Dockers, Creating a Sub-Brand

DOCKERS: CREATING A SUB-BRAND CASE ANALYSIS

1- How would you characterize Levi’s branding strategy in general? What are the positive aspects? Are there any negative aspects?

Over the years, Levi’s change the branding strategy several times but they kept some core values such as quality, durability, and comfort. These things always have been the principal associations with the brand. While keeping them, Levi’s changed its strategy in order to capture more customers and transform the concept of “miner pants” into a brand for “every life style” but this strategy was a failure. Therefore, they created another strong brand (Dockers) and some sub-brands too.

Positive aspects: highly recognized around the world, sub-branding strategies used the Levi’s strength opportunities to develop Dockers, and a very well differentiation between both brands.

Negative aspects: decrease sales due to failure in its strategy “to offer products for every life style”, Dockers image was mainly directed to young consumers.

2- Analyze Dockers’ communication strategy at the time of the launch. How did it fit in with past Levi’s advertising efforts? How did it contribute to brand equity?

Dockers brand was born to satisfy and reach the target audience Levi’s lose in the jeans segment. The older people left the Levi’s jeans and wanted a more casual and comfort pants. Levi’s reached their need emphasizing the idea of Dockers’ usage –work, weekend, dress, golf–, “Dockers four wearing occasions”. Young people took distance from Dockers because their parents wore it and they didn't want to feel like them. Dockers developed and launch sub-brands to the younger market and ads with a consistent message from Levi’s previous campaigns to avoid that. These efforts helped Dockers to drive awareness and loyalty, and became a desire brand in the different target audiences. These actions contributed substantially to brand equity.

3- How you would characterize the...