Breathing new life into the humble tighty-whitey.
- Media Relations
- Celebrity Partnership
- Media Mailer
How do you make an affordable
underwear brand feel as relevant and
desirable as the sleek, pricey D2C upstarts.
Call in backup. Iconic backup.
We put innovation at the center and backed
it up with smart, unexpected media.
Let’s face it. Men’s underwear has entered its golden age. From direct-to-consumer brands to emerging DTC players, there’s no shortage of companies slapping a $30 price tag on a pair of boxer briefs and calling it premium. Even legacy lifestyle brands have tried to claim their share of the bottom drawer.
Hanes wasn’t here to be overlooked. In 2021, the brand dropped its most innovative product in years and needed a major perception shift. Their target? Men aged 25 to 34. Their reality? An audience that skewed much older. It was time to start a new conversation. One that would put Hanes back on the map for younger guys who value comfort, tech, and a little swagger.
That’s where we came in. Hanes tapped Duffy & Shanley to lead the charge in media relations for this launch. Our goal? Get people talking, get headlines rolling, and get Hanes into the cool underwear conversation.
The gift of ball-ance.
We let curiosity do the heavy lifting with a teaser box full of hints, humor, and just the right amount of ballsy branding.
To build curiosity and buzz before the official launch, we created a media mailer that teased the innovation without giving too much away. Our goal was simple: spark attention, spark questions, and spark some laughs.
Each Hanes-branded box delivered the “Gift of Ball-ance.” Inside? A product sample paired with cheeky extras that hinted at what made this underwear different:
- Two sphere candles
- A custom cherry cocktail recipe
- A two-pack of golf balls
- Massage balls
- Shower bombs
Yes, it was a theme. Yes, it was memorable. No, we didn’t spell it out. We let the media figure it out themselves… and they loved it.
Campaign Results
We brought Hanes back into the group chat.
- Fast Company dropped a solo feature with the headline, “Hanes’s New Underwear is Like a Bra for Your Balls.” It was a six-minute read, packed with product love and expert interviews.
- That one article? It pulled in 6.5 million readers, had a killer SEO score of 92, and reached the exact demo we were after — 66 percent male, nearly half between 25 and 34.
- Fast Company promoted the article across their social channels three times, racking up dozens of likes, comments, and shares.
- The product went on to be named an honoree in Fast Company’s Innovation by Design Awards.
Then came the ripple effect. Over the next three months, we secured 1.3 billion media impressions, with features in GQ, WWD, Rolling Stone, Men’s Health, Insider, Men’s Journal, and more.
And the bottom line? Sales surged. Hanes’s Amazon page traffic spiked, inventory moved fast, and the brand reported it was “hard to keep up with demand.” In its Q1 earnings call, Hanes cited the launch as proof that the brand can win with younger consumers through bold innovation and compelling marketing.
Brand History
Hanes is iconic… one of the most recognizable names in the t-shirt and undies business. As with many heritage brands, Hanes is faced with maintaining its base of loyal customers while innovating to appeal to a younger generation. Hanes has worked with Duffy & Shanley for nearly five years to reignite its core and snag the coveted attention of Gen Z through creative public relations programs. Our team has launched the biggest innovations coming from the brand in more than two decades and is trusted to ensure Hanes makes a splash with priority launches throughout the year.
Let's Chat
We’ve teamed up with brands big and small, at every stage of the game, helping them get noticed, get talked about, and get results.
Ready to make some noise?
Let’s talk.
Prefer an email? Give us a shout at
info@duffyshanley.com
Latest at D&S
with nearly 30 years in PR
12 wins at the Bell Ringers
foundation of the PR house
O.P., Chair of the Board of Directors
from your beach chair
Careers
At Duffy & Shanley, we dream big, and have fun doing it. We’re a tight-knit crew that’s relentless in the face of challenge and fired up about great ideas. We don’t just work together, we win together.
careers@duffyshanley.com