Victoria's Secret ads are apparently based on three assumptions: 1. a woman’s physical beauty is an instrument for selling any product, including herself 2. a woman is always struggling to get or hold onto the right man in order to give meaning to her life and 3. a woman’s self-image is largely based on a male perception of her physical beauty

1. Disclaimer:
The Purpose of this presentation is completely academic. Any part
of the contents, images or video clips that may create
embrassment, incivility or persecutation is an unintentional
phenomenon and insignificant to humiliate others’ perception.
The inclusion of informations are entirely based upon proper
grounds and any disagreement or criticism desires a marketer’s
viewpoint. @ Das.Swajan

2. 80% of women wear the wrong size
bra..??

3. Victoria’s Secret: a bombshell approach
Next - Video 01: Who is Victoria?

4. Video 01: Who is Victoria?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kTNPGTgQHw

6. Arthur’s Era: 1977 - 1982
Roy Raymond, a graduate from Stanford Graduate School of
Business in California, came up with an idea – making
lingerie
shopping
as
more
“personalized”
experience than just buying it. His iconic idea was a
consequence of an awkward lingerie shopping experience in a
departmental store for his wife.
He stressed personalization above all else. The first store at
Stanford Shopping Mall was a perfect representation of
Victorian details in wood-paneled walls with helpful sales
staffs .

7. Arthur’s Era: Buniness Strategy
With $ 40,000 bank loan and $40,000 from a relative Mr.
Raymond opened the store in 1977 that bagged more than halfa-million in its first year. By 1982, Victoria’s Secret became a
hugely successful chain business with five stores and 42-page
mail-order catalogue operation that were grossing $6 a year.
However, Mr. Raymond’s niche marketing strategy, specially
Male Focused, became unprofitable and headed into
bankruptcy. To avoid the bankruptcy he sold the business to
Mr. Leslie Wexner, the founder of The Limited for $1 million.

8. Arthur’s Era: Stores’ Appearance
‘The Victoria’s Secret we founded was an upscale
sophisticated lingerie store that I designed to look like a
Victorian drawing room, complete with Oriental rugs and
antique armoires displaying the wares.’
Gaye – Mr. Raymond’s wife
‘I found an interesting little lingerie store called Victoria's
Secret. It was a small store, and it was Victorian - not English
Victorian but brothel Victorian, with red-velvet sofas. There
wasn't erotic lingerie, but there was very sexy lingerie.’
Leslie Wexner, CEO of Limited Brands

9. Arthur’s Era: Way Forward
Roy Raymond: a symbol of the dangers of failing to
understand the potential of an idea.
The Social Network, 2010
Roy Raymond: (One of the) ALL TIME 100 Fashion Icons.
Time, April 02, 2012
The beginning of a global erotic phenomenon.
Hannah Betts, The Evening Standard, February 09, 2012

10. Murtha’s Era: 1983 ‘I didn't know anything about the lingerie business, but then I
began thinking--as a bachelor. Most of the women I knew
wore underwear, and most of them would rather wear
lingerie. I thought maybe we could reconceptualize it into a
business--instead of selling underwear, we could market and
position it as lingerie. I thought if we could develop price
points and products that had a broader customer base, it could
be something big.’
- Leslie Wexner, CEO of Limited Brands (Founder of The Limited)

11. Murtha’s Era: Change in Strategy
# Women Focused (Age demographic 18-40yrs)
# Store Expansion
# Rainbow Appearance
# Style & Design Innovation
# Product Category Extention
# Aggressive Marketing Approach

12. Murtha’s Era: Products
# Bras
# Sleepwear
# Women's clothing
# Swimwear
# Fragrances
# Panties
# Hosiery
# Lingerie
# Footwear
# Beauty products

13. Murtha’s Era: Products Selling Channels
1. Victoria’s Secret Stores
2. Victoria’s Secret Directs
# Victoria’s Secret Catalogue
# VictoriasSecret.com

14. Murtha’s Era: Out of State
Company owned Stores and Franchises
# Canada # UK # Poland # Singapore # Turky
# Kuwuit # Puerto Rico # Colombia
# Airports (Duty Free Shops)

