Brand Marketing Ad of the Day: Hanes Brand's ComfortBlend T-shirts are even softer than wearing kittensBy Tim Nudd|August 7, 2012Share By Tim Nudd|August 7, 2012Share Stupid sight gags never go out of style, particularly when they involve kittens. That appears to be the solid thinking behind the new Hanes spot from The Martin Agency (and MJZ director Rocky Morton), in which the softness of the brand's ComfortBlend T-shirts is likened to that of the silky fur of kittens. The comparison, though, is made in the most outlandish way possible—by showing a goofy Chris Elliott type who prefers to actually wear a handful of fluffy kittens instead of a shirt, much to the consternation of his Hanes-pushing friends. The spot has suitably moronic buddy banter to match the premise, and overall is amusing enough—and it takes an even more absurd turn when Mr. Kittens suggests asking longtime Hanes spokesman Michael Jordan what he thinks of the kittens shirt. Jordan, looking puffier than ever, suddenly ambles into the scene, offers a perfunctory and dismissive "Dude. Wow," and exits. "But I got it off SkyMall," the crestfallen kittens guy says. Wearing cats has become a thing in advertising lately—as previously noted with the cat boots in the spot for Temptations cat treats. They're not just for herding anymore. CREDITS Client: Hanes Spot: "Kittens" Agency: The Martin Agency, Richmond, Va. Executive Creative Director: Joe Alexander Senior Vice President, Group Creative Director: Nancy Hannon Associate Creative Director, Copywriter: Andrew Goldin Senior Art Director: Mauricio Mazzariol Senior Vice President, Group Planning Director: Fritz Kuhn Senior Strategic Planner: Dalynn Kincannon Account Supervisor: Carrie Bird Vice President, Executive Broadcast Producer: Molly Souter Agency Junior Producer: Amy Marek Production Company: MJZ Director: Rocky Morton Director of Photography: Bill Pope Executive Producer: Scott Howard Producer: Donald Taylor Editorial Company: Beast Editor: Jim Ulbrich Assistant Editor: Tripp McCarty Post Facility: Framestore Telecine: Company 3 Colorist: Tom Poole Visual Effects Company: Framestore Visual Effects Supervisor: David Hulin 2-D Lead: Maryanne Butler Paint, Roto: Sabrina Tenore, Alex Ling, Jesse Spielman Producer: Graham Dunglinson Executive Producer: James Razzall Audio Post Company: Rainmaker Engineers: Jeff McManus, Mike O'Connor Mixer: Jeff McManus Music: Stock Composer/Arranger: Sound Design Company: Rainmaker Sound Designer: Jeff McManus Actors: Michael Jordan, Elisha Yaffe, Charlie Finn, Coronado Romero Voiceover: Hubert Point DuJour Adweek Adweek