Why Snoop Dogg fits in anywhere, even the Olympics
A rare Olympic pin is “viraling” its way around the internet, fast becoming one of the more talked about and desirable objects on Earth—playfully featuring the Olympic rings as smoke clouds puffed from the mouth of the world’s most famous proudly weed-smoking rapper and beloved NBC commentator for the Paris Olympics: Snoop Dogg.
The irony, of course, is that it’s safely assumed to be smoke from a substance banned at the Olympics. But, because it’s Snoop, it’s all good—there’s no moral fuss (nor should there be!) because everyone is too busy wondering why the Olympics and Snoop Dogg are a brand-match made in heaven … and why he’s become one of the most sought-after brand ambassadors of all time for all manner of brands.
Why Snoop plays well with others
Snoop has endorsed a staggering 43 brands since his first ’90s collaboration with Stüssy. Add in the seven brands he owns and promotes, and that brings the count to 50. The range and caliber of brands Snoop “fits” with—Dunkin’, Corona, Klarna, Gucci—defy the laws of marketing gravity. Teach us, Doggfather!
He’s always known success. In 1993, Snoop’s Dr. Dre-produced album Doggystyle became the best-selling global album in its first week. Its hit single got an entire generation to throw their hands in the air and wave them like they just don’t care, and millennials never stopped. When I was a teen in LA, no matter the zip code of your house party or prom, you heard Snoop and followed suit—he was viral way before it was a quotidian verb.
But don’t be fooled that nostalgia alone is driving Snoop’s latest swell; Snoop has always known his worth as a unifying icon. According to Death Row Records (which he bought in 2022): he was “a perfect blend of street, cool and fun, a combination that appeals to a universal audience. He wasn’t viewed as menacing or anti-white like other gangster rappers … Snoop Dogg was just cool.” Universally cool.
And straight-up. Snoop “keeps his mind on his money and his money on his mind”—he is explicit about his ambitions and talks transparently about business and brand deals. He confessed to Tiffany Haddish that he yessed a few endorsements “just for the money,” and this honesty and hustling of corporate America is respected by marketing-savvy millennials and Gen Z.
And consistent. Snoop’s style and vibe have been true since day one—his laid-back SoCal attitude, rhyming reactions, and interest in diverse music and people. Snoop embodies the best practices of a brand—he never strays from this core and helps people connect the dots. Snoop told Jimmy Fallon his Olympics tracksuit was “not an NBC thing, it’s an LBC thing,” citing his Long Beach roots while linking them to the brand he’s promoting, artfully making his endorsement feel smooth and legit.
Snoop endorsements guarantee boosts of attention and, when done right, sales, so it makes sense that so many brands are game to try. The best-performing brands follow Snoop’s lead and link product truths to his core equities, like Skechers, which saw a record $2 billion in sales following his Super Bowl ad with Martha Stewart. Others, like Solo Stove, lead with product and add a wink of Snoop, ultimately seeing an attention uptick but less sales impact. Why? Likely because it feels like an attempted growth shortcut, not a thing Snoop is dropping like it’s hot.
Culture-fit for the Olympics
Like all nations, the U.S. brings its best of the best to the Olympics, each with a story of realized dreams. Two archetypal ways to “make it” in America appear: “rugged individualism,” where you have the grit to pick yourself up by your bootstraps no matter what; and “be a yes man” (or woman), where you seize and make the most of every chance you encounter, trusting one might yield gold and glory. Snoop’s story is a rare alchemy of these archetypes and a balancing act of seemingly opposite ways of being.
He is totally chill and prolifically hard-working. He’s playful (even giggly) and serious about what matters; he thanks himself and constantly dishes respect to fellow strivers, artists and elders. Snoop speaks often and pridefully of his lawless gangster youth and, fully aware his path was lucky, creates different possibilities for youth like him today.
Snoop is always true to himself and unafraid to reinvent himself—he loves trying and building new things, and his humor is disarming. In America’s most divisive era, this ethos and attitude brings timely, refreshing Zen to the airwaves. Especially in an election year when brands avoid sides, Snoop reaches and catalyzes people across demographics and generations—an ultimate unifier. What Snoop likes, does and buys is something everyone can feel chill liking, doing and buying.
So, what better place than Paris’ world stage to promote a fun-loving, cool flavor of American patriotism that inspires common ground? And who better than Snoop—wrapped in an American flag shedding genuine tears during the national anthem—to deliver the message? No one. According to Snoop: “The Olympics brings everybody together, all countries together, all people together—yes, through competition, but peace and love and unity is the end goal.”
First published in AdWeek.