The chief executive officer (CEO) of the outdoor fire pit manufacturer behind the stunt involving Snoop Dogg claiming to give up smoking has stepped down after it failed to bring in the hoped-for spike in sales.
The world was stunned last year when Snoop Dogg released a video saying he had given up smoking, only for it to turn out to be a stunt to promote the smokeless outdoor fire pits made by Solo Stove. The video went viral across the world and even led to a rash of op-eds on the value of giving up smoking.
When a few days later it was revealed to be a stunt, the reaction was mixed. But what it didn’t do was lead to increased sales for the company, which had been the intention.
Now, John Merris, who was CEO of Solo Stove, has stepped down from his role after five years.
Solo Stove’s interim chief financial officer Andrea Tarbox stated in a release: “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.”
Financials always win out – and it shows that publicity doesn’t always convert into sales. But Merris, in a farewell message, emphasised how the company had developed in the five years he’d been in charge. This included growing the company’s revenue by nearly 50 times, completing a successful IPO and launching several new brands, among other achievements.
Meanwhile, Snoop Dogg remains a committed marijuana smoker and regularly posts about it and his prodigious habit – he even has his own personal joint roller – on his social media channels. Whether he still uses smokeless outdoor fire pits is not known.
