To say that they made our city proud once again just doesn’t seem to do the Spurs’ latest Championship run justice. The truth is, it’s not just that they won their fifth NBA title, or that they’ve made the post season for the last 17 years. Although we delight in their winning, our love affair with the Spurs is not just about what they do; it’s about how and why they play the game that makes our relationship with them so special. Indeed, it’s what makes them our team. They are a reflection of everything that our multi-cultural community holds sacred: hard work, humility, sacrifice of self for the greater good, character, teamwork, integrity, and above all, family.

From a marketing perspective, it’s a textbook lesson in branding from the inside out. The Spurs greatness starts with a clearly defined mission statement—why they exist—and a core set of values that is the heart of “the Spurs way” and the underpinning of the Spurs’ brand personality. It’s what differentiates them from all the other NBA teams.

Perhaps there is no clearer example of this than the pre-game pep talk that King James was heard giving to his teammates.“Defensively fly around,” James said, seemingly trying to will his teammates to rise to the occasion, followed by his final marching orders, “follow my lead.” James’ words lay bare his real approach to the game. True leaders don’t have to tell people to follow them; they inspire them to do so.

In contrast, the Spurs selfless commitment to each other, makes James look totally self-absorbed; his vision is that the game revolves around him, while the Spurs play as a team. Consider the chat that Coach Pop had with his players during that shaky first quarter, “Just remember,” he said, “we have to do this together. The great part is we got all night long to take care of a bad start. But we do it by doing what we normally do.”

After the game, James lamented that the Spurs’ win was “how team basketball should be played.” Indeed, there is something so real, so genuine and so authentic about this team and the love that they share for each other, that it transcends the game and unites our community in a way that nothing else ever has. Whether you are a die-hard basketball fan or not, you can’t help but be captivated by the “beautiful” and “uncommon” way the Spurs play the game.

Watching them through my market research and brand strategist lens, I love that they get it; they understand that branding isn’t simply an advertising campaign or a slogan (although these tools definitely help shine light on the truth of their brand and draw people to them). They know, perhaps instinctively, that strong brands are built around the heart of an organization and the day-to-day interactions that people have with them. When linked together over time, these interactions tell a story about who the Spurs are and what they believe in. As author Simon Sinek so appropriately expounds, our job as marketers is not to find people who want to buy the things that we are selling, but to find the people who believe what we believe.

The Spurs have made a believer out of me!

Post-Game Challenge:

A favorite exercise that we like to lead during planning retreats is to ask a management team to look at their company through the strategic lens of a company that they truly admire, in a completely different category. This “what if” game instantly allows a team to compare and contrast what they are doing with some of our country’s brightest competitors and gives them a different perspective from which to problem solve; the result is often breakthrough ideas that help our clients transcend their competition. As we celebrate our San Antonio Spurs, we invite you to think about your organization through the Spurs lens. If they were in charge of your organization, what would Peter Holt, Coach Popovich, R.C. Buford or Timmy do differently than you are doing now? How would they solve your greatest challenge or seize your greatest opportunity? Need help thinking this through, we’d love to brainstorm this together!  

by Mary Repole, the Queen of Ah-hah, and the Creative Noggin go-to for market research. Mary is best known for the innovative, observational, qualitative research she has helped to pioneer in this part of the country.