Dive Brief:
- Lifestyle brand Solo Stove has welcomed an inaugural ambassador team with two new partners: Ann Kim, a James Beard Award-winning chef and restaurateur, and Zachary Fowler, an outdoorsmen and winner of The History Channel’s “Alone.”
- The ambassadors will seek to capture new customers through content and brand engagements, according to a company press release.
- The announcement comes on the heels of a campaign with Snoop Dogg last fall that failed to generate significant sales increases.
Dive Insight:
Solo Brands, the parent company of Solo Stove, hopes to grow consumer awareness through the ambassador appointments.
Fowler has over 1.2 million followers on Facebook and another 1.5 million on his YouTube channel where he showcases his passion and knowledge for the outdoors. Through the brand partnership, Fowler will integrate Solo Stove’s smokeless fire pits and grill accessories in his wild cooking demonstrations.
Kim appeared on the Netflix's docuseries “Chef's Table,” which explored her story from immigrating to the U.S. and becoming the first woman and person of color from Minneapolis to receive the James Beard award for "Best Chef Midwest." Kim is known for her pizza and wood-fired dishes that are inspired by her Korean heritage, and she will use Solo Stove’s Pi Pizza Oven to continue to showcase her dishes.
"Brand ambassadors are people you can point to and say, 'That's what our brand stands for,'" Justin Lake, creative director at Solo Stove, said in a statement. "We appreciate and embrace diverse takes of our brand. Ann and Zachary contribute totally unique backgrounds, but what they have in common is a love of the outdoors, fire, food, togetherness, and turning good moments into lasting memories."
When Solo Stove launched its campaign with Snoop Dogg in November, the campaign generated earned media and received a bump in social engagement. However, it didn’t deliver the expected sales.
The company is also experiencing a leadership change. Earlier this month, Solo Brands announced the departure of John Merris as CEO after five years with the company. Christopher Metz, most recently CEO of Vista Outdoor, succeeded Merris.
At the same time, the company lowered its guidance for the fiscal year after missing direct sales projections in the fourth quarter. Solo Brands now expects revenue to be between $490 million and $500 million, down from earlier guidance of $520 million to $540 million. Its adjusted EBITDA margin is also expected to be 14% to 15%, down from 17% to 18%.
“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,” Andrea Tarbox, interim chief financial officer, said in a statement earlier this month. “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.”
