The Indian cricketer, KL Rahul has been featured in XYXX‘s latest ad campaign “Ultimate Undie-pendence.”
The campaign tackles a topic often considered taboo in mainstream advertising: men’s discomfort with traditional cotton underwear.
The campaign conceptualised by Talented and produced by First December Films, centres on the idea that men have simply accepted discomfort as an inevitable part of their daily lives.
Rahul, an XYXX brand ambassador and investor, takes on the role of a surprised observer. He questions why men tolerate this discomfort and introduces XYXX’s underwear as a solution.
XYXX’s “Undie-pendence” hinges on its use of TENCEL Modal Micro, a fabric the campaign portrays as the key to achieving ultimate comfort. The commercial features men experiencing newfound freedom and happiness thanks to their new underwear. It even incorporates the Hindi word “Azaadi,” meaning “freedom,” to emphasize liberation from discomfort.
Commenting on the new brand film, Petal Gangurde- Chief of Brand and Culture, XYXX, said, “Your choice of underwear pretty much sets the tone for your entire day. It is a pity that most men in India even today continue to wear ill-fitting, uncomfortable basic cotton underwear. We had to make men sit up and take notice of how their current underwear makes them feel – stuck and shackled and that led us to this incredibly rich space of ‘Undie-pendence’. The one constant consumer feedback we have received over the years is that once someone wore an XYXX TENCEL Modal Micro-made underwear, they were never going back to their previous brand and with this campaign we want men to break free from We want every man to experience that superlative difference and to truly feel unparalleled comfort and undie-pendence.”
Devargh Mukherjee and Sohan Ray, Creatives at Talented, added, “The idea of externalising comfort started as a joke. No one has imagined underwear as cufflinks ever before. Not even in the weirdest parts of the internet! What started with us taking photos of underwear-tied hands from different angles, to seeing it take shape on an artboard, to finally seeing hundreds of actors sport it on screen, it has been an exciting journey. This sci-fi underwear musical is an example of how the smallest thought starters reach impossible creative lengths!”.
Shiv Parameswaran, Director at First December Films, said, “Bringing alive the feeling of relief from uncomfortable underwear had to be as exciting as externalising it with underwear cuffs. So we imagined a Nolan-esque dystopian sequence where thousands of underwear get pulled away from their hands, get sucked into the sky, and a gazillion XYXX packs rain right into their palms.”
This campaign marks a shift for XYXX, utilizing humour to address a relatable problem and position its product as the ultimate solution. The “Ultimate Undie-pendence” initiative extends beyond the film, with XYXX leveraging Out-of-Home (OOH) advertising through buses and trains. On-ground activations will create engaging experiences in receptive environments, further amplified by a pan-India Below-the-Line (BTL) activation strategy. This comprehensive approach ensures broad visibility and reinforces XYXX’s commitment to reaching diverse demographics.
XYXX is a men’s loungewear brand focused on ultimate comfort. Widely available across India, XYXX products can be found online and are consistently ranked amongst the top three in most product categories on 14+ leading e-commerce marketplaces. The brand also has a strong physical presence with over 18,000 touchpoints through top multi-brand outlets (MBOs), Modern Trade stores like Shoppers Stop, and exclusive brand outlets (EBOs) in key cities.