Solo Stove puts the ‘deep’ in deep dish with subterranean pizza-making class

Dive Brief:

• Solo Stove is taking pizza-making underground for a livestreamed stunt from Alabama’s Majestic Caverns, according to a news release. 
• The “Deepest Dish” event will see the outdoor lifestyle brand descend 10 stories into the historic cave system to host a deep-dish cooking class with chef Matt Frampton. Solo Stove claims the event, which promotes its pizza oven and iron cookware set, is potentially the deepest location a deep-dish pizza has ever been cooked or eaten.  
• Viewers can catch the broadcast on Facebook on Friday starting at 6 p.m. CT and enter to win prizes. The adventure-themed content builds on a more aggressive marketing strategy for Solo Stove that’s also included high-profile celebrity partnerships and new agency appointments. 

Dive Insight:

Solo Stove continues to turn up the gas on splashy marketing to draw customers to its line of outdoor products that includes the portable Pi Prime oven and Pi cast iron cookware. The “Deepest Dish” event has an adventurous flare, with a concept and promotional materials recalling genre classics like “Journey to the Center of the Earth.” At the same time, the social media livestream seeks to be educational, showcasing how consumers can use Solo Stove’s offerings to make better deep-dish pizza regardless of where they are.

To that end, the Solo Brands-owned company has tapped Frampton to guide the subterranean cooking class taking place in Majestic Caverns, a visually striking tourist attraction also known as “Alabama’s Big Cave.” The Urban Slicer Pizza Worx chef is a certified pizzaiolo, meaning he’s received formal training on how to best prepare pies. During the event, Solo Stove will post exclusive giveaways, discounts and prizes, including a Pi Prime and cookware bundle. 

Solo Stove began receiving wider attention late last year after unveiling a partnership with rapper and prolific pitchman Snoop Dogg. An initial announcement generated excitement as Snoop teased he was “giving up smoke,” leading to speculation that the artist well-known for his love of cannabis was putting the habit behind him. It was eventually revealed that the statement was in relation to his preference for Solo Stove’s smokeless firepit, not weed, a rug pull that generated a lot of positive media chatter. 

The effort developed with The Martin Agency later caused a stir after an executive at parent company Solo Brands stated that the campaign did not deliver the expected sales bump, with heavier marketing investments impacting financial performance. However, the firm noted that the celebrity-led push — Solo Stove’s first national advertising play — did raise brand awareness and connect with new audiences, which it has positioned as a win. In January, Solo Stove also launched its first ambassador team, a group that includes chef Ann Kim and outdoorsman Zachary Fowler that is separate from the Snoop Dogg work. 

Solo Brands kicked off the year with a leadership change and has adjusted the agency roster for its flagship brand. Solo Stove in March named indie shop PMG its media agency of record, with the goals of improving marketing efficiency, increasing demand and deepening consumer connections. The AOR relationship leverages PMG’s Alli data-driven marketing technology platform. 

“The Solo Stove brand and its leading portfolio of outdoor products have catapulted into the cultural conversation,” said George Popstefanov, founder and CEO of PMG, in a statement around the appointment last month. “We want to capture that interest by pairing it with a strategic, data-informed media strategy to give it the pull-through it needs to help scale its growth through customer acquisition and increased brand engagement. We’re excited about the possibilities of what we can do together.”