- Hanes is offering a twist on the Victorian Era with a recent campaign set in its founding yr of 1901, per a press release.
- Developed with partner The Martin Agency, “Make Yourself Comfortable” breaks with the period’s stuffy conventions by showing aristocrats stripping off their attire and dancing in Hanes Originals to the tune of Blondie’s “Heart of Glass.”
- Going live across the NBA Playoffs, the campaign features a long-form cinematic spot and three 30-second ads. Paid and organic social, digital media and influencer marketing elements round out the anachronistic effort focused on the empowering facets of comfort.
Hanes is juxtaposing the buttoned-up nature of the Victorian Era with a way of liberating comfort to introduce its newest Originals lineup, which is billed as the biggest cross-category collection within the apparel brand’s history. Hanes Originals encompasses T-shirts, tank tops, bras, socks and underwear, along with activewear including hoodies, joggers, leggings, shorts and dresses.
Creative from The Martin Agency shows off the products by leaning into anachronism and crediting Hanes with the “invention of comfort” dating back to 1901. A hero cinematic spot revolves around a various solid of high-society people as they sweat within the period’s typically ornate sartorial styles. In one instance, a crowd fidgets at a classical piano concert. As the extent of discomfort reaches a breaking point, one member of the audience flees to a separate room to strip right down to his red Hanes underwear and dance alone to Blondie’s hit single, “Heart of Glass.” The door to the private chamber is eventually opened by accident, revealing himself to the audience in a moment that originally plays like it’d result in humiliation until the remainder of the group joins in.
The two-minute industrial is intercut with scenes where other people struggle to deal with stuffy Victorian clothes, comparable to a person posing for a portrait or a lady receiving a fitting for a corset. Each scene ends in the same end result, with the characters left in little but their Hanes intimates, while the long-form ad concludes with a gaggle of ladies burning their clothes. These vignettes — the piano recital, the portrait session and the corset-fitting — function the premise for a trio of shorter, 30-second ads that support a launch around NBA Playoffs broadcasts on ESPN, ABC and TNT.
Subverting stodgier historical periods through pop cultural references, fourth-wall breaking and a various mixture of actors has develop into in vogue in Hollywood and adland. Netflix’s hit series “Bridgerton” is emblematic of the trend, and Hanes appears to be attempting to capture the same appeal while still honoring its roots.
“Going back to 1901 serves as a nod to Hanes’ iconic history while helping consumers to view the brand’s origin story reimagined through a contemporary lens,” said Sandra Moore, vice chairman of name marketing of Hanes & Intimates, in an announcement. Moore added that “Make Yourself Comfortable” strives for relevance to a “diverse and modern audience.”
Longtime partners, Hanes and The Martin Agency have made inclusivity an even bigger theme lately. A 2019 push centered on body positivity for men, with models representing a variety of sizes and ages.
Read the total article here
