Snoop Dogg promotes a hard seltzer brand despite Corona deal

Snoop Dogg, who is a major figure in ads for Corona beer and Corona hard seltzer, this week was broadcast narrating his latest promo video for a competing hard seltzer brand called Happy Dad, declaring the latter’s newly released grape flavor “my new favorite drink.”

A clip aired this week as part of a podcast in which two of Happy Dad’s co-founders interviewed Donald Trump. The podcast has had 3.1 million views on YouTube since publishing Thursday.

It was not clear whether Snoop Dogg’s agreement with Corona included an exclusivity clause, or whether this appearance constitutes a violation of one. Constellation Brands, which markets Corona in the U.S., did not respond to requests for comment.

Asked about conflict with Corona, a Happy Dad spokesperson said its collaboration wasn’t with Snoop but with Death Row Records, which Snoop owns.

The brand, however, made little attempt to clarify that in press materials, titling an email “Snoop Dogg + Happy Dad Hard Seltzer” and including a photo of the rapper with the brand’s founders. “The strategic partnership with Snoop Dogg and Death Row Records looks to further expand Happy Dad’s visibility and accessibility to consumers beyond its well-established audience associated with the Nelk Boys, Full Send Podcast and Shots,” the brand said.

Also: See Snoop Dogg action figure in 19 Crimes wine ads

The Nelk Boys is an online entertainment company associated with pranks. The group co-founded Happy Dad. Nelk’s “Full Send” podcast, which featured Donald Trump this week, is part of the Shots podcast network.

Happy Dad’s grape packaging and cans have the Death Row Records branding. In the video, Snoop said he chose the grape flavor. He teased the plan in a Happy Dad social media post last month. Snoop is a “top-5” investor in the brand after taking an undisclosed stake, Beer Marketer's Insights reported today, citing a conversation with Happy Dad co-founder and CEO Sam Shahidi.

In an email comment from Happy Dad, Snoop said, “I’m excited for this Death Row Records collaboration with Happy Dad. I wanted to bring a new flavor just in time for spring and summer. So get you a refreshing cold Happy Dad Grape, sit back and enjoy the ride.”

The brand is clear about what it sees as the competition. “Happy Dad was inspired to convert beer drinkers to hard seltzer while filling a vacancy in a market that predominantly catered to female consumers,” according to press materials.

‘A particularly interesting one’

Snoop has appeared in Corona ads since 2020, promoting its beer and hard seltzer. He told Ad Age last year his criteria for choosing partnerships: “It has to have fun, and it has to have funds.”

Observers who do not know the details of Snoop’s agreement with Corona said they saw a gray area.

“I’m not privy to these deals but I’d have to assume whatever deal Snoop negotiated with Corona allows him to do this,” said Linda Goldstein, an ad lawyer and partner at Baker Hostetler. “It is somewhat unusual to see the same person in advertising for potentially competitive products.”

One veteran agency executive with experience in alcohol said brands traditionally pay endorsers not to appear in ads with competitors but some will waive exclusivity for a lower fee. “It is strange to see a celebrity you’re paying a lot of money to go to parallel categories because we’ve known for the last five or six years that seltzers have taken all their business out of the beer category,” said this person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “That’s a particularly interesting one.”