News reaching Afrobeats+ indicates that John Merris, the CEO of Solo Stove, the company that featured Snoop Dogg in an advertisement campaign for a smokeless fire pit, has left the company following a failed promotion.
Some weeks back, Snopp Dog declared he had quit smoking only for him to come back after a few days to reveal that his comments were to promote the smokeless stoves.
The 52-year-old rapper aroused fan speculation when he declared he was “giving up smoking” in the Solo Stove commercial that aired on November 16.
Following the unorthodox marketing campaign’s failure to bring in significant revenue for the company, CEO, President, and Director John Merris of Solo Stove decided to “mutually separate” from the brand, as reported by Rolling Stone.
According to reports, former Vista Outdoor CEO Christopher Metz will be filling the vacant role.
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Merris, a former executive in the media and manufacturing industries, was recognized as the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Regional Winner.
In a statement, the company’s acting CFO, Andrea Tarbox, went into great detail about the consequences of the rap icon’s advertisement.
“Although we reached a wider and newer consumer base with our distinctive marketing campaigns, it did not result in the increase in sales that we had anticipated,” Tarbox stated.
Tarbox stated that although “increased marketing investments” negatively impact EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization), executives from the company are still hopeful that their endeavors will ultimately result in success.
“We think there’s a big chance for us to raise awareness, and these new campaigns will help our brands in the long run by reaching a wider audience,” Tarbox noted.
Merris estimated that 60,000 people became aware of the outdoor product for the first time, and the brand saw an increase in social media followers as a result of the Snoop Dogg campaign.
Snoop Dogg clarified that the previous message was in conjunction with an ad campaign after it went viral amid the artiste’s decades-long love for marijuana.
However, company officials claim that the campaign failed to generate significant revenue. Despite this, the ad campaign was praised by those in the advertising industry, with Ad Age listing it in their top 40 ads of the year.
