Off the hook! Bra ads to talk about ‘the girls’

The torture of an ill-fitting bra. The annoyance of a colleague's eyes slowly moving south during a conversation. The toll gravity takes on "the girls."

Playtex is exposing the candid conversations women have about their chests, and the various euphemisms they use, in a new marketing campaign aimed at helping women overcome the challenge of finding a well-fitting bra.

The company's solution: its intimate apparel products.

"We uncovered that women of all shapes and sizes talk about their bras and breasts in funny, witty and candid ways," said Vicki Seawright, marketing director for Playtex intimate apparel, which is part of Winston-Salem-based Hanesbrands Inc.

"We found that women are proud of their bodies and really confident about themselves," Seawright said Wednesday, shortly after the campaign was announced.

The multimillion dollar "Girl Talk" campaign — one of the largest in the brands' history — will be spread across television, print and online advertisements beginning Monday. The ads feature women engaging in amusingly honest banter about their breasts, at times using nicknames usually reserved for when men aren't around.

Consumers will see the ads over the next few months during daytime television and in women's lifestyle and fashion magazines. Among the featured slogans are "Gravity is no longer my enemy, but brownies are," "Wearing a bra shouldn't be punishment" and "Eyes up here."

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Playtex also will utilize YouTube and American Greetings to help “support” — rather than promote — the Playtex 18 Hour bra and Playtex Secrets product lines.

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For example, a woman can perk up a friend's day by sending a "Girl Talk" e-card. Female consumers also can submit their own bra story under a link dubbed "BYOB" (Bring Your Own Bras).

That array of advertising, Seawright said, underscores the "the diversity of our Playtex bras to fit the many needs of real women."

The new campaign harkens back to the brands' innovative marketing roots when Playtex intimate apparel was the first bra brand to advertise nationally on television in 1954. Seawright said Playtex did so with a great-fitting bra and a touch of humor.

"They were happy to hear that someone was finally talking about the good, the bad and the ugly that comes with wearing a bra, and that we were helping them find solutions," she said.