Pepsi teams with Shaq, Reebok for sneakers that carry mini cans

Dive Transient: 

• Pepsi has teamed with Reebok and basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal to create the Pepsi ‘Sneak’er, an authentic pair of Reebok Pump Shaq Attaq sneakers modified to suit a full Pepsi Mini Can into the only, based on a press launch. 
• The sneakers, created with the Shoe Surgeon, are tailor-made to O’Neal, who wears a whopping measurement 22, which is what allowed for the shoe’s {custom} compartment to be made. O’Neal debuted the sneakers through the 2024 NBA All Star Weekend. 
• A complete of twenty-two shoppers can rating the shoe, additionally all measurement 22, for themselves through a social media sweepstakes. The nostalgic play follows a earlier tie-up between Pepsi and O’Neal across the mini cans.

Dive Perception: 

Whereas O’Neal, who stands over seven ft tall, will not be the obvious alternative to advertise Pepsi Mini Cans, the retired athlete is taking fandom to new heights with the custom-tailored ‘Sneak’ers, which have been made to make sure that the mini cans are at all times “inside a leg’s attain.” Earlier than the duo’s newest tie-up, O’Neal additionally plugged Pepsi Mini Cans in a industrial soundtracked to a remix of Skee-Lo’s 1995 hit “I Want” that featured a twist on the track’s common chorus “I want I used to be a bit bit taller” to turn out to be “I want I used to be a bit bit smaller.” 

Crafted from an authentic pair of Reebok Pump Shaq Attaqs, the dimensions 22 Pepsi ‘Sneak’er, made with the Shoe Surgeon, come outfitted with an electrical blue leather-based chamber, which is custom-built to carry a Pepsi Mini can. Further options embody a {custom} colorway, which leverages Pepsi’s shade palette, electrical blue laces and the usage of the Pepsi Globe to exchange Reebok’s “pump,” per launch particulars. The design components of the shoe embody Pepsi’s visible overhaul final 12 months — its first in 14 years — that notably noticed it swap its muted blue shade scheme for a bolder, extra vibrant look.

The commemorative sneakers additionally characteristic nostalgic callbacks, with the design nodding to O’Neal’s first NBA group, Orlando Magic, which retired the icon’s No. 32 jersey on Feb. 13. The jersey represents the primary to be retired by the group. Moreover, the advertising and marketing play reunites Pepsi, Reebok and O’Neal, a trio that first got here collectively within the early ‘90s. 

In an additional nod to O’Neal’s shoe measurement, a further 22 sneakers might be up for grabs to 22 shoppers who share their love for Pepsi Mini Cans on social media and use the hashtags #PepsiMinis #Sweepstakes now by way of Feb. 25.

Nostalgia has been a serious theme for Pepsi following the kick-off of a advertising and marketing blitz final fall to commemorate the model’s one hundred and twenty fifth anniversary, a milestone celebration that has included a slew of callbacks to memorable moments of its previous, together with the Pepsi Problem and “Pepsi Lady” from the ’90s and the resurrection of previous commercials from stars like Madonna. The media blitz additionally served because the official introduction of the model’s visible overhaul, which additionally features a new brand and “pulse” motif.

PepsiCo noticed natural income enhance 4.5% in This autumn, a decline from the 14.6% natural income development reported throughout the identical interval the 12 months prior, based on an earnings assertion. The marketer additionally reported a decline in natural quantity, a shift that it attributed to shoppers’ rising desire for smaller pack sizes, which might clarify the latest emphasis on Pepsi’s 7.5-ounce mini cans. 

For the complete 12 months, PepsiCo’s North America Drinks division in 2023 noticed natural income enhance 7%. The corporate in its earnings assertion attributed investments in “promoting, digitalization, and go-to-market execution” for its success together with high-single-digit development from manufacturers Pepsi and Gatorade.