SNOOP DOGG | Rolling Words | 2012
An Experience Turned to Smoke: Reading the Pages, Then Rolling Them / SNOOP DOGG "Rolling Words"
You read a book, then light up the page and smoke it. Who else but Snoop Dogg could get away with an idea this wild?
The problem
This project started as a promotion for Snoop's own rolling papers. As an icon of marijuana culture for over 20 years, rolling papers aren't just a product for him, they're a whole lifestyle. A normal ad wasn't going to turn any heads.
The insight
Each page is a rolling paper, printed with Snoop's lyrics in non-toxic ink. The idea is to do "reading" and "smoking" on the very same sheet of paper. You read the lyrics, then roll with that same paper. It's a moment where the product and the character line up perfectly.
The idea
The pages can be easily torn out along perforated lines, the cover and inner lining are made of hemp seed paper, and the spine itself is a matchbook striking surface. They didn't stop at a novelty item, they committed to building it as a real, fully functional book.
What happened
It won multiple awards, including at Cannes Lions and The One Show. The crowning touch: Harvard University itself requested it and added it to the permanent collection of Modern Books and Manuscripts.
Afterthought
Something meant to vanish as smoke ends up preserved forever. I love that contradiction. It's a moment where the sheer commitment to designing "read it, then smoke it" collided perfectly with the sheer believability of Snoop as a character.
Awards
- Cannes Lions Gold 2012
