Victoria's Secret: Brand Audit

VICTORIA’S SECRET
B R A N D A U D I T

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INTRODUCTION
HISTORY
INTERNAL
BRANDING
PESTEL ANALYSIS
EXTERNAL
BRANDING
SWOT ANALYSIS
CONCLUSION

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INTRODUCTION
Victoria’s Secret is an American brand which designs, manufactures and markets women’s Premium
Lingerie and beauty products. Founded in 1977, the largest American retailer of women’s lingerie is a
subsidiary of ‘L Brands’, an American fashion retailer. The brand now sells to consumers in approximately
80 countries around the world and holds annual fashion shows showcasing extravagant lingerie pieces and
costumes with supermodels posing as the ‘Victoria’s Secret Angels’ wearing angel wings. Headed for
global domination, Victoria’s Secret has since expanded its roots from the USA to the UK, Canada, the
Middle East, the Caribbean, Poland and China.
This brand audit will thoroughly examine Victoria’s Secret current position in the fashion market in
comparison to its competitors. The brands’ marketing and advertising methods will be reviewed in terms
of effectiveness, giving an insight as to how the brand can improve upon itself and adapt to changing
circumstances.
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HISTORY
The story of Victoria’s Secret began when founder Roy Raymond wanted to buy his wife sexy lingerie
as a gift but didn’t want to appear suspicious buying women’s underwear. Naomi Barr of Slate
noted he had the ingenious idea to found a company that would facilitate shopping for underwear.
He wanted it to be an exciting, sexy process that would make men feel comfortable, not perverted
(Schlossberg, M. 2015). Victoria’s Secret officially launched in 1977, when Raymond leased a small
space in California. The brand flourished as women finally had a lingerie specific store, meanwhile,
men were comfortable and willing to purchase products for them.
The introduction of the birth control pill in the 60’s encouraged women to embrace sex, which
fuelled the popularity of the brand and its success. The sexual revolution was underway. As years
passed, Victoria’s Secret changed its target demographic from men to women, encouraging women
to purchase sexy lingerie for themselves and to be fashionable.
The first time Victoria’s Secret staged a show in a runway format was in 1995. Stephanie Seymour
opened the show and no one could have imagined how the event would change from then until now
(Matera, A). From then on, each year has seen the Victoria’s Secret runway show become more and
more extravagant, bigger wings, top models, live celebrity singers and presented in countries all over
the world. From a small store in California to its first flagship store all the way over in Shanghai,
Victoria’s Secret has world domination at the top of its agenda.
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INTERNAL BRANDING
Brand values have been considered the primary
building blocks of the brand image (Kotler,
Kartajaya & Setiawan, 2010) … Brand values have
become essential in the profiling of many brands
(Kostelijk, 2016). The parent brand of Victoria’s
Secret ‘L Brands’ has exercised its own brand
values since 1963. The four core principles/ values
are:
* Everything [they] do must begin and end with
an insatiable drive to anticipate and fulfil [their]
customers’ desires.
* [They] pursue excellence because [they] are
emotionally, intellectually and spiritually engaged
in [their] work.
* [They] cherish [their] diversity because embracing
others’ thoughts, experiences, hopes and dreams
makes [their] own more complete and connects
[them] to [their] customers.
* Doing what is right means following [their]
beliefs - and the rules - when no one is watching.
Winning means nothing unless how [they] get there
is fair, collaborative, rooted in [their] values and
contributes to the greater good
(L Brands, 2018)
Victoria’s Secret’s brand values are to inspire
ultimate sexiness, desire and confidence to women
all over the world. The products boast quality,
luxury and style with only the top sexiest, demanded
models in the industry remaining loyal faces of the
brand.
The brands’ unique selling point is its versatility;
it offers a mix of sexiness and practicality that
allows its consumers to feel like their everyday
wear can also be sexy. It is also renowned for its
annual runway shows and ‘Angels’ that are the
top world models that represent the brand with
the most expensive million dollar ‘fantasy’ bras,
top singers and worldwide locations. No other
lingerie brand does anything close. Sexy and
sophisticated, powerful and dominant, known and
desired around the world - this is Victoria's Secret
(Victoria’s Secret, 2018). Victoria’s Secret’s brand
essence thrives on being fun and playful and being
expressive of femininity.
Positioning the product(s) helps to differentiate
the product from competitors in the eye of the
consumer. The consumers hold the buying power
as although underwear is a necessity, purchasing