15. Murtha’s Era: Customer Touch Points
# Stores: More than 1000 stores
# Catalog: Distribute nearly 4 million annualy
# Websites: www.victoriassecret.com – approx. 80 countries
# Social Media: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest
# TV and Print Ad, Fashion Shows, Youtube

16. Angels’ Era
- It’s Showtime
Next - Video 02: It’s Showtime

17. Video 02: It’s Showtime
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rm-8txsdPsw

18. Angels’ Era: 1995 The Angels’ Era started from 1995 through the ‘Victoria’s
Secret Fashion Show’ at Plaza Hotel in New York. The
budget was only $120,000 for the entire program and it was not
broadcasted.
# Victoria’a Secret Angels
# Victoria’s Secret Runway Angels

19. Angels’ Era: Angels with No Wings
# 1995 to 1997: Rather Established Supermodels
Helena Christensen, Stephanie Seymour
Tyra Banks, Naomi Campbell and many more
# 1995 to 1997: Wearing Robs, Knee-high Boots, Gloves
Associarised with simple Bra and Panties
# 1995 to 1997: No Broadcast
# 1995 to 1997: Plaza Hotel, New York
# 1996 to 1997: AroundValentine’s Day

20. Angels’ Era:
Angels on Earth, 1997
Tyra Banks
Karen Mulder
Daniela Peštová
Stephanie Seymour
Helena Christensen

21. Angels’ Era:
Runway Angels, 1998
# Angel Tyra Banks
# No Broadcast
# Plaza Hotel, NY
# Around V-Day

22. Angels’ Era: Seat on the Virtual Runway
# 1999 to 2000: Direct Webcast
# 1999 to 2000: More than Two Million Viewers
# In 1999, the $5.5 million’s campaign attracted huge traffic
that ultimately caused of an unexpected web-crush
# In 2000 the show was moved to May than its
usual occasion and took place during the Cannes
Film Festivals in order to raise money for AIDS.
Insiders’ expectation was letting the world’s 40%
people know/hear about VS

23. Angels’ Era: Welcome Angels
In 2001 ABC broadcast the VS Fashion Show for the first
time in Television. The show was tapped on November 13th
and aired on 15th. Actor Rubert Everett was host of the $5
million
program. Mary J. Blige and Andrea Bocelli
performed in it and had 12.4 million viewers.

24. Angels’ Era:
Wings Extension, 2002 onward
# Since 2002 onwards CBS
broadcasting the show each year
# Show became more theatrical
with flashy lights and increasingly
impractical,
showy
outfits
including huge, elaborate wings
# Celebrities like Marc Anthony,
Stings, Justin Timberlake, Ricky
Martin, Sprice Girls, will.i.am,
Usher, The Black Eyed Peas, Katy
Perry, Akon, Jay-Z, Rihana and
many others performed
# In 2004, the show was cancelled
# In 2011, event budget was $12m

25. Angels’ Era: Red Hot Fantasy Bra $15m Guinness Book of Records as the most
extravagant and expensive items of underwear
ever created.

26. Angels’ Era:
Present Angels

27. Angels’ Era:
Present Angels

28. Angels’ Era:
Present Angels

29. Angels’ Era: Angels are Expensive
# Andriana Lima (4) - $7.3m
# Doutzen Kroes (5) - $6.9m
# Alessandra Ambrosio (6) - $6.6m
# Miranda Kerr (7) - $4m
# Candice Swanepoel (10) - $3.1m
# X-Angel: Gisele Bundchen (1) - 45m
The World’s Highest Paid Models (May 2011-2012)
Forbes, June 14, 2012

30. Angels’ Era: Practical View
# Hour-long Commercial
# Lingerie became Legend
It was not until 1995, with the launch of the brand's notorious
catwalk shows, that its lingerie became a legend.
Hannah Betts, The Evening Standard, February 09, 2012

31. Bombshell Era
Repositioning Victoria and her Secret

32. Bombshell Era: Victoria at her Past
# The original “Victoria” was imagined to be a sophisticated,
elegant, and well-traveled English woman who preferred
luxurious items
# Stores were designed with an ‘English Feel’
# First nationwide advertising campaign (in 1989) was
photographed primarily in Sledemere Castle in Yorkshire,
England
# To introduce toiletries and fragrance Victoria’s Secret used
English country garden theme in ads to tie up with the store
design
# Listed a fake London address for the company headquarter

33. Bombshell Era
- Victoria at her Present
Next - Video 03: Present Day’s Victoria

34. Video 03: Present Day’s Victoria
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onYLwFr2OZY

35. Bombshell Era: Brand Positioning
Through the use of supermodels in commercials, catalogue
and annual fashion shows Victoria’s Secret has positioned its
Brand Personality as an Angel.

