Brand Makeovers, Apple Duo Shade & the AI Apocalypse?

Hanes, yes Hanes, just completed one of the sharpest creative pivots I've seen in a heritage brand this year.

Now for over 125 years, Hanes was the definition of safe, boring, blue collar underwear.

Then last week they dropped Get Comfortable, a campaign so risque it's turning heads in Times Square.

Now this is not a marketing update.

This is a full on brand repositioning.

And let me show you what's actually happening.

I'm Zach Heffner, and this is Brand News.

Okay, so in 2024, Hanes fired their agency of record of 23 years, the Martin Agency, and hired independent shop Special US after a five-month pitch.

Heritage brands rarely fire long-term partners unless they're preparing a major shift.

Special started subtle.

Comfort period for period underwear.

Then, say goodbye to worn-out undies in Times Square.

Then, never uncomfortable.

Now, get comfortable is the culmination.

A man gets his pants pulled down at a bar, a woman shops in her underwear, a couple in bed with only Hanes socks visible, and a funeral scene.

Times Square out of home reading Tres Chic over a close-up of a woman's backside in red Hanes undies, and a full logo refresh to boot.

Now, here's what's actually happening.

Hanes brand marketing lead Kelsey Litzow said the quiet part out loud.

Comfort is table stakes for the modern consumer.

We needed an evolved POV.

Every underwear brand claims physical comfort.

So Hanes is moving from physical to emotional comfort, confidence in the presence of social embarrassment.

Now there's deep psychology underneath.

Foundational work on impression management proves modern anxiety is largely about how we're being seen.

And in an era of iPhone cameras and viral embarrassment, the fear of the ick is a real cultural condition.