According to a recent report, Solo Stove CEO John Merris has resigned following the viral "Giving Up Smoke" campaign featuring Snoop Dogg. Solo Brands, Solo Stove's parent company, announced earlier this week that John Merris would "mutually" part ways with the company. Christopher Metz, CEO of Vista Outdoor, will take his place as president, CEO and board member.
Andrea Tarbox, Interim CFO of Solo Stove, said: “While our unique marketing campaigns have increased awareness of the Solo Stove brand to an expanded and new audience, this has not resulted in increased sales which, combined with increased marketing investments, had a negative impact on our EBITDA." The campaign with the legendary rapper began with a tweet from Snoop Dogg on November 16, 2023, announcing "Giving up smoke", followed a few days later by an ad for Solo Stove's smokeless stoves.
Although the campaign reached #18 on Ad Age's Top 40 Ads of 2023 and helped Solo Stove gain 60,000 new social media followers, it failed to translate into significant sales .
Statement from Solo Stove
A Solo Stove spokesperson told XXL: "Solo Brands' recent marketing campaigns have generated and continue to generate exposure to new audiences, allowing us to reach previously unexplored customer categories. In particular, The viral campaign with Snoop Dogg was extremely successful. It inserted our Solo Stove brand into cultural conversations, significantly increased Solo Stove's exposure, and laid the foundation for future opportunities."
The resignation of Solo Stove's CEO highlights the challenges companies face when trying to tie brand awareness campaigns to concrete sales results.