underwear from Victoria’s Secret is not as
there are cheaper alternatives available. It is the
consumers’ decision whether they will make the
leap in terms of price to the VS brand. The brand
has positioned itself to an advantage against some
of its competitors by selling everything - from bras,
pants, slippers, pyjamas, makeup, body mist and
gym wear. Its multiple products can provide for
multiple functions/occasions which keeps them
successful and persuasive to purchase.
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PESTEL ANALYSIS
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POLITICAL
The Harvey Weinstein
scandal consisted of over 50
women who came forward with
allegations against the film
mogul, ranging from rape to
sexual harassment. Amongst
the victims who came forward
were many models, including
Cara Delevingne. Fashion has
its own history with sexual
harassment and the poor
treatment of young women,
including increasingly
documented abuses of models
and the many claims against
the photographer Terry
Richardson (who, after some
time away, is still working in
the industry) (Friedman, V.
Bernstein, J. Schneier, M).
In a post-Weinstein world,
the fashion industry and
its brands must adapt and
behave accordingly. Victoria’s
Secret will be particularly
affected by the publicity and
audacity of this scandal, as it
is a lingerie brand that solely
focuses on women looking
conventionally sexy for men.
VS has run into its own
political issues when it came
to their annual fashion show.
The 2017 show took place
in Shanghai, China. The
country is notorious for its
strict political views and
way of living, restricting the
population from one child
policies to social media bans,
so it’s no surprise the lingerie
brand struggled when it came
to planning the fashion show
in Shanghai. Katy Perry was
scheduled to perform for the
live show, however, another
act had to be arranged
instead as she was refused
entry into China. According
to the New York Post, the
musician [Katy Perry] was
banned because she wore a
sunflower dress when she
gave a concert in Taiwan,
which China considers a
breakaway province, two
years ago. Sunflowers became
an anti-China symbol on the
island after the Sunflower
Movement began in 2014
(Tsoi, G. 2017). Additionally,
VS model Gigi Hadid who
was meant to be walking
the show, was refused entry.
Hadid was criticised as racist
by Chinese citizens after her
sister uploaded an
Instagram video in which
Hadid narrowed her eyes in
an apparent attempt to mimic
the Buddha shape of a cookie
she was holding up to the
camera (Tsoi, G. 2017). To
avoid mishaps like this in the
future, VS should research
the country and people they
wish to participate in their
show, to anticipate and
eliminate backlash.
Feminism is a strong presence
in todays and the futures
politics. Unfortunately, VS
has been criticised and
branded as modern sexism
uncovered
Putting conventionally
attractive women onstage
and using them as physical
representations of sex in order
to sell bras isn’t exactly a
manifestation of the feminist
dream (Filipovic, J. 2017).
The brand could benefit from
adjusting its gaze from male to
female. A brand that does not
focus on women empowerment
in a society where feminism is
a massive issue, could fail its
consumers.
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ECONOMICAL
Although VS is a brand
that is based in the US and
not Europe, Brexit could
still cause potential issues
when it comes to selling the
brand in the UK. If a hard
Brexit were to take place,
the immediate effects on the
global fashion industry would
be a further devaluation of
the British pound and the
economic uncertainty that
would follow, most likely
resulting in lower domestic
consumer confidence, which
in turn could hurt the UK
retail sector, said Bernadette
Kissane, apparel and footwear
analyst at Euromonitor
(Hoang,L. 2017). If the
value of the pound decreases
significantly, the exchange
rate could affect the value of
the products. VS will have to
decide whether to lose money
through the exchange or
increase UK prices. However,
this could further hurt the
brand as UK consumers
could reject their new, even
higher prices.
The brand charges consumers
accordingly when it comes
to shipping arrangements.
Depending on which country
a consumer is shipping to,
they may be required to pay
for specific duties and taxes.
Some are already including
in the price of the items,
however, when shipping
internationally, consumers
can encounter additional
charges as they are technically
importing.
The exchange rate of
currencies when selling in
different countries can work
with or against the fashion
company. As the majority of
fashion companies export
their goods, the costs, sales
and profitability of their
brand can suffer when there
is a high fluctuation in
currencies (United, F. 2015).
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SOCIAL
VS needs to research its
modern-day consumer. The
consumer that they once
targeted have now grown
up and shopped