Steve’s breakdown: So the Hanesbrands are in the finals but does that mean there’s no room for you? Check in with all the players to see if there are any whole in their pitches your shop can fill. Ya gotta want it but how great if you can slip in at the end?!?!

Also, considering this pitch and the creative they have running, there could be a strategic and creative duties review coming soon – if it hasn’t already begun.

WINSTSON-SALEM, NC: Hanesbrands’ global media business is up for review.

The clothing company known for its t-shirts, socks and underwear invested $34 million in media globally last year, and 29% of that was in digital spend, per COMvergence data.

Publicis Media’s (PM) Spark Foundry is the incumbent. The PM agency declined to say if it’s defending the business. Defending can be pricey, and not always worth it, for an incumbent depending on the size of the account up for grabs. R3 data show that just 15% of incumbents who defended in 2021 reviews retained the business.

Historically, Hanes has relied on multiple agencies to support its media mix. Spark Foundry handles a portion of its budget, and Kepler has managed Amazon advertising for the brand.

Details remain to be seen

Requests for information went out to agencies earlier this year and the review is now approaching the final round, according to a source who declined to be named. Hanes did not respond to request for comment by the time of this story’s publication and it is unclear which agencies are participating in the review.

It’s also unknown if Hanes will continue splitting its investment between multiple partners, or if it hopes to consolidate and select a single partner. Marketers have been consolidating media accounts recently, some even choosing to move their media and creative accounts to the same holding company. Hanes has a longstanding relationship with IPG creative shop The Martin Agency.

In April, The Martin Agency launched a new campaign, “Stay Cooool, Stay Supported,” and ran the 30-second spot starring HBO star Tony Cavalero during the NBA Playoffs. Cavalero, whose character Hans has become Hanes’ “brand guru,” first starred in the 2021 spot “Achieving Ball-ance With Hans.” Other campaigns from The Martin Agency and Hanes include the “Every Bod” campaign for the brand featuring men of varying body types in their underwear, reflecting the brand’s “Comfort for All” mission and commitment to body inclusivity.

Hanesbrands owns the Hanes brand, the athletic apparel brand Champion and the Australia-based underwear company Bonds. Its other lesser-known subsidiaries include DIM, Maidenform, Bali, Playtex, L’eggs, Just My Size, Wonderbra, Nur Die/Nur Der, Lovable, Abanderado and Bras N Things.

The Hanes account could be another, albeit relatively small, loss for PM. The group hit a lull in this year’s second quarter and lost approximately $446 million in business, according to early COMvergence’s estimates. It performed worse in the second quarter than all of its primary competitors—GroupM, Omnicom Media Group, Havas Media Group, Dentsu Media and IPG Mediabrands. The drop was a big departure from the first quarter, when PM pulled in more money than the other five groups COMvergence compares it against.

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