Celebrity Name: Gucci Mane
Brand Name: HOKA (in partnership with Foot Locker)
Deal Type: Brand Campaign Partnership
Impact: Expands HOKA from performance running into lifestyle and streetwear, while reinforcing Gucci Mane’s image as a fit, fashion-conscious figure in hip-hop
- Gucci Mane stars in HOKA’s new campaign titled “Right Show, Wrong Gucci,” spotlighting the Bondi 7 sneaker exclusively at Foot Locker.
- The campaign features a viral twist: NBA referee James Williams, widely known as Gucci Mane’s real-life lookalike, appears in the ad as a Foot Locker employee.
- The featured shoe is the HOKA Bondi 7 in “Black/Silver” an ultra-cushioned lifestyle sneaker priced at $165 USD, available in-store and online at Foot Locker.
HOKA just dropped one of the most unexpected, and entertaining ad campaigns of 2026. Atlanta rap icon Gucci Mane has officially partnered with HOKA and Foot Locker to headline the new “Right Show, Wrong Gucci” campaign, shining a spotlight on the brand’s popular Bondi 7 sneaker.
The campaign cleverly taps into a long-running NBA inside joke: the uncanny resemblance between Gucci Mane and veteran referee James Williams.
In the campaign video, Gucci walks into a Foot Locker to shop for sneakers, only to be helped by Williams himself, playing a store employee. The moment ends with Gucci’s signature “Guwop!” ad-lib, keeping things authentically on-brand.
Just like Anderson .Paak brought his effortless cool to Pizza Hut’s recent campaign, Gucci Mane brings a personality-first approach here: letting the humor do the heavy lifting rather than relying on a hard sell.
At the heart of the campaign is the HOKA Bondi 7, a comfort-first lifestyle sneaker built with an open mesh upper and memory foam cushioning.
Gucci’s featured colorway arrives in a sleek “Black/Silver” finish, now available through Foot Locker for $165 USD. HOKA describes it simply: “Built for days that don’t slow down.”
The partnership signals HOKA’s deliberate push beyond its core performance-running audience into Hip-Hop and street culture; a move that mirrors how brands like Urban Outfitters have used celebrities like Zara Larsson to connect with lifestyle audiences.
For Gucci Mane, who famously transformed his lifestyle and physique over the past decade, the pairing with a comfort-meets-performance brand like HOKA feels surprisingly natural.
Takeaways
This campaign is a masterclass in cultural relevance meets smart casting. HOKA didn’t just hire a celebrity; they tapped into an existing cultural moment (the Gucci Mane/referee lookalike joke) that fans already love, making the campaign feel less like an ad and more like a collab the internet had been waiting for.
The Foot Locker retail angle also plays into HOKA’s growing wholesale strategy, which drove a 13% year-over-year increase in the brand’s sales.
For Gucci Mane, this adds another layer to his ever-expanding brand portfolio: a man who once made headlines for his lifestyle transformation is now the face of one of the fastest-growing sneaker brands in the world.
Will pairing comfort sneakers with a rap icon help HOKA win over a younger, style-driven audience? Could the “lookalike” angle be a blueprint for other brands to mine internet humor for campaigns?
