Snoop Dogg’s Viral "Give Up Smoke" Ad Leads To CEO Firing

BYCole Blake8.7K Views
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Masters Of Ceremony 2019
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 28: Snoop Dogg performs at Masters Of Ceremony 2019 at Barclays Center on June 28, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images)
Snoop Dogg’s "Give Up Smoke" campaign didn't cause any "substantial revenue increase" for Solo Stove.

Snoop Dogg's viral “Give Up Smoke” advertisement for Solo Stove has led to the firing of the company's CEO, John Merris. The company says that it saw no “substantial revenue increase," despite the cost and virality of the marketing campaign. Christopher Metz is now stepping in as Solo Stove's president, chief executive officer, and director of the board.

Interim CFO Andrea Tarbox explained the company's decision in a statement caught by Uproxx. “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,” she said. “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.”

Snoop Dogg Performs During "The High Road Tour"

AUSTIN, TX - AUGUST 21: Rapper Snoop Dogg performs onstage during 'The High Road Tour' at Austin360 Amphitheater on August 21, 2016 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Rick Kern/WireImage)

The advisement campaign quickly went viral when Snoop Dogg posted on social media: “Announcement: I’m giving up smoke.” After fans went into a panic, he expanded in a further post: “I know what you thinking — ‘Snoop, smoking’s kind of your whole thing.’ But I’m done with it. Done with the coughing and my clothes smelling all sticky-icky. I’m going smokeless.” Despite tricking a number of fans and catching the attention of many publications, Snoop's advertisement appears to have been in vain.

Snoop recently popped up in headlines when Drake shared a photo dump from 2023 to celebrate the new year on Instagram. In one of the pics, the Toronto rapper revealed that Snoop hand-rolled a blunt for him. "July 27th, 2023. Blunt rolled by Snoop Dogg. Death Row Records," a handwritten note from the rapper read. Be on the lookout for further updates on Snoop Dogg on HotNewHipHop.

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About The Author
Cole Blake is a current staff writer at HotNewHipHop based out of New York City. He began writing for the site as an intern back in 2018 while finishing his B.A. in Journalism at St. John’s University. In the time since, he’s covered a number of breaking stories for HNHH. These include the ongoing YSL RICO trial, the allegations surrounding Diddy, and much more. His work also extends outside of hip-hop, having written extensively about a myriad of topics including politics, sports, and pop culture. He’s attended several music festivals to provide coverage for the site as well, such as Rolling Loud and Governors Ball.
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