1. style and fashion
2. underwear

THE MARKET
Look into any closet or drawer in America,
and chances are you’ll find something with the
Hanes label. In fact, more than 8 out of 10
American households wear Hanes. Hanes is the
leading brand of underwear, socks, and casual
apparel for men, women, and children in the
United States.
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ACHIEVEMENTS
Hanes leads almost every consumer survey in
apparel brand recognition and reputation. Hanes
has ranked No. 1 the last three years in the
Women’s Wear Daily consumer brand awareness
survey. DNR, a men’s fashion and retail trade
publication, ranks Hanes No. 3 in fashion brands
most familiar to American males.
Hanes has been consistently rated the No. 1
men’s apparel brand in a biennial survey by DSN
Retailing Today.
But perhaps the most meaningful tribute
to the brand were the results of a recent
survey by NPD Group Inc., rating Hanes as
the most comfortable and best-fitting brand
in America.
HISTORY
The P. H. Hanes Knitting Co. began producing
men’s one-piece underwear in 1901. That same year
P. H. Hanes’s brother, J. Wesley Hanes, formed
Shamrock Mills Co. to produce men’s hosiery. By
1920, both companies had expanded and refocused.
P. H. Hanes made undershirts, briefs, sleepwear,
and knitted shorts, and Hanes Hosiery, as it was
renamed, focused on women’s hosiery.
In the 1940s, both companies participated in
the war effort, supplying underwear and nylon for
the military. In 1965, the two Hanes companies
merged to form Hanes Corporation.
Over the years, Hanes was acquired by Consolidated Foods, which became Sara Lee Corporation. In September 2006, Hanesbrands Inc.
became an independent apparel company, traded
on the New York Stock Exchange, encompassing
a portfolio of famous brands including Hanes,
Champion, Playtex, Bali, L’eggs, Just My Size,
Barely There, and Wonderbra.
THE PRODUCT
Hanes has an extensive line of products for the
whole family including:
• Underwear
• T-shirts
• Casualwear
• Bras
• Sleepwear
• Panties
• Socks
• Sweats
Hanes is a share leader in T-shirts, socks,
bras, men’s underwear, panties, kids’ underwear,
and fleece.
and Mike Ditka, and commercials for the women’s
lines featuring Carol Alt and Phylicia Rashad.
In the 1990s, Hanes introduced new commercials featuring football great Joe Montana and
Michael Jordan in a new campaign, “Just Wait’ll
We Get Our Hanes on You.”
In 2002, a Hanes commercial featuring Jordan
pulling the latest Hanes boxers and briefs out of his
gym bag rated one of the 10 best commercials of
the year by IAG Research. Michael also introduced
the tagless T-shirt, urging men to “go tagless.” A
second TAGLESS® T-shirt commercial featuring
Michael Jordan and martial arts actor Jackie Chan
debuted during Super Bowl XXXVII.
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
With the inception of Hanesbrands Inc., the
Hanes brand enters a new era. The international
headquarters of Hanesbrands is in WinstonSalem, North Carolina, where the Hanes companies were founded more than 100 years ago.
Building on the successful rollout of
TAGLESS® T-shirts, underwear and more, the first
new Hanes product initiative as part of Hanesbrands
is the launch of the ComfortSoft® waistband in
underwear, ComfortSoft® fabric in men’s T-shirts,
and ComfortSoft™ straps on the new All-Over
Comfort bras promoted by Jennifer Love Hewitt.
The consumer message rings clear: if it’s Hanes,
you know it will be soft and comfortable.
PROMOTION
The current “Look Who” advertisements started
in 2004 and have included Michael Jordan, Kevin
Bacon, Matthew Perry, Marisa Tomei, Damon
Wayans, and Christina Applegate. Now, with
Jordan (a spokesperson for Hanes underwear
since 1989) and Hewitt promoting ComfortSoft®
underwear and All-Over Comfort bras in multichannel campaigns, Hanes is stirring customer
enthusiasm. In 2007, Cuba Gooding Jr. joins the
advertising mix for the men’s lines.
These campaigns continue a heritage of popular consumer advertising. People fondly remember the 1980s’ ads with the hard-nosed Inspector
12 who declared, “They don’t say Hanes until I
say they say Hanes.”
During those same years, Hanes also created
the “After the Game” series featuring athletes such
as Boomer Esiason, Lyle Alzado, Steve Largent,
BRAND VALUES
The core qualities of Hanes — comfort, quality,
and value — are strongly resonating with consumers, who describe the brand as “authentic,”
“stylish,” “up-to-date,” and the “preferred brand.”
THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT
HANES
❍ Hanes has ranked No. 1 the last three years
in the Women’s Wear Daily consumer brand
awareness survey.
❍ Hanes sells enough women’s casualwear Tshirts in one year that — when folded and
stacked — they would be as tall as 96
Empire State Buildings.
❍ There are approximately three and a half
miles of yarn in a Hanes T-shirt.
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