Tim Duncan is leaning on a tugboat outside the Spurs’ practice facility and explaining the plot of “Jaws” to Manu Ginobili, who is wearing a floppy fishing hat covered in lures.
There can be no other explanation than H-E-B is shooting its Spurs commercials.
The 2015-16 edition of the annual commercials will debut on Wednesday when the Spurs take on the Oklahoma City Thunder on KENS-TV (CBS 5).
For one afternoon earlier this month, the practice facility turned into a make shift sound stage. The boat in the parking lot, a chicken coop in the back and a culinary academy on the court all were a sign of the campy comedy to come, 30 seconds at a time.
A record number of seven Spurs will be in this year’s commercials, including the debut of LaMarcus Aldridge and Danny Green.
It’s the 11th year of Spurs H-E-B commercials, as the local supermarket company’s bits have often gone viral and gained international attention.
“We never dreamed it would take off like this,” said Cory Basso, H-E-B's group vice president for marketing and advertising. “I think the Spurs’ culture and ours are similar, and want to tie them together in a fun way with these commercials.”
The commercials have gained recognition from entities such as ESPN and the Wall Street Journal, and the NBA has shown the spots to other franchises as an example of how to market athletes.
Basso said the campaign has won national honors in advertising awards.
The commercials began with just Brent Barry, and then grew to include Duncan, Ginobili, Tony Parker and Bruce Bowen as the bits gained popularity.
“It took me a couple of years,” Danny Green said, “but I finally made the cut.”
Basso said a typical 30-second H-E-B commercial takes one or two full days to shoot. Because of time constraints, H-E-B filmed all six of their Spurs commercials (five in English, one in Spanish with Ginobili) in a five to six hour span.
The commercials, produced by the Dallas-based advertising firm Richards Group, are planned out in a two-month process before they’re shot in a hectic afternoon at different locations in the practice facility from the parking lot to the players’ lounge.
As soon as practice is over, crewmen begin building sets on the court while players start shooting outdoor scenes.
For H-E-B, a 110-year-old company with 360 stores in Texas and Mexico, that afternoon sets the tone for much of its television advertising in San Antonio.
“It’s the best, most stressful day ever,” Basso said. “The players just finished a practice and we’re trying to get them in and out. One thing that makes the day a lot better is how much the Spurs like shooting the commercials. They have such great chemistry on and off the court, and they really have some fun.”
This year’s shoot was the third for Kim Robertson, Kawhi Leonard’s mother. Robertson said she’s loved the way Leonard’s persona has developed year-to-year through the commercials. In Leonard’s debut in 2013, Ginobili described Leonard and his large hands as “part-bear,” while Leonard delivered the line, “indubitably” in another spot.
“I look forward to this every year,” Robertson said. “He really enjoys doing stuff like this, and he’s not alone. All the players like doing the commercials.”
Basso said a key to the success of the commercials has been the way personalities have shone within the spots themselves. He said Duncan is the “soft-spoken leader,” Ginobili and Parker are often the jokesters, Leonard has one-liners and Patty Mills is the lovable teammate.
“I love it because everybody gets to see another side of us, one they don’t usually get to see,” Mills said. “It’s great for us, and everybody just has fun with it now. “
lchan@attcenter.com
Twitter:@lornechan