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WTF!?
It's a really beautiful image....The "faggot" thing is pretty alarming at first until you look a bit closer to what's going on in the image.
Wait, what?
My big question would be where this was advertised. If it was in something like Sports Illustrated, I'd say burn the ad agency to the ground. If it was in Genre, then there's some breathing room. Context is everything in my book.
Hey, you can't have your cake and eat it too!
If you're going to giggle and titter at the Absolut ruler ad based on a penis gimmick, you don't get to feign disbelief over an ad with a complex and _superior_ message (especially since it appropriately contains the giant penis as part of the overall stereotype cornucopia).
I'd be very excited to see this ad in SI or Time or Newsweek. I already know what BS these concepts are - I want straight people to see it and discuss.
McCann Erickson is the source of substantial evil adwork - and the most shocking thing about this ad for me is that they were involved with it...
Wow, this is way open for interpretation. But the way I see it the guy in the ad is gay, and he feels like he's being pulled by unnecessary, nasty, and generally false labels. It's kind of fascinating actually.
Way too risky for the marketplace though.
JMG: I tend to agree with both your points.
is this a joke? i cannot believe a company like that would put something like this out. im super confused.
http://www.queersunited.blogspot.com
I think it's brilliant! I get it!
I actually don't find anything wrong with it. Think outside the box-apparently they did. I would find it hard to believe this ad would run in anything other then gay related press, but you never know.
I get the message, but what is the ad selling?
Interesting. Thought- and chatter-provoking. (i.e., it's done its job)
What IS it advertising though? White t-shirts?
They're selling those tagless t-shirts. Get it? Tags are a burden in life, and in your undies.
i'm not sure what to make of this ad but i love my hanes briefs (the white ones with the grey bands).
Uhm, OK then.
I get it. If you look closely it says in green "No more homophobia" It's an interesting ad. I think it should be shown in the US press. I think it's suppose to be shocking. Right on.
I like 'em a lot! Great drawings, provocative message. I'm impressed.
Too ambitious for a t-shirt ad? I give them A for effort nonetheless.
Among the best and most memorable issue-poking ads were those by United Colors of Benetton. I even bought a book on the complete Benetton ad campaigns.
Facinating! Scary! In your face. I *love* it!
No, I don't think this would play in Peoria... Maybe in Paris or Berlin - *maybe*...
It's edgy and interesting -- big no-nos in Amurrica.
Please -- Trendhunter needs to get the sticks out of their asses.
Go Bombay ad agency!
Brilliant. Intelligent and challenging. Why not raise the bar and make you do a double take in an ad campaign? What, because it's a 'humble' product they can't aspire to the use of cultural criticism and sophisticated imagery? Only 'sophisticated' products get to do that, like ... booze? Everyone else, stay in your box! Bullshit. And, while I'm always (very) happy to see a campaign with a hot guy in his underwear, I also give 'em high marks for trying something different.
-- john
I think it's bold and brilliant. It seems to me that Trendhunters assessment that "such a campaign would never be approved IN EUROPE OR AMERICA" is both a sad commentary AND a holier-than-thou finger-waving at what they consider "less civilized" people. Talk about arrogance.
ChrisB's interpretation is right on, I think. This totally works - in a fantastic way - as art. It make very powerful statements. I think it's pretty obvious that the wrongness of negative imagery is the *point* of the works.
In fact, it would work really well for an advocacy group or something of that nature.
But for fucking underwear?!? Insane.
It's kinda brilliant. Great illustrations.
Doesn't inspire me to go out and buy the underwear, but I think as art it's awesome.
This ad threw us all under the bus. NO MORE LABELS!? Just gotta be...me. That's not trite at all. Where's the "straight acting" gear, though? Oh, that's right, we're only going to use the most obvious symbols and slam the femmes.
To the people asking what it is advertising exactly. It is advertising "tagless underwear", hence the use of tags. (Free yourself from tags, use tagless underwear). My problem with the ad is the actually in the other two ads (nig*er & paki) where they really use offensive images and slogans inside the illustration.
These ads are brilliant.
Tho I will say they'd better serve a non profit fighting for human rights, than an underwear company.
But Bravo to Hanes for being so bold and daring. Too bad the pussy American marketing managers wouldn't have touched this campaign with a 100-foot pole.
The real crime is that the artwork sucks.
Take out the big words (faggot, nigger, pak) in the ads and you have a grade-school attempt at provocative art.
Well, it's done its job. Here we are on the other side of the world talking about it, and it's not even aimed at us.
It's "Paki" with an "i" and not "Pak!" with an exclaimation point. Great ads! People need to calm down and take it easy and not get offended so easly. 
Given that one of the ads says "Paki", which is considered an egregious slur in England, I would guess these ads were meant for that market. They surely won't run in the US.
The "dildo" is a lingam, which is a symbol often used in Hindu/Brahmanism. Traditionally, every town has one in the center of it.
My big question would be where this was advertised. If it was in something like Sports Illustrated, I'd say burn the ad agency to the ground. If it was in Genre, then there's some breathing room. Context is everything in my book.
Little David
That's funny, I was thinking just the opposite. If they were just in niche magazines I would find them condescending, but in the mainstream press they kind of take my breath away, in a good way. I think they're great.
did any one else notice that the "nig*er" ad, the man pulling seems to have fair/white skin?
The art reminds me of early Peter Max.
http://images.artnet.com/artwork...8_peter-
max.jpg
http://www.antiquehelper.com/auc...ages/
44715t.jpg
http://graphics7.nytimes.com/
ima...11cover.386.jpg
I'm sure this is what they had in mind. There were others with the words "Peace" etc.
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