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October 15, 2026 — Carvana's newest ad puts Shaq inside one of its glass vending machines, not just as a pitchman but as an unexpected in-tower host for customers expecting a routine pickup. The spot, directed by Win Bates and produced by Good Behavior, extends the "Shaqvana" campaign that debuted last fall. It broke online in September and continues to roll out as Carvana leans into a partnership built on genuine curiosity rather than a standard endorsement deal. Here's what's behind the campaign, the strategy it signals, and what Bates learned about sharing a set with a 7-footer.
The spot: Shaq moves in
The concept is simple, and that's its strength. Shoppers arrive at a Carvana vending machine expecting the company's usual choreographed delivery and instead find Shaq running the tower like a personal penthouse. Everything about the scene is built to make people double-take: the scale of the machine, the absurdity of a retired NBA superstar on premises, and a joke at the center of the film — the views are great, but he's not exactly what customers ordered.
The creative roster reflects Carvana's appetite for comedy-first storytelling. Win Bates directed through Good Behavior, Jay Nelson of Cut & Run handled the edit, and Andre Langdal served as lead cinematographer. Matt McIntyre's production design gives the tower interior a clean, slightly theatrical look that lets Shaq dominate every frame.
How the partnership got here
This didn't start as a typical celebrity endorsement. Shaq had been publicly fascinated with Carvana's vending machines for years — the multi-story automated structures that deliver purchases like oversized arcade prizes — long before the company ever approached him. That organic enthusiasm is what made the pairing feel natural rather than transactional.
The first "Shaqvana" chapter arrived last fall, establishing Shaq as Carvana's ambassador with his signature mix of humor and scale. This new film is the follow-up, pushing the concept further by placing him at the center of the brand's most recognizable asset. The more important signal is structural: this is a campaign evolving in chapters, not a one-shot commercial. That suggests a partnership Carvana intends to sustain rather than rotate.
Why the vending machine still works
Ryan Keeton, Carvana's co-founder and chief brand officer, framed the new spot as the inevitable next move. "Shaq doesn't do anything small, so of course his next move was setting up shop in one of our largest vending machines," Keeton said. He described the work as the next chapter of the partnership and said the team is eager to keep finding new ways to bring Shaq's personality into the brand.
The strategy holds up on paper. Since opening its first vending machine in Nashville in 2015, Carvana has built the towers into both a logistics network and a visual identity. They show up in nearly every brand mention and have become local landmarks in the cities where they operate. Pairing that iconography with Shaq — an entertainer who is himself something of a landmark — creates a two-for-one visual: an instantly readable message about how Carvana is different from the dealership down the street.
There's a practical marketing angle as well. Continuing a proven partnership is less risky than debuting a new celebrity every cycle. Shaq brings an established comedic register and broad generational recognition, so the campaign refreshes itself without losing continuity — and Carvana avoids paying a discovery cost on a new face. The company has also spent the past few years focused on efficiency after a bruising stretch of rising interest rates and softer used-car pricing. A spot this visual tends to travel well beyond the paid media plan — clipped, commented on, shared — which extends reach without extra spend.
Bates' account from the set
Director Win Bates offered a lively account of what it meant to work with Shaq. "Shaq was hilarious and surprisingly not that tall," Bates said — a line that only works because the sarcasm is carrying a few hundred pounds of awkwardness.
The more surprising detail involved actual weather. At one point, Bates recalled, Shaq ran to the set through a thunderstorm wearing only boxer briefs, purely to protect his wardrobe from the rain. It's a small snapshot that says a lot about Shaq's approach on a job: no waiting for a production assistant with an umbrella, just an athlete sprinting through a downpour to keep the shoot moving.
The job also came with a performance review attached to a handshake. "If the commercial is good, it's me. And if it's bad, it's you," Shaq told Bates. The director's reply was diplomatic: "I really hope I did not let him down."
The exchange is funny, but it also highlights the division of labor on celebrity campaigns. The talent makes the ad watchable; the director and crew make the ad good. Bates now owns that risk — and, to judge by the handshake, he accepted it willingly.
Credits
Carvana
Good Behavior
Editing: Jay Nelson, Cut & Run
The bottom line
Carvana is treating Shaq not as a seasonal celebrity hook but as an ongoing character inside its brand universe. Moving him into the vending machine is a natural progression that reinforces the company's core message: car buying doesn't have to look like it has for the last 50 years. If a guy Shaq's size can make himself comfortable inside a car tower, the brand seems to say, so can you.
For Bates, the hope is that audiences judge the work on its own merits. If they do, Shaq will take the credit, as promised. If they don't, Bates knows exactly where the blame will land — and he got the warning straight from a legend's handshake.