36. Bombshell Era
- What is her Secret?
Next - Video 04 & 05: Brand Value Proposition

37. Video 04 & 05: Brand Value Proposition
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSm8cR8o3io
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3QU6Kt7KNo

38. Bombshell Era: Bra Collections
# Very Sexy
# Body by Victoria
# Angels by Victoria’s Secret
# Fabulous by Victoria’s Secret
# Bombshell
# Cotton Lingerie
# Incredible by Victoria's Secret
# The Showstopper by Victoria's Secret
# Victoria's Secret PINK

39. Bombshell Era: Panties Collections
# Very Sexy
# Body by Victoria
# Angels by Victoria’s Secret
# Cotton Lingerie
# The Lace
# Victoria's Secret PINK

40. Bombshell Era: Brand Value Proposition
# Functional Benefits: VS offers mainly offers basic
necssity – underwear (lingerie). Though at present it has a
wide range of products
# Emotional Benefits: Every woman’s Fantasy – being
sexy and glamorous
# Self-expressive Benefits: Having an impression of
Supermodel

41. Bombshell Era
- How she offers?
Next - Video 06 & 07: Emotional Branding

42. Video 06 & 07: Emotional Branding
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHpTnMHWPHI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ev5TyHYSfY

43. Bombshell Era: Emotional Branding Controversy
VS ads are apparently based on three assumptions:
1. a woman’s physical beauty is an instrument for
selling any product, including herself
2. a woman is always struggling to get or hold onto the
right man in order to give meaning to her life and
3. a woman’s self-image is largely based on a male
perception of her physical beauty
Studies in Popular Culture

44. Bombshell Era: Further Controversy
# Webcast was like watching a striptease through a keyhole
- The New York Times
# Softcore pornography
- Various Women’s Organisations
# Ever extending sexualization of women in mass media
- The National Organization for Women
# It (VS) is the Playboy Club of underwear manufacturers,
selling an insultingly retrograde vision of femininity (from
Playboy: bunnies, from Victoria's Secret: angels)
- The Guardian
Federal Communications Commission’s
investigation and no violation of decency
standard.

45. Bombshell Era: Controvertial Outcome
# Victoria’s Secret is a winning combination of sex, fantasy
and fashion
- Vogue, UK
Next – Video 08: Way Forward Strategy

46. Video 08: Way Forward Strategy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUGWQ3opv48

47. Bombshell Era: Angels do earn ACTUALLY
# VS (VS + Pink) in 2012: 59% of the Group’s total Revenue
- VS Stores: $4,564 m
- VS Direct: $1,557 m
# VS is the subsidiary of Limited Brands which also holds
Bath and Body Works, La Senza, Henri Bendel and Pink
Global Lingerie Industry worths $ 29230m. 20-25%
of VS’s sales come from its Lingerie products that
indicates 5% global market share.

48. Bombshell Era
- The End?
Next – Video 09: Change in Promotional Strategy

49. Video 09: Change in Promotional Strategy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjqEaFibYoY

50. Victoria’s Secret: New Era....?
# In their recent Holiday commercial, in late 2012, a dramatic
changed has been observed. Rather than proclaiming the
Sexiness this time VS is seen to march after the
HAPPINESS, although it is just another Typical VS
commercial. This may mark as the beginning of new era for
Victoria’s Secret to the critics.
# Whatever VS does it will sale the company’s products.
We are obsessed with undergarments.
- The New York Times

51. DAS.Swajan
Thanks and also wish you Merry X-Mas
Next – Video 10: X-Mas wish

52. Video 10: X-Mas wish
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwzBf9mNNkk