Photo: Solo Stove
A campaign featuring Snoop Dogg promoting Solo Stove, a maker of fire pits, generated billions in earned media impressions, but a sales shortfall and the exit of the brand’s CEO have some marketers wondering whether viral campaigns are overrated.
On Nov. 16, 2023, Snoop, famously known as a cannabis enthusiast, announced to his combined 129 million social media followers that he would be “giving up smoke,” leading to shocked reactions by fans. Four days later, fears were eased when it was revealed that the rapper’s comments were part of a Solo Stove campaign. He said, “I’m going smokeless — Solo Stove fixed fire. They take out the smoke.”
In the days after the campaign broke, Solo Stove gained more than 60,000 Instagram followers, related posts received more than 30 million engagements, and extensive media coverage was scored across mainstream outlets from CNN to People Magazine. Ad Age ranked the campaign at #18 on its list of The 40 Best Ads of 2023.
However, on Jan. 8, Solo Brands, Solo Stove’s parent, announced that it was axing its guidance as the campaign “raised brand awareness” but “did not lead to the sales lift” planned. CEO John Merris agreed to “mutually separate” from the company.
The shortfall led some marketing experts to conclude that the campaign arrived too late and celebrity campaigns overall are more about driving brand awareness than conversion.
Sam Joseph, chief revenue officer at Kyra, the creator agency, said in an Adweek column, “The idea is to grow awareness, bring in new audiences and turn them into customers over time, perhaps in the spring/summer period. A slow burn, you might say.”
Grace Clarke, founder of Grace Clarke Consulting, believes better coordination with creators, brand ambassadors, and top customers around the potential viral moment could have delivered a quicker sales payback. She told Ad Age the goal should be to “create arbitrage to amplify that virality.”
In a LinkedIn column, Nyah Chapman, founder and creative director of media agency Luxe List Media cited a disconnect between Snoop and the brand’s outdoor enthusiasts, “vague messaging,” and a lack of a “clear call to action” as possible shortcomings.
Fernando Machado, a brand advisor for plant-based food-tech company NotCo, believes Solo Stove’s campaign may pay off in time. He said in a column for Ad Age, “Yes, the top-of-the-funnel activity indeed drove awareness. Will it convert? Maybe. Depends on the target audience it reached, the price, the product, the placement, etc. And sometimes it does require a bit of time.”