I love M&S. Always have. Always will. My wardrobe isn’t exactly bursting with designer labels, but if there’s one thing I’m loyal to, it’s my M&S pants. Every time I need new ones, I don’t even think about going anywhere else. So, let’s be clear—this piece is in no way critical. In fact, it comes from a position of admiration.
M&S is a master of marketing, and this latest underwear campaign, ‘Make an Understatement’, is a brilliant example of how to keep a brand feeling fresh. But as I read through the coverage, something caught my eye. Many news outlets are calling this the first dedicated men’s underwear campaign in a decade—and yet, in 2023, M&S ran what it called its first dedicated menswear campaign in eight years.
So, what’s going on here? Are these claims contradictory? Not quite. But they do reveal something fascinating about how brands balance consistency with the need to keep launching ‘firsts’.
The Power (and Problem) of ‘Firsts’
From a marketing perspective, the idea of a campaign being a ‘first’ is powerful. It makes a story newsworthy, it creates excitement, and it helps brands reposition themselves in the market. However, the retail industry is full of carefully worded ‘firsts’ that rely on reframing rather than true innovation.
For M&S, this is a balancing act. The retailer has long been the dominant force in the UK underwear market, holding 39.5% of the bra market and selling knickers to one in three British women. Its men’s underwear division is also growing, reaching a 19.2% market share, up 4.4% since 2021. So while underwear has always been a core product for M&S, each new campaign has to feel fresh—even if it’s part of an ongoing, well-established category strategy.
This is a challenge many brands face: how do you reinvent the wheel without pretending it’s brand new?
Shifting the Conversation from Product to Positioning
One of the most interesting aspects of this campaign isn’t just the product range—it’s the way M&S is repositioning its menswear brand identity. The 2023 ‘Everywear’ campaign was about broadening M&S’s appeal in menswear overall. The 2025 ‘Make an Understatement’ campaign, by contrast, shifts the focus to premium essentials—underwear designed for comfort, sophistication, and confidence.
This move mirrors what’s been happening in women’s lingerie marketing for years. Where once campaigns were all about luxury and seduction, today’s messaging focuses more on comfort, empowerment, and effortless style. By taking a similar approach with men’s underwear, M&S is tapping into a shift in male consumer expectations—one where fit, feel, and everyday wearability matter more than outdated notions of ‘masculinity’.
This isn’t just about selling pants—it’s about selling an identity shift.
The Bigger Picture
The lesson from this campaign goes beyond M&S. It’s a reminder that marketing narratives aren’t just about the product—they’re about shaping perception.
By positioning this as a ‘first’, M&S is making a strategic play to refocus attention on men’s underwear as a standalone category rather than just another piece of clothing. It also signals an effort to close the branding gap between men’s and women’s essentials. While women’s lingerie has long been treated as a major retail segment in its own right, men’s underwear has traditionally been bundled into broader menswear marketing. This campaign suggests M&S is looking to change that conversation.
So while the ‘first in a decade’ claim may be up for debate, the real marketing shift is the decision to put men’s underwear front and centre, rather than as an afterthought in a broader menswear strategy.
That’s the real story here.