Here in the advertising industry we like to navel gaze (and sometime gaze a little further down from the navel) to understand just why an advert has captured the attention of so many.
However in a viral LinkedIn post Jess Wheeler, creative director at SICKDOGWOLFMAN, has made a none too subtle dig at those who potentially over-analyse a biological phenomenon as old as humanity itself.
“Guys, we really don’t need any more in depth 10-point breakdowns of why the ‘famous hot guy in undies’ ad works,” Wheeler said to his followers.
“It’s an ad for undies. With a hot famous guy wearing the undies. It’s how underwear ads have worked for like 40 years”.
No names were named so we will never know if Wheeler’s roast was a general or a targeted roast. However System1 recently did a study into why a Calvin Klein advert featuring actor Jeremy Allen White was such a big hit, particularly with the ladies.
Wheeler’s LinkedIn status was a revelation for many in the industry who are now hailing Wheeler as something of a modern-day guru (sort of like Jay Shetty but for advertising), or a say-it-as-it-is thought leader akin to Ricky Gervais.
“Ok, but hear me out: what about an 11-point breakdown?” one user asked, desperately trying to ensure their pre-prepared presentation on the nuance of underwear ads was still relevant.
Marc Dwyer, senior creative at Koala showed off his creative prowess by suggesting a whole new model entirely.
“There should just be one guy. The undie guy. A full time role, Undie Guy must be used by all undie brands,” he suggested.
“And like the Pope, when he passes away we find a new guy. The CMOs of Bonds, Step One, Calvin Klein, et al, get together and burn last years stock when they’ve found ‘the one’”.
Many agreed that this could be the way forward with one suggesting that there could be a Bachelor-style search for the man in question.
Still haven’t made up your mind on how much underwear adverts should be analysed? You can watch the advert for yourself here:
