- Pepsi and Shaquille O’Neal have developed a custom-built shoe that includes a special compartment that can fit a Pepsi Mini can into its sole. Shaq and Pepsi partnered last year to promote the smaller-sized can.
- The shoe, dubbed a “Sneak’er,” is a custom-created Reebok Pump Shaq Attaq shoe that was designed by Shoe Surgeon. Shaq showcased the kicks during the NBA’s All-Star weekend earlier this month.
- Pepsi gave 22 pairs of the shoe – the same number as the shoe’s size – to consumers last week as part of a sweepstakes promotion.
Pepsi and Shaquille O’Neal go back a long way. The two first came together in 1992 along with Reebok to launch the Reebok Pump Shaq Attaq shoe, and the brand reignited their partnership last year, with Shaq appearing in a marketing campaign for the brand’s 7.5-oz Pepsi Mini and Pepsi Zero Sugar Mini products.
That campaign highlighted the dichotomy between the seven-foot-one-inch basketball player and the smaller-sized can. The shoe promotion takes that tactic a step further as Shaq’s size 22 shoes are big enough to support a compartment for the can.
In addition to the compartment, other features of the custom-created shoe include redesigning the iconic air pump on the tongue to resemble the Pepsi Globe and using Pepsi’s signature electric blue and black color scheme throughout. “The Pepsi ‘Sneak’er is the latest in a long line of groundbreaking innovations we have had at Pepsi with our incredible partner, Shaq,” said Todd Kaplan, Pepsi’s chief marketing officer, in a statement. “While a Pepsi Mini Can is small enough to fit in anyone’s pocket, Shaq is one of the only people with a shoe big enough to comfortably fit one in his shoe, so we can’t wait for consumers to get their hands (and feet!) on this once-in-a-lifetime collab.”
