The print-led campaign, which launched in Malaysia in mid-November to tap the 24 to 35 demographic shopping for the Muslim Ramadan festival, will be extended to China, Taiwan, Singapore, the Philippines, India and Pakistan in early 2005. Print and in-store posters make up the bulk of the brand's communications to underline the benefits of the product - a range of clothes which are fast-drying, stain-repellant, wrinkle- and fade- resistant - while also stamping Docker's credentials as a brand that innovates.
Targeting the 'global guy', the busy professional on the go, the three creative executions use the idea of an 'explorer', a person who lives life to the fullest while always wearing the right clothes, to showcase the new range. The explorer is placed in three separate festive situations: standing in the way during the bull run in Spain, in the midst of the Thai water festival Songkhran and, lastly, preparing for the barrage of tomatoes at the La Tomantina festival in Southern Europe.
"In each ad, a model smartly dressed in Dockers Defiance remains cool and confident even when caught in a potentially 'dangerous' situation," said Steve Wong, retail design and development specialist, Levis Strauss Asia-Pacific. "The Dockers look is stylish, sociable, real and confident."
Bates handled creative duties on this project following a three-way pitch against J. Walter Thompson India and local Singapore agency Sinkid in April this year. The agencies submitted real creative work for the campaign and this was tested on a sample consumer group in the Philippines before Bates was awarded the account. This marks the second major campaign that the agency has produced since the win.
"In advertising a product of this nature, the temptation would immediately be to focus on the product benefits and perhaps exaggerate them for impact," said Ajay Thrivikraman, ECD at Bates Malaysia. "We chose a route that not only communicates the product benefits, but helps build the brand in the process."