The latest thinking in marketing men’s underwear:
“The packaging is key,” says Jeff Danzer, executive vice president of marketing for the 2(x)ist brand. “You want your image on the outside of the package to represent what the user is going to look like when he wears the product. A lot of it is psychological as well. If a woman buys 2(x)ist, she assumes the guy wearing it will look like the guy on the box. If a guy buys it, he assumes he’ll look like the guy on the box. It’s very aspirational.”
Aspirational? Well, I suppose there’s a little bit of me who wouldn’t mind looking like CK model Travis Fimmel hanging about. But it bugs the hell out of me to see the word ‘aspirational’ co-opted for underwear, since the main definition of aspire is “to have a great ambition or ultimate goal; desire strongly.”
We’re coming down with a bad case of the same social disease that women have had for a long time — basing our worth on our looks. Don’t let it happen, gents. Stiffen up! Rise to the occasion! The future in is your hands.