1. Female empowerment
In 2018 the brand’s CMO, Ed Razek tried to
incorporate trending movements like feminism, body positivity and diversity
into their world-famous annual fashion show, but the results were not what
people expected and proved how out of step the brand is with current consumer
perceptions of inclusiveness and body positivity. As US author Jill Filipovic
opinionated in 2016, "putting conventionally attractive women onstage — even if those
women are more racially diverse than in past years — and using them as physical
representations of sex in order to sell bras isn't exactly a manifestation of
the feminist dream". (Manavis, 2018). Recent remarks of the brand’s CMO in an
interview with Vogue also stirred a lot of online backlash and reinforced the
Victoria’s Secret idea of female beauty: "Does the brand think about diversity? Yes. Do we offer
larger sizes? Yes," he said. "Shouldn't you have transsexuals in the
show? No. No, I don't think we should. Well, why not? Because the show is a
fantasy"…We attempted to do a television special for plus-sizes [in 2000].
No one had any interest in it, still don’t."
“In Western society, women feel tremendous pressure to be thin.
Girls often start dieting as young as 10 years old and this preoccupation with
weight and body shape is evident across the life span (Pliner, Chaiken, &
Flett, 1990)” (Strahan, Lafrance, Wilson, Ethier, Spencer, Zanna,
2007)
In this context, it is to believe that an
approach more in-touch with current times and consumer demand would be to
create a more diverse and welcoming brand. As we live in a time when female
empowerment is a crucial part of possibly any woman’s life, it is almost
imperative that a lingerie brand which has such an intimate relationship with
its customers, makes any woman feel good and confident in her own skin.
” The first presidential primary election many of us remember was in
2008, when Hillary Clinton, a woman, took on Barack Obama, an African-American
man. For us, it has seemed that anything is possible. (Masback, 2016)
Placing female empowerment at the core of
the business would be more in line with what consumer expect from brands with
great influence and impact on young girls’ idea of female beauty. Instead of
casting only models that fit into certain measurements, the brand could feature
diverse models on the catwalk, in their campaigns and as their angels, while
keeping alive the promised fantasy by using the same stylish, fashionable and
feminine vibe customers are used to and love about Victoria’s Secret.
Instead of months of preparations to fit
into a specific “mould” by making the girls lose weight and even train twice a
day, the team could hire professional nutritionists and trainers that will make
the models look the “best” version of themselves, highlighting the importance
of being healthy, both physically and mentally.
These models should be chosen based on
their personality, highlighting the idea that beauty comes from within and any
girl has the potential of being a part of the fantasy they want to portray. In
order to illustrate that the brand places their customer at the heart of the
business, Victoria’s Secret could organise an annual “digital tombola”. One
lucky customer should have the chance of experiencing the world of Victoria at
its fullest, on the catwalk. In order to take part in the contest, customers
would have to create an account on the brand’s website and make a purchase of
at least $50. If they would like to buy in store, the same rules apply, but a
special receipt code will have to be registered on the website. The more they
buy, the greater the chances of winning and meeting the Victoria’s Secret
angels before the show and at the after party. If customers don’t have an
account yet, the software will ask for registration so that the team in charge
will be able to contact the winner. Now if people will participate and give
their details it will profit the business a great deal as marketing teams will
have the chance to match certain items with an identity. Hence they will
establish consumer preference trends and with the customer’s consent even send emails
with customised offers based on these preferences. The brand already had a
similar contest for this year’s show (2018), but for employees only, based on
the highest sales performance, they had the chance to see the show. (Source: LinkedIn)
On the same previous note about feminism
implementation, a good PR movement would be to add real feminists to their band
ambassadors (“angels”) instead of using supermodels. Influential voices young
consumers are looking up to like Sonny Turner(285k), Paloma Elsesser(195k),
Hari Nef(357k), Barbie Ferreira(483k), Lauren Wasser(107k), Lulu
Bonfils(60.2k), Mariah Idrissi(886.3k), Ashley Graham(8M), Adwoa Aboah(744k)
would attract a lot of attention and could benefit the brand’s public image.
These models represent more than just a pretty face in the eye of consumers, they
stand for something and aim to send the right message out there.
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2. Sustainability
From our research and other lingerie brands’
approach to marketing, identity, logistics and supply chain, two key-elements
that younger Generations of consumers (younger Millennials and older Gen
Zedders) value the most in a brand are transparency and authenticity (Fromm,
2017 & Wissink as an interviewee). That is one main reason why VS should
concentrate their efforts around becoming more environmentally-friendly and
introduce better systems of tracing cotton in their supply chain and learn
about their female employees in developing countries where they outsource
garment production, making sure they have a fair wage and working conditions.
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3. Technology
On a different note, investing in
technology would be one of my strongest recommendations for Victoria’s Secret.
For this module, a survey was created and 51 women (64% between 16-25 and 30%
26-35) took part. When asked if they would be willing to use a 3-D body scanner
to find their perfect bra size, 40% said YES and 44% ticked the ABSOLUTELY YES
box. 3-D
body scanning for custom sizes would open a new target market, considering that
the brand currently sells bras from 32A to 38F. Start Today Co Ltd, now Zozo
Inc., is a Japanese clothes-selling website, which already implemented an
innovative technology called “the Zozosuit”, a polka-dot bodysuit, aimed at
providing customers with bespoke services for finding the perfect fit. From
researching into the product, the suit is relatively easy to use. Once the
customer is wearing it, a mobile app software will measure the distance between
the white dots on the “black canvas” (the suit) and will tell you the exact
body measurements. After only a few months since they launched the technology,
the company claims it received orders worth 15.4 billion yen from Zozosuit
users and collected so much data they don’t need to use the suit anymore (Nakamura, 2018).
