Dockers' 'Men Without Pants' March to Super Bowl

January 21, 2010


By Elena Malykhina, Brandweek


Dockers will advertise during the Super Bowl for the first time since 2002. On Feb. 7, the apparel brand is breaking a new TV spot that uses Shazam mobile technology to allow consumer interaction.

The 30-second ad, dubbed "Men Without Pants," is part of Dockers' ongoing "Wear the Pants" campaign, which launched in December. It will run during CBS' telecast of Super Bowl XLIV, and -- in keeping the campaign's broader theme -- address men on the subject of modern masculinity. (The ad shows childish men marching and singing: "I Wear No Pants." The men are interrupted with a message: "Calling all men, it’s time to wear the pants.”)

Draftfcb in San Francisco crafted the campaign.

"We’re sending out a humorous call to manhood . . . The campaign celebrates the reemergence of the khaki, a product whose heritage is rooted in the military, as an everyday way for men to convey masculine pride," said Jen Sey, vp of Dockers global marketing, adding that "the pants" are only a piece of the puzzle since the ad encourages men to "wear the pants" both literally and figuratively.

Dockers partnered with Shazam, a mobile music discovery application provider, enabling viewers to engage with the ad's content on their smartphones. In order to make it work, consumers need to download Shazam's app and "tag" the spot, which would take them to a branded-content page. That page will house additional information, music from the spot and a giveaway promotion.

Sey said the mobile partnership is a way for Dockers to reach consumers in new ways and encourage further engagement with the brand. Dockers hopes the Super Bowl will be the perfect opportunity.

So why is this the year that Dockers is returning to the Super Bowl? A sharp decline in the overall category has caused a major shift in how the company is approaching its brand efforts. "We’re on a mission to reinvent khakis and consumers’ relationship to the category, which has been passive in recent years," said Sey. "With our call to manhood message, the Super Bowl -- the 'manliest' of days on the sports calendar -- was a perfect choice for us to launch the campaign nationally."