When Klarna Thought the Future of Fintech Needed More Laid-Back Swagger
In 2019, Swedish payments company Klarna made an executive decision to deepen their brand identity by appointing Snoop Dogg as their official ‘Smoooth Ambassador.’ Not a smooth ambassador. A Smoooth one. With three o’s.
To mark this historic partnership, Klarna temporarily rebranded the artist as ‘Smoooth Dogg.’ The campaign included videos of Snoop reclining in pink silk pajamas on hyper-luxurious furniture, calmly side-eyeing floating cupcakes. The overarching message: buying now and paying later is best enjoyed with excessive chill.
While most brand partnerships traffic in subtle nods and awkward product placement, Klarna’s approach was aggressively relaxed. In one ad, a miniature pony is slow-motion trotting through a tastefully Scandinavian living room. Labelled ‘smoooth as Snoop Dogg himself,’ the pony became a meme, a mascot, and arguably, a metaphor. When asked about the surreal promotions, Snoop Dogg responded, ‘I’ve always been down with the smoothest way to live.’
Klarna wasn’t the only one serenaded by Snoop’s effortless ambiance. During the campaign, the rapper also invested in the company. That’s right: Snoop Dogg did not merely endorse the future of fintech – he bought into it. Financially.
Perhaps the most remarkable element of this entire collaboration was the total absence of irony. No winks, no nudges. Just pure, Scandinavian financial tech elegance, and Snoop Dogg lounging next to artfully frozen scoops of luxury. The result? Klarna’s brand awareness shot through the tasteful Scandinavian roof, and Snoop Dogg somehow became even more of a cultural constant.
Today, the phrase ‘smoooth’ is still associated with that one time the world of high finance finally met the man who has, for decades, made an entire career out of radical calmness.