Reebok Blacktop Campaign

Rupert Wainwright was hired by Reebok to create a campaign for Reebok’s Blacktop Shoes starring the comedian Sinbad. Wainwright was given only the vaguest of instructions so it was up to him to create the tone, style and direction of the entire campaign.

He came up with the idea to keep the camera rolling and Sinbad miked the entire shoot day. By creating a relaxed atmosphere on set and catching improved off-the-cuff remarks from Sinbad, Wainwright was able to gather hours of hilarious footage.

Wainwright shaped an astonishing 5 spots from only two days of shooting. The Blacktop campaign was phenomenally successful for Reebok and 1.8 million pairs of shoes were ordered, an amount that exceeded Reebok’s manufacturing capacity.

The campaign also earned Wainwright an Effie for most effective advertising campaign.