertising the smokeless stoves on Nov. 20, 2023.

The commercial was initially seen as a success, with the outlet Ad Age ranking the collaboration at #18 on its list of the 40 best ads of 2023. Solo Stoves also gained 60,000 new social media followers after the advertisement aired. Unfortunately, while the commercial led to an increase in exposure for the company, the ad didn't translate into actual sales of the stove. Solo was forced to revise its revenue guidance for 2023, putting the range between $490 million and $500 million compared to its previous estimate of $520 to $540 million.

Snoop Dogg has yet to comment on the news. XXL has reached out to Solo Stove for comment.

Snoop Dogg Says He's "Giving Up Smoke," Fans Are Immediately Skeptical

Many fans of the weed-friendly rapper were immediately skeptical of Snoop Dogg when he announced he was "giving up smoke" back in 2023.

"After much consideration & conversation with my family, I've decided to give up smoke," Snoop wrote in a statement on social media. "Please respect my privacy at this time."

"If Snoop Dogg doesn't post a video about it I'm not believing it, you can't quit smoke when you are smoke," wrote one skeptical supporter on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Needless to say, the skeptics were right to question Snoop's claim.