• by Tanya Gazdik , February 12, 2020

Shopping rewards platform Honey, recently acquired by PayPal, has hired NBA favorite Kawhi Leonard of the LA Clippers to appear in ads. 

It’s the first time the company has used a celebrity to show how the internet browser extension helps consumers to save money.

The 30-second spot will debut nationally  during the LA Clippers vs. Boston Celtics game on TNT Feb. 13.  It features Leonard helping a consumer get the best deal. The humorous spot makes fun of Leonard’s height. When he picks up the man’s laptop, it suddenly becomes very tiny. 

The spot will also air during All-Star weekend. There will be additional online pushes with ESPN and YouTube now through end of March.

There are three additional 30-second spots -- “Kawhi Leonard Explains How Honey Works,” "Why Is Kawhi Leonard Laughing?"  and "Why is Kawhi Leonard So Excited About Honey?"  -- all running on YouTube.

Honey’s browser extension helps shoppers find the best deals by automatically applying promo codes and earning shoppers cash back on their online purchases.

The idea and ads were conceived by the internal creative team at Honey. The shoot was directed by Kenny Herzog. 

“Kawhi may seem like an unexpected partner, but we have a shared mindset that saving money is for everyone,” Chiyong Jones, Honey vice president, creative, tells Marketing Daily. “This first commercial is a nod to Kawhi’s simplistic style and just how easy it is to use Honey.”

The company was recently acquired by PayPal in January for $4 billion. Honey has 17 million active users each month and 30,000 diverse online retailers. The company has delivered more than $1 billion in savings to shoppers in the past year, it says.