• by Les Luchter , June 13, 2023

This article is about underwear and nuts, so spoiler alert….puns are coming.

First off, we have a Father’s Day campaign from D2C company Shinesty, marketer of Ball Hammock Pouch Underwear. Or should we say an anti-Father’s Day campaign?

Through the holiday, consumers can enter a sweepstakes to win $1,000 towards the cost of a vasectomy -- or, as the brand puts it, a “severance package” for “retiring ballplayers.”

“At the end of the day, we're just looking to make a 'vas deferens' in their lives," said Shinesty chief executive officer Chris White in announcing the giveaway.

White said the idea for the sweepstakes came about because Shinesty was seeing many reviews saying that Ball Hammock brought men post-vasectomy comfort.

To enter, consumers are asked to supply their anticipated date of vasectomy, and why they deserve a “free ride” for their “balls voyage.”

Moving on to nuts, Orchard Valley Harvest (OVH) says it’s attempting to woo millennial and Gen Z consumers to a usually “boring” category by launching Ovie, an on-package and animated “mascot” created by Straight Forward Design. The mascot is starring in three national TV commercials from the Terri & Sandi agency.

A two-dimensional version of Ovie, who’s obsessed with nuts but lacks a mouth with which to taste them, jumps off the OVH package in each spot. In one, he asks a reluctant woman to “put two nuts in your mouth.” “Are you just going to sit there staring at your nuts all day?” he asks a man whose mouth is wired shut.

And, in a press release, but not in any of the spots, Ovie says "I'd give my left nut to taste my right nut."

More seriously, another snack brand, Rich Nuts recently teamed with the Testicular Cancer Awareness Foundation (TCAF) to raise awareness about testicular cancer and promote early detection. For a month, Rich Nuts donated 10% of every sale to TCAF and included a card in its packaging with information on testicular cancer, its warning signs, and testing.

"Our nuts are important!," said Richard Pauwels, founder of Rich Nuts, in announcing the tie-in.

Finally, combining testicular cancer fundraising, underwear and…why not… alcohol, The Finnish Long Drink – a sparking citrus RTD cocktail – has launched “Take Your Pants Off for Cancer.”

Through June 30, in a campaign from the Good Conduct agency, consumers are asked to go “pantsdrunk, the Finnish tradition of kicking back and enjoying a drink at home in your underwear.”

For every video or photo posted on Instagram or Twitter showing the user in underwear with a Long Drink, the brand will donate $10 to the Dahmen Family Foundation, up to $250,000 total. 

The foundation was founded by veteran golf pro and testicular cancer survivor Joel Dahmen, who infamously took off his shirt and waved it around during a 2022 tournament.

“I’m more responsible now, and I assure you my shirt will be staying on from here on out. My pants, however, are a different story,” he says in a campaign video.

“Please #pantsdrunk responsibly,” the brand concludes.