Victoria secret is the largest lingerie and beauty specialty retailer in the world. It offers a wide range of modern, fashion-inspired collections as well as prestige fragrances and body care. It also specializes in world-famous runway shows.
Victoria’s Secret grew from a small boutique started by Stanford MBA Roy Raymond in 1978 to the iconic brand we know today. Its early years were characterized by a Victorian theme, with Raymond’s stores as a place where men felt comfortable buying high-end lingerie for their wives.
As the 1990s rolled around, Victoria’s Secret began to ride a wave of sexuality-as-empowerment feminism that embraced scanty lingerie and racy fashions. Its lingerie catalog featured models like Alessandra Ambrosio and Miranda Kerr.
Its marketing tactics helped skew women’s body images in a negative direction, playing on their insecurities. It promoted an unattainable, unrealistic body type that was a far cry from the healthy body image most women want and deserve.
The company’s reliance on the body image distorted women’s conceptions of themselves and prompted many to seek extreme cosmetic enhancements to achieve their perfect bod. Its aggressive marketing tactics caused a public outcry and its CEO Leslie Wexner was forced to step down in February 2020, according to Business Insider.
Since then, the lingerie and beauty retailer has made several changes to its marketing strategy, including a size-inclusive line of lingerie, Adore Me. It’s also added a minority stake in Los Angeles-based swimwear line Frankies Bikinis.
In addition to a revamped brand campaign and a shift in messaging, Victoria’s Secret is also investing in technology to drive more mobile engagement. The brand will be able to connect with its customers through its app, which they can use to download the looks they’re viewing and share them on social media.
The mobile campaign will help the brand drive sales by letting customers purchase items they see on their phones as they watch the Victoria’s Secret fashion show live. It’s a clever way to get customers hooked on the product and retain them as loyalty members.
As a result of the new marketing campaign, Victoria’s Secret will be able to flip the narrative of the brand to one that’s inclusive and diverse, rather than one that’s all about blonde bombshells and all-pink. The company’s latest campaign, which features MMA fighter Rose Namajunas, paralympic athlete Femita Ayanbeku and country singer Brittany Spencer, is a total 180 from previous marketing messages.
This is a major move for the brand. Unlike the earlier campaigns, which stoked up stereotypes of what a Victoria’s Secret angel should look like, this campaign aims to break down all those preconceptions by featuring a truly diverse cast.
The company will also be focusing on expanding the brand’s presence in Asia and Europe, which it hasn’t done much of so far. Besides opening the first Victoria’s Secret store in Japan, the brand is also working on creating a new store in Spain that will be the first in the Spanish-speaking world.