Take, for instance, a recent viral ad campaign for a smokeless fire pit company called Solo Stove, based in Grapevine, that tapped rapper and notorious toker Snoop Dogg to speak for its product. The company's ad campaign didn't start as a straight commercial. It just pretended to be something else before its unveiling.
The campaign started in covert mode when Snoop posted a photo statement on his Instagram on Friday that read, "After much consideration and conversation with my family, I've decided to give up smoke. Please respect my privacy at this time."
Since there was no context to indicate that Snoop was talking about anything other than smoking weed, the internet took the statement to mean that Snoop Dogg was giving up smoking marijuana. The post even included a caption that read "I'm giving up smoke."
That was huge news, equivalent to Post Malone undergoing a face-tattoo removal or Nick Cannon getting a vasectomy.
That's when the internet does what it does best: take a story and run with it regardless of context or the lack thereof. Just about every major national and even global news outlet including Billboard, Sky News, Buzzfeed and The Hollywood Reporter ran with the story that Snoop was putting down the bong for good. Even the humor newspaper The Onion fell for it, turning the story into a setup for the punchlines in its "American Voices" column.
The post also had a big effect on the cannabis industry. According to Newsweek, the stock prices for cannabis brands Global X Cannabis ETF and Aurora Cannabis saw a noticable drop in the wake of Snoop's supposed announcement about his new smokeless lifestyle. Altria Group, one of the biggest cannabis brands in the world, endured a dip in its opening price after two promising days of trading.
That's how big Snoop is in the weed world. Imagine smoking so much pot that stock prices drop when you stop just to take a shower, grab a quick nap or even catch your breath.
A few days later, Snoop appeared in a longer video in which he discussed his new "smokeless" life. The camera slowly pulled away from him to reveal that the "smokeless" he's referring to is the lack of smoke coming from his new Solo Stove. Apparently, the original post and the whole story was just a clever ruse to capture the attention of the internet so Snoop could promote his new smokeless fire pit, which he designed with the Grapevine-based company Solo Stove, according to a post on his Instagram page on Tuesday.
Solo Stove issued a press release on Monday confirming that Snoop was giving up smoke, but not the kind of smoke that helped him produce some of the greatest hip-hop tracks in music history. The smoke in this case refers to the stuff that pours out of outdoor fire pits. Solo Stove announced that it was partnering with Snoop for a new line of Snoop Dogg x Solo Stove products, including a limited edition bonfire pit bearing the rapper's signature and other accessories.
Wow. You know that you've been punked when only the folks at High Times could figure out this whole thing was just a conniving marketing scheme before anyone else. The weed aficionado magazine questioned Snoop's initial post before catching on to some social media users' suggestions that the whole thing was just a way to cook up attention for a new product that has nothing to do with marijuana.
We reached out to Solo Stove and a representative of the company's PR campaign but our messages weren't returned or answered by press time.
