Pepsi’s New Mini Cans Get an Assist from Shaq

Pepsi has joined forces with basketball star Shaquille O’Neal on the launch campaign for Pepsi Mini cans, giving big props to the little package.

A commercial for the 7.5-oz cans, starring Shaq, began running on national television sports broadcasts in November 2023. Titled “I Wish,” the commercial continues in the tradition of Shaq’s Pepsi commercials from the 1990s.

Pepsi Mini cans are available in 6- and 10- packs in numerous Pepsi flavors, including Original, Zero Sugar, Wild Cherry, Diet, and Real Sugar. Original and Wild Cherry Pepsi are also available in a Mini can 30-pack.

The new commercial positions Pepsi Mini cans as the ideal accompaniment for snacks and meals, contrasting Shaq’s height with the can’s small size.

Shaq and Skee-Lo with the new Pepsi Mini cans. PEPSICO

The ad features a parody of Skee-Lo’s 1995 hip-hop song “I Wish I Was a Little Bit Taller,” replacing “taller” with “smaller.” In the earlier commercial, Shaq plays his size for laughs, squeezing into an airline seat with minimal leg room, lying in a too-short bed, and getting fitted for a “big and tall” suit.

Skee-Lo sings the parody theme song and also plays a cameo role in the ad. The Pepsi Mini campaign marks the first time Pepsi and Shaq have teamed up on a commercial in more than 20 years.