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The Great Advertising Exposure of Men’s Underwear

For decades men’s underwear were not clothing items that made pulses race. But in the early 90’s, along came fashion designers Calvin Klein, and Giorgio Armani who took men’s underwear out of the bottom drawer and into the limelight as top drawer, ‘must-have’ lifestyle embodiments.

Calvin Klein’s launch campaign featured outdoor posters of photographer Bruce Weber’s iconic black and white images of rapper Marty Mark, known later as actor and film producer Mark Wahlberg, wearing nothing else but a white CK boxer brief in one picture, and a boxer brief and baseball cap in another.

The posters caused a storm. They were frequently stolen as prized college possessions for displaying in dorms, and they had to be replaced several times on the streets of many cities.

Many other male celebrities were featured in subsequent CK campaigns including Canadian singer and songwriter Justin Bieber, who with his famous body tattoos, enjoyed global news coverage.

1. Calvin Klein Underwear, Justin Bieber

This impressionable CK commercial, staring Justin Bieber, was directed by the famed, Swedish singer-songwriter, music video and film director, Johan Renck.

2. Armani, Housekeeping with Cristiano Ronaldo

Agency: Emporio Armani, Milan, Italy

Produced by French filmmaker Jean Claude Thibaut, and directed by Johan Renck, Cristiano Ronaldo’s Armani jeans and underwear ‘Housekeeping’ commercial, after its international cinema screen debut, motivated 5 million online views in a week.

When David Beckham left the Armani stable to launch his own underwear brand, Giorgio Armani signed on Portuguese football star Cristiano Ronaldo, who with his toned physical presence requires not a single word to be said throughout his first Armani commercial.

Bonds, Australia’s favourite underwear brand however, with typically brazen pragmatism, decided that the iconographic, non-dialogue, body-beautiful, approach of the North’s posh men’s undies brands, and ‘budgie smuggler’ swimming briefs, was not what their Aussie mates down South needed.

What was required was the facilitation of a candid, national conversation about the underwear needs of men rather than imitating the Calvin Klein and Armani fashion-fundi brand strategy of societal stature, and self-image gratification.

3. Bonds Men’s Underwear, Turtlenecks & Crewnecks

Advertising Agency: Clemenger BBDO, Melbourne, Australia

On the ‘Campaign Brief’ online portal, Richard Williams, Executive Creative Director at Clemenger BBDO Melbourne, elucidated the agency’s insight behind the tongue-in-cheek, rationale of the ‘very comfy undies’ commercial directed by Tony Rodgers.

“Approximately 20% of Australian men have crewnecks today, a big change from the 1950’s when roughly 80% of the male population had the ‘chop’. Despite ‘Team Crewneck’ being a rarer breed than ‘Team Turtleneck’, we know both teams have questions and we hope this campaign gets all men talking more freely. You’re welcome.”

4. Bonds X-Temps Men’s Underwear, GloBALL Warming

Advertising Agency: Leo Burnett, Melbourne, Australia

In this hilarious X-Temp commercial directed by Tony Rodgers for Bond’s “Glo-ball Warming” campaign, Australian blokes, in the face of the “mandemic”, are encouraged to consider the health and comfort of their balls.

Michelle Walsh, creative director at Leo Burnett Melbourne on ‘Campaign Brief’ explained the brands pragmatic solution to the impact of global climate change to men’s nether regions that had not been addressed by the scientific community.

“Every bloke gets hot, sweaty balls (so I’m told) but they’ll rarely talk about it, let alone do something about it. So, this was a fun, playful way of getting them to consider how they treat their precious cargo and prove to them that the right jocks can make all the difference.”

Creative Director Daniel Pizzato added: “There are some things underwear can’t change but thankfully, there are some things it can. The campaign tackles a big issue by starting small.”

5. Bonds Men’s Underwear, The Boys Part 1 Impact

Advertising Agency: Clemenger BBDO, Melbourne, Australia

The brilliantly inventive depictions of the sad, painful life of two testicles, that thanks to Bonds, eventually find peace and contentment, was directed by Tony Rogers, and stars comic actors Tim Mager and Kai Smythe in a hilarious series of commercials.

As Simon Lamplough, Group Managing Director of Clemenger BBDO Melbourne empathetically pointed out:

“Men’s testicles have to put up with a lot in life. Heat, cold and (shudder) impact all affect them. The least men can do is keep ‘The Boys’ comfy in a nice new pair of Bonds undies.”

6. Bonds Men’s Underwear, The Boys Case Study

Advertising Agency: Clemenger BBDO, Melbourne, Australia

Film Director: Tony Rogers

The short Bonds ‘The Boys’ case study, is impressive, skillfully edited with brazenly witty commentary, and rewarding to view.

7. Bonds Men’s Underwear, Think of Fathers

Advertising Agency: Clemenger BBDO, Melbourne, Australia

Directed by Tony Rogers, the ‘Think of Fathers’ commercial about making dads feel better is an amusing departure from familiar, celebratory Father’s Day themes.

Tony’s skillfully directed parody centers on a gathering of six men in their Bonds undies lamenting the loss of their pre-baby bodies that have become a distant memory since the arrival of their children, and their resultant grievances of having to sport ‘Dad-bods’ for ever more.