Hanes finds online video and CTV highly effective in retail media networks, traditionally seen as performance channels. This highlights the need to cover the full purchase journey, using brand-building video to feed the conversion funnel and make all media work harder.
In today's fast-moving environment, a fixed 'long-term playbook' is unrealistic. The effective strategy is to set durable goals and objectives but build in the expectation—and budget—to constantly pivot tactics based on testing and learning.
In a world demanding short-term results, brand marketing isn't a separate luxury. It is a critical investment that builds top-of-funnel awareness, ensuring that lower-funnel performance tactics have a sufficient audience to convert and ultimately work harder.
For a massive brand like Hanes, a collaboration with a niche retailer like Urban Outfitters isn't about massive sales volume. Its primary value is marketing—generating 'brand heat' and cultural relevance. This is strategically distinct from a new category launch, which is a pure volume play.
Instead of just creating an 'athleisure' line because it's popular, Hanes identified specific problems—like chafing—that consumers experience during movement. They then designed products with features like anti-chafe panels, directly linking innovation to their core brand promise of comfort.
Hanes found 90% of women knew about period underwear but only 30% had tried it due to confusion. Instead of a typical brand campaign, they launched a direct, educational effort answering uncomfortable questions ('Do you feel wet? Can you wash it?') to close the awareness-to-adoption gap.
When post-COVID innerwear sales slumped, Hanes didn't just run a discount. They commissioned research, discovered consumers were hoarding old items for 'emergencies,' and used this insight to create a 'time to refresh' campaign, manufacturing a purchase trigger for a low-frequency category.