The influence of an influencer – it goes phy-gital

The rapper Snoop Dogg is at the center of new summer marketing efforts from brands. Some are physical – while others are digital. Corona and Jack in the Box are two brands partnering with the rapper, who has a long list of brand work and partnerships.

Jack in the Box has opened a pop-up restaurant themed after the rapper, Snoop Dogg at Inglewood for a very short time. The limited-time pop up is called Dogg in tha Boxx, and is located at 1220 Centinela Avenue. The Snoopified menu has a Snoop Munchie meal and a Snoopadelic Shake.

Apart from the Snoop-themed food items, fans can take a seat on Snoop’s throne and admire the lowriders, parked outside. Snoop Dogg is known to admire these vehicles, especially the Cadillac DeVille. The whole “Snoopified” 24-hour fast food location in Inglewood is to cater to crowds with after-hours cravings. The place is outfitted with a Snoop-themed mural, throne and also sells limited-edition merchandise.

This is not the first time the rapper has teamed up with Jack in the Box. In 2018, Snoop partnered with them on a Munchie Meal launch.

And in a complete swing the other way, Corona USA is opening the Corona Will Call Booth, which is an interactive digital site where – get this - Snoop Dogg is the guide who helps visitors win prizes from partners including MLB and LiveNation. Fans and customers will be able to access this through QR codes that are on Corona products and by adding their names to a will call list.

Snoop Dogg is a cultural icon and is almost ubiquitous when it comes to partnering with brands! He isn’t one who is shy about loading up the endorsements that he does! And regardless of how old he is, he only seems to get more creative and better with time, and as he ages! The older he gets, the wider spread and greater his influence, it appears! He has endorsed any brand from fintech companies to beer brands and curly fries!

Having said that, these brands – Corona and Jack in the Box – have tapped into his star power in very different ways! One is purely physical and the other digital.

Snoop Dogg being who he is, is well-known – and true to being a strong influencer, he can really make a difference to the brands he endorses – even if he endorses plenty of them. He is highly recognizable and that is a big draw for both of these brands.

Corona has partnered with him before – this is not their first time and so Snoop’s a tag that is familiar to the brand. He is cool and chill – and those are attributes that he transfers to the beer brand, through its association with him.

Jack in the Box has taken the power of the rapper into a brick-and-mortar play. Brands like to point out items on their menu as a celebrity favorite. And here the Munchie Meal, is Snoop’s, as everyone knows! This kind of thing drives a lot of social media buzz and also helps attract young consumer groups like Gen Z.

It is obvious from looking at just these two brands that getting an A-lister to endorse your brand is a very smart move. But brands need to be very careful. It is true that doing something like this can also attract the star’s fans to the brand. But when or if a brand ties up with a celebrity just to attract the attention of the fans that follow him, it can very quickly backfire on the brand. Gen Z is known for its cancel culture – they can be very quick to call out any inauthentic partnerships – deals done just for profits. So, it is very important that brands choose their influencers carefully and after a lot of thought.

Brands need to find someone that understands them – and their vision, and even have shared goals. Gone are the days when just slapping a famous face on the packaging got the product sold.

Snoop Dogg has shown by his longevity in the influencer business, before it was even a thing, that he supports the brands he endorses for real. All you need to do is just listen to him talk!