Cardi B stars in surreal new Reebok campaign

By

Robin Driver

Published
Jul 16, 2019

Boston-based sports and footwear brand Reebok has unveiled an unusual new campaign starring American rap superstar Cardi B and the Reebok Classic Club C Vintage sneaker.

 
Hitting digital, social and traditional media platforms, the fully integrated campaign is anchored by a one-minute short film entitled “Nails,” which sees Cardi B tie the laces of her sneakers with magically extending nails as she gets her hair done in a beauty salon.

Along with the Classic Club C Vintage, which began life as a performance tennis shoe in the 1980s before becoming a streetwear staple, the rapper can also be seen wearing the Reebok Classic Vector Crew.

Part of Reebok’s larger “Sport the Unexpected” campaign, which kicked off in March with “Storm the Court,” an equally surreal 90-second video featuring the Reebok Aztrek Double, “Nails” seeks to channel Cardi B’s convention-defying personal style and challenge ideas about what a sportswear campaign can be.

 
“The ‘Sport the Unexpected’ campaign celebrates bold, unapologetic risktakers who reshape culture – those who are anything but expected. We could not think of a better embodiment of that message than Cardi B,” said Reebok’s senior director of global marketing, Inga Stenta, in a release.

“Working with Cardi on ‘Nails’, we aimed to create a moment that is authentic to Cardi while breaking convention and doing something more engaging than a typical celebrity cameo.”

 
And Reebok looks to have found a strong brand partner in the rapper, with social commerce app Poshmark naming her as one of the most influential celebrities for consumers earlier this year, after her collaboration with Fashion Nova led to a spike in both listings and purchases of the brand’s products on the platform.
 
“Nails” was created for Reebok by San Francisco-based ad agency Venables Bell & Partners.