A blog about Marketing from a Girl's perspective

No one understands women like Victoria's Secret

 

 Every woman wants to be pampered, loved and spoiled. And no one does it better than Victoria's Secret. How and when did shopping for underwear become so fashionably glamorous?

 

Roy Raymond, had a vision in 1977 to start a  lingerie brand that will position inner wear as a sexy indulgence and a must have accessory in every girl's wardrobe. The brand has successfully established an intimate connection with women. All the company stores have a unique aspirational aura that attracts both women and men, who shop for their women. People are willing to pay a premium for these luxurious innerwear. And believe me, every penny spent is worth it as far as it gets you to feel sexy and confident.

Be it my first date, interview, birthday, wedding or honeymoon, a Victoria's Secret RSVP is mandatory. It enables me to believe in myself, takes away the nervousness and allows me to be playful.  What is it about Victoria's Secret that makes every women desire for more. The secret lies in the brand persona which stands for 'Being Sexy'. Sharen Jester Turney, the CEO, President of Victoria’s Secret Megabrand and Intimate Apparel has given 'Being Sexy' a much wider meaning such as Romantic Sexy, Fashionably Sexy, Glamorous Sexy, Casual Sexy, Provocative Sexy, Playful Sexy and so on " Check out her interview with Forbes about how the company has managed to keep business flowing even during tough economic times.

  Victoria Secret is a terrific marketer. Their campaign is based on three pillars: Content, Content and Content. The company is known for its annual fashion show, The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show and its  Catalogs. Recently, the company has recently launched its first store at the NFL stadium trying to lure the football fans into some indulgence along with their favorite sport.

Victoria's Secret Fashion Show (#VSFashionShow): The company has successfully created a new genre, Lingerie Fashion within the mainstream entertainment telecasted on prime time American television. The show is not just about beautiful models scantily clad in lingerie walking down the ramp. It is the A-list entertainers cum youth icons such as Rihanna, Justin Beiber, Bruno who make the show one of the most awaited annual shows in the world. Check out for yourself the clip of Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 2012.

 At the heart of the Fashion show lies Victoria's Secret's models, who are known as "Angels," appearing in the fashion show, catalogs, stores and advertisements. These "Angels" are runway super models who play a major part in boosting the aspirational appeal of the brand to women. The company has an amazing interactive website with a "VS All Access" section for learning more about the "Angels" group. The website also hosts exclusive content such as pre-show rehearsal clips, back stage videos, bite-snippets from the "Angels", hair and make-up tips, after party photos, contests and much more for the web visitors.

Catalog: A major chunk of the company's sales are triggered through their catalogs. Yes, the devil is sent right at your door steps to make you do evil things. Do you wonder how much the company spends in order to get us spend dollars in their stores? Here's a figure - According to a job posting on the company's website, "Victoria’s Secret spends about $220 million a year on the catalogs sent to customers’ homes, including postage, creative, printing, paper and circulation." *

Social Media: The company has an amazing social media presence on platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest, which allows users to interact with its content in a fun and interactive way. Several contests on these platform keep the momentum going non-stop. Check out their Pinterest board or follow them @VictoriasSecret

The company also leverages emails as a tool to catch store-shy customers through exclusive online-only deals . For example, they may give a $15 discount for every $100 spent, $30 off for every $150 spent, or maybe even $75 off for $250 spent.

Direct Marketing: The company plants plenty of traps for women like me and you who are too vulnerable to resists the temptation of not to visit their store. These traps are so effective in generating sales volume for the brand that the company no more advertises in mediums such as print and TV. Some of my favorites Victoria's Secret Marketing Traps are:

  

Freebies: Oh Gosh! This one is my favorite - "The Free Panty" coupon. The best part of this coupon is that there is no * or fine print which requires a minimum purchase in order to avail this coupon. This coupon is yet another way the brand pampers women by asking them to visit the store and avail the coupon. It's a win-win for the company as it drives in-store traffic especially during a lull period.

But honestly, coupon or no coupon I have never returned from a Victoria's Secret store without any financial damage on my husband's credit card. ;-)

Exclusive, limited-time Coupons: The company has a range of products each targeted uniquely to a specific demographic. Such as Pink, which is for 15 - 22 year old girls, Angels, Very Sexy and Body by Victoria, are targeted for adult women. Watch out for coupons like "$10 off on any Pink purchase" or "$15 off on Angels purchase"! This is the company's way of telling females that you can put an end to your craving for the higher priced item for less.  

Clearance or Bargain Sales: Mark your calendar ladies! To further spoil women, the company holds a semi-annual sale usually during winters around January and summer around June. It's a genuine sale with upto 40 - 70 % off on major items from the last season. But I don't like the new, full priced designs being displayed in the stores at the same time. Now that's a teaser the company exposes you to desire for more.

A tip: Don't be shy to ransack the mannequin for your favorite piece. I did that on my first Valentine's with my husband. I had been in U.S. for just 9 months and had not earmarked the annual ritual to Victoria's Secret store. And as they say you snooze, you lose. I just could not find the evergreen red satin lace indulgence in my size. I had to get it off from the mannequin. Sorry! But you got to do what you got to do!!

All that said, the company needs to showcase fashion trends which are relatable to a common girl on the street. Some of the models wear elaborate jeweled costumes designed on themes such as "Circus," "Calendar Girls" and "Silver Screen Angels etc. All those fancy silk jeweled corsets, feather bustiers and wings of all types styled around the underwear definitely help create a fantasy but that fantasy is far far away from reality. It kind of takes viewers a little away from getting emotionally attached to the content shown at such shows. The company should try to build an emotional angle to its existing content strategy.

PS Note : Ladies - Enjoy the guilt trip to Victoria's Secret stores. Feel sexy effortlessly and naturally!! Hope you enjoyed my post!

Source:

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-11-20/business/ct-biz-1120-bf-secret-marketing-20121120_1_victoria-s-secret-victoria-s-secret-s-fashion-show

Header Image is a Bella Pillar creation sourced from Google images.