SAXX Underwear's Hilarious Campaign Finally Puts Balls First

There’s no category hotter than self-care right now. According to a 2019 study of 2000 Americans, nine out of 10 people practice self-care, and 84% see it as a necessity, and not just an indulgence. In fact, between 2019 and 2020, Google Search Trends showed a 250% increase in self-care related searches — by women and men alike.

The men’s personal care market is on the rise, and expected to hit $166 billion in 2022 — and then double globally over the next decade. That same Adv Dermatology study showed that men are spending an average of 83 minutes a week practicing various forms of self-care, and they’re buying products to care for not just their minds but their bodies too, from hygiene products and creams to special clothing made to keep pretty much every part of them more comfortable.

However, there’s one vital part that they aren’t taking care of: their balls. A recent survey of over 500 men showed that a full 86% of men have experienced ball discomfort, with nearly half of men saying they experience it daily. Likewise, 79% of men said they think about ball comfort every day. But here’s the problem -  48% of men either have never thought about actually taking better care of their balls, or just live with discomfort, and nearly half don’t talk about it to anyone (including their own doctors) - so they’re suffering in silence.

According to board-certified urologist Dr. Matthias Hofer: “Too many men don’t feel comfortable talking about their balls unless they’re joking about them. And yet ironically, so many men’s balls are left feeling uncomfortable.”

Apparently, men don’t realise that caring for yourself means also caring for your balls. Well, SAXX Underwear is out to change that.

“Guys see underwear as just underwear. But wearing the right underwear is actually a form of self care. It’s ball care. Yet through our study, we learned 79% of guys don’t even realise that improving their underwear can solve their ball discomforts,” says SAXX CEO, Wendy Bennison. 

And SAXX knows a thing or two about ball comfort. The Vancouver-based company has built its entire line of ‘life-changing’ men’s underwear by creating an anti-chafe, anti-friction support system devoted to improving ball comfort. Their aptly named BallPark Pouch has changed the game for men’s underwear, as proven by the amount of ‘copycat’ versions now on the market. And now SAXX wants to get people thinking and talking more proactively about ball comfort.

Their new advertising campaign “How A Gentleman Treats His Balls” prompts guys — and the people who love them —  to question if the underwear they’re wearing properly cares for their balls. “We wanted a campaign that treats balls as seriously as we do. Not to say they’re not funny, I mean, they’re balls. But they’re more than just a low-brow punchline. So we created a female character, basically a manifestation of our female-run company, to talk candidly about balls and start that conversation,” says Sally Wilson, VP of brand marketing for SAXX..

But apparently not all of America is ready to have that conversation yet. SAXX had hoped to launch their new campaign during the Super Bowl, and it was rejected by the network for repeatedly saying the word 'balls.'  “America’s balls are uncomfortable because they’re not being cared for. But they won’t be comfortable until we’re all comfortable talking about them. Which apparently isn’t on prime-time television in 2022,” says Sally. “But hopefully by next year, we’ll have changed that.”

The 360 campaign, created by agency Quality Meats, is intended to formally introduce the Canadian brand to the US market. It includes film, digital, OOH and retail and will initially be running in Dallas and Miami.