On Tuesday, Hanes announced that Jennifer Love Hewitt would be joining its advertising campaign in print spots later this month. In ads that will surely attract teenage boys to grab the ad from their sister's magazines, Hewitt will be seen wearing the new Hanes Perfect Panty (above), among other Hanes products.
Hanes has always done a good job at getting names that people will remember to endorse their products, including Michael Jordan, Marisa Tomei, Damon Wayans, and Matthew Perry. In this case, I'd say that the idea isn't that people are interested in the product as much because they are concerned whether or not those stars like or use the product daily, but more because it catches their eye because they are a fan of those individuals. And that's not a bad thing - smart move on Hanes' part.
Hewitt's foray into apparel ads come just a few months before her debut as the star of CBS' Ghost Whisperer later this year. This marks the first effort of the movie starlet in women's wear advertising. She has previously been a spokesperson for L.A. Gear (okay, she was 10), and Neutrogena.
1. Sue me, I've always thought JLH was really attractive. The ad would work on me, if I were in the panty market! (But what in the world is up with her hair?)
My question is, though -- why JLH? Obviously, your target market here is women. Younger women, I'm guessing, as the copy highlights the "no lines" thing while touting comfort -- so it's probably being marketed as an alternative to the thong.
Which leads to "why JLH?" She's not an icon to young women, at this point in her career. She's not going to convince anyone to ditch the "totally in" thong in favor of something that looks like granny panties simply by appearing in an ad.
I think a far more effective ad would have been product-focused and feature strong copy and a non-celebrity. Show a sexy model from behind in tight pants, and put a visual focus on the messaging -- something like "No panty lines. But she's wearing panties, not a thong."
As it is, the more broad "brand awareness" angle isn't working for me. JLH simply isn't a big enough celebrity anymore to do any serious brand awareness convincing.
Posted at 11:55AM on Jun 15th 2005 by Andrew Kaufmann