No. 2 athletic-shoe brand Reebok again went head-to-head with No. 1 Nike in Super Bowl XXVIII, repeating their contest from recent years, and again deployed NBA great Shaquille O’Neal in one of its spots. (The other one, "In My Shoes," was shot and cut together during the game itself.)
"Shoot, Plass, Slam" draws on Shaq’s side job as a rapper: O’Neal had signed with Jive Records not long after entering the NBA and released his first album, “Shaq Diesel,” in fall of 1993. The record, which reached the No. 25 spot on the Billboard 200, included the track you hear in this ad.
The agency behind the ad, Chiat/Day, had actually been replaced by Leo Burnett on Reebok’s account the September prior in a decision that the marketer chalked up to growth plans in markets lacking much Chiat/Day presence. But its “Planet Reebok” work would continue into 1994, and the campaign itself would last until early 1996, when “This is my planet” took over.
Nike became the more frequent Super Bowl over the years, but viewers would see Reebok make a Super Bowl splash again in the 2003 game with Arnell Group’s “Terry Tate, Office Linebacker.”
Shaq also appeared in another 1994 Super Bowl ad, Pepsi's "Shaq Playground."
Directors: Allen and Albert Hughes, the twin brothers who directed "Menace II Society."
BRAND: Reebok
YEAR: 1994
AGENCY: Chiat/Day
SUPERBOWL: XXVIII
QUARTER AIRED: Q2