Solo Stove CEO Resigns Following Snoop Dogg "Giving Up Smoke" Campaign
CEO John Merris will “mutually separate” from the company.
According to a report, the CEO at Solo Stove is resigning following its viral Snoop Dogg “Giving Up Smoke” campaign. Solo Brands, the parent company behind Solo Stove, announced earlier this week that CEO John Merris will “mutually separate” from the company with Vista Outdoor CEO Christopher Metz taking over as President, Chief Executive Officer, and Director of the Board.
In a statement Solo Stove Interim CFO Andrea Tarbox said, “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.” The start of the partnership with the legendary rapper saw Snoop share a tweet that read “giving up smoke” November 16, 2023, building on the statement with an ad for Solo Stove’s smokeless stoves days later.
While the partnership landed on the #18 spot of Ad Age’s 40 Best Ads of 2023 and scored Solo Stoves 60,000 new social media followers, the ad did not translate into sales.
Speaking to XXL, a spokesperson for Solo Stove shared, “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. It inserted our Solo Stove brand into cultural conversations, dramatically increased exposure for Solo Stove and laid the groundwork for future opportunities.”
“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, continued the statement.”
