Dockers Rebrands To Be More Than "Just Pants"

At one time, it was claimed, "If they're not Dockers, they're just pants." But now it is Dockers that are "just pants" -- and the brand intends to do something about it.

This week, Dockers is launching a rebranding campaign built around the brand's new tagline, "Wear the pants." The tone will embrace the now-common "be a man" approach used by many other brands in the men's sector (Mitchum, Wrangler) -- ironic, considering Dockers' past slogan.

In fact, Dockers' branding efforts two decades ago, with uber-yuppie ads like the one above, were so successful that the brand remains defined by that era. The president of Dockers told the New York Times, "I don’t think that we, as leaders of the category, have done much to keep the khaki category fresh and exciting..." And that couldn't be more true. But many brands have done plenty to keep the category fresh, and stole Dockers' business.

Just a few years ago, Gap became a heavy hitter in the khaki category by equating its offerings with icons like James Dean and Steve McQueen. And anyone who has seen a J Crew or Eddie Bauer catalog in the last ten years knows those brands regularly dress their models in updated styles of khakis, and feature khaki pants with their latest seasonal fashions.

The bottom line is that after years of branding itself as the antithesis to caught-up-in-trends fashion brands, Dockers is now jumping on the bandwagon by offering seasonal colors and styles. (It's noteworthy that Dockers' parent company, Levi's, also hit hard since enjoying sector domination in the '90s, has a heavy branding campaign out of its own.)

If anything, this rebrand will remind consumers that Dockers are still an option for their "pants" needs. But is the original brand too strong for any rebranding effort to matter?