Pair of Thieves is a quirkyname for a men’s underwear brand. Agency, Haymaker, has followed the “rebel brand’s” humorous personality in its first campaign, that invites men to leave behind their dad’s kind of basic tighty-whities for a pair with more personality and innovation.
The hero spot of Escape Basic is a chase sequence. People love chase sequences in movies, so why not? It features the Pair of Thieves’ mascot, the bandit bear, who is on a mission to deliver Pair of Thieves underwear to as many people as possible while under hot pursuit from ‘big underwear.’
As in classic movie chase scenes, the acrobatic-parkoring-basketball-dunking-skateboarding-underwear-delivering bear parkours through parking garages, skates through city streets, and even hijacks a basketball game with a mind-blowing dunk. Red Bull art of motion champion, Didi Alaou, performs the most gravity defying stunts as the bandit bear, bringing a new story and edge to the brand’s beloved mascot.
Skate-inspired photography and humorous copy maintain the fun in print, digital, and out-of-home. The campaign also includes four 15- and 6-second spots. Escape Basic has launched on 3.22 across CTV, social, digital display, and OOH.
“The vast majority of people out there don’t know our name, even some who wear our products. But our bear bandit logo is more recognisable than all of our other brand elements combined,” stated Alan Stuart, founder and executive creative director at Pair of Thieves. “This was our opportunity to make the bear famous, so we coined 2024 ‘The Year of the Bear.’ He symbolises all we aim to be (as a brand, and as men). He’s strong, kind-hearted, agile, confident, cosy, and emotionally in tune. Oh, and he takes men’s junk comfort seriously.”
“Pair of Thieves being unapologetically themselves in this category immediately stood out to us. The brand is dedicated to doing things differently, to prioritising quality, design, and, above all, fun,” said Jay Kamath, founder and chief creative officer at Hymaker. “The Pair of Thieves bear going on a benevolent, altruistic underwear rampage felt like the exact kind of fun to be had. We’re so stoked to be working with this brand and to put this first campaign from our partnership out into the world.”
Credits
Client: Pair Of Thieves
Founder: Alan Stewart
Head of Design: Damion Triplett
Brand Director: Tomi Lahdesmaki
Head Of Creative: Yolanda Lopez
Project Manager: Austen Montero
Creative Agency: Haymaker
Chief Creative Officer: Jay Kamath
Chief Strategy Officer: Matt Johnson
Brand Director: Laura Hoffman
Executive Producer: John Keaney
Brand Director: Al Herrera
Creative Director: Thomas Kropp
Art Director: Eric Trujillo
Producer: Dave Stekert
Production Company: Stadium
Directors: Samy Mosher & Ryan Simpson
Executive Producer: Mike Bergin
Producer: Jasmine Holdsworth
Line Producers: Justin Trevino & John Rains
Production Supervisor: Nico Gutierrez
1st AD: Chad Adams
2nd AD: AJ Ledesma
Director of Photography: Jalaludin Trautmann
1st AC: Sam Pearcy
2nd AC: Erin Mainwaring
Photographer: Mia Polcyn