Similar measuring services could be available in store or in the comfort of the
user’s own home. Once the measurements will be linked with an account, the
customer will be able to order anything online: lingerie, nightwear, loungewear
and sportswear, while also having the possibility of ordering a custom-fit if
the software cannot match the measurements with an existing available size. In
order to put this customisation service into practice, they could open a
special factory with seamstresses dedicated to this part of the business.
Because the “Zozosuit” sensor technology is
already patented, VS could create a similar technology and create a pink suit
with white stripes and a scanner app that could read how the stripes are
displayed and create a virtual mould of the body.
Easing the online shopping process and
showing consumers Victoria’s Secret is a brand that knows them and their needs
will strengthen the link between the brand and its customers.
In industries like retail, where the bridge between online and
offline is often manifested through consumer smartphones, AR can significantly
benefit businesses. (Bloom, 2017). Augmented reality is
something fashion companies are already investing into. E-commerce giant
Amazon.com already bought Body Labs, a 3-D body-scanning start-up company,
which allows customers to create true-to-life 3D avatars in order to virtually
try clothes on (Du, Takahashi
& Alpeyev, 2018).
Another company that invested in AR in 2017 is Gap Inc. In collaboration
with Google and San Francisco-based start-up Avametric, the brand launched a
“DressingRoom” app for consumers to see how clothes will fit them by showing a
3D mannequin based on their measurements (Alvarez, 2017).
Virtual Mirrors in changing rooms or in
changing “boots” also have a huge potential for retailers and could boost both
in-store and online sales. Eliminating all the fuss and exhaustion about trying
on different sizes and colours in store would be a big step forward in
improving customer experience. Virtual changing boots which carry no stock
would be time-saving for consumers and will eliminate the resource-demanding
task of inventory managing, while boosting the e-commerce side of a business.
Victoria’s Secret could invest in such technologies in order to expand their
international business without using financial resources to open
Brick-and-mortar stores. If the consumer used the 3-D body-measurement
technology he could then enter his account details and the software would know
the exact measurements and could fit the items on his body. “The pink booths”
could look like telephone booths that can only be closed from the inside and should
be placed in areas of interest with a high concentration of younger
demographics like university campuses. Implementation of an initial trial stage
would be necessary in order to see how consumers react and expect the
technology to work like. During this test-phase PINK campus reps could promote
the new technology and invite students to test it. Because this will be a
promotional campaign, a few striped suits in different size should be available
for free to anyone who wants to have the PINK booth experience. After the
promotional campaign is over, if anyone who wants to use a PINK booth should
buy it either online or in-store.
Generation Z holds the largest number of
tech-savvy consumers and is the most likely generation that would completely
embrace and accept technology into their lives. “Like Millennials, Pivotals operate in a market guided
by technological advancements and a social landscape spanning the physical and
digital worlds” (Fromm
& Read, 2018).
In 2014, Japanese popular fashion, home and
lifestyle retailer, Urban Research, already launched a trial pop-up store (Japanconsuming, 2018)
and popular fast-fashion brand Topshop partnered with AR Door to bring the AR
experience to their Moscow store by using Kinect for the virtual fitting rooms
(Sheehan, 2018).
The brand could make use of this technology
for all of their lingerie and apparel lines, as well as for the beauty
products.
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4. Collaborations
As a Mintel report about consumer
perceptions on lingerie brands shows, people see Victoria’s Secret as
trend-setting and fashionable compared to other lingerie specialists.
Past collaborations have proven to be very
successful and brought the brand great revenue. In 2017 Victoria’s Secret
teamed up with Balmain and had creative director Olivier Rousteing helping the
VS team design custom runway looks and a retail collection available both
in-store and online, which subsequently sold out really fast. Hence, other
collaborations with fashion brands like OFF-White for a relaxed, streetwear
inspired collection of underwear and apparel would suit the preferences of
younger demographics. Street style is becoming increasingly important in
today’s youth culture
In addition, after talking to Victoria’s
Secret customers we found that many of them only buy beauty products as they
consider other items to be over-priced. Collaborating with established or
online famous makeup artists for a dedicated Victoria’s Secret makeup line
should also be highly appreciated by their customers.
Making changes while keeping the current
aesthetic (feminine, sexy, stylish) and colour-scheme is important as we do not
intend to alienate the current consumer that enjoys the designs and overall
visual identity of the brand. Primary research revealed that people associate the brand with the colours they use (pink) and identify it as trend-setting and fashion-focused (Mintel, 2018).
References:
Fromm J. & Read A. (2018). Marketing to
Gen Z: the rules for reaching this vast, and very different, generation of
influencers. Published by AMACOM
Masback G. (2016). The voice of gen z:
Understanding the attitudes & attributes of America’s next “greatest
generation”. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Manavis S. (2018, Nov 16). Why Victoria’s
Secret is struggling to be “woke”; Vol. 147 Issue 5445, p18-19. Source: New
Statesman
Strahan E. J., Lafrance A., Wilson A. E., Ethier
N. (Wilfrid Laurier University); Spencer S. J., Zanna M. P. (University of
Waterloo) (2007, Aug 14). Victoria’s Dirty Secret: How Sociocultural Norms
Influence Adolescent Girls and Women.
