When Snoop Dogg announced he was “giving up smoke”, the hip hop world was stunned. Snoop, known for his chronic love of marijuana, declaring he was done with smoking seemed almost impossible to believe.
But it turns out, the Long Beach native was playing a brilliantly cunning joke on his fans and pulling off one of the savviest celebrity brand partnerships in recent memory.
Snoop’s video ad for Solo Stove’s smokeless fire pits opens with the iconic rapper somberly stating “I know what you’re thinking – smoke is kind of my whole thing. But I’m done with it.” Clad in all black with sunglasses on, he adopts a dead serious tone as he laments the downsides of smoking like coughing and stinky clothes.
Viewers are led to wholeheartedly believe Snoop is hanging up his lit blunt for good.
But then comes the sneakily cunning plot twist – he’s actually trading smoke for “Solo Stove fixed fire” that “takes out the smoke.” In one fell swoop, Snoop generates a social media frenzy, earns magazine headlines worldwide, and massively boosts awareness of his new partner’s product – all while never actually quitting his signature pastime.
It’s a marketing masterstroke that racked up millions of impression at virtually no true cost beyond some clever copywriting.
Of course, many criticized the ruse as misleading fans who thought Snoop was bettering his health, not peddling a fire pit.
But from a purely strategic advertising perspective, it’s hard not to admire the cunning ingenuity.
By playing on Snoop’s above-it-all stoner reputation and teasing a shocking lifestyle change, the ad crafted the perfect formula to generate earned media attention far beyond what any traditional celebrity endorsement could achieve.
While faking a major career shift to sell a product stirred ethical debates, Solo Stove unquestionably earned marketing nirvana through this playful pseudo-bait and switch.
They transformed Snoop from cannabis poster boy to smokeless salesman virtually overnight without forcing any real changes – a win-win partnership if there ever was one.
As marketers look to disrupt the traditional endorsement model, Snoop and Solo Stove’s smokeless switcheroo may just light the way forward in slyly subversive celebrity collaborations that keep audiences genuinely guessing, and garnering.
Whether misleading or a masterclass in consumer captivation, one thing is for sure – this is one Snoopcentric sales pitch people won’t soon forget.
Read more:
- No Walkers, No Game: David Beckham and Thierry Henry’s Advertising Masterclass
- KitKat Rides Windows Crash Wave With Brilliant “Red Screen of Death” Advert
- Nik Naks launches new ‘Cheesy Kota’ flavour with help from Maglera Doe Boy
- Adidas Captures the Lamine Yamal Story in, “The Goat and The Kid” Advert
- Apple Trolls Android in new ‘Privacy on iPhone’ Advert
1 thought on “Snoop Dogg’s Genius Solo Stove Ad is an example of clever copywriting”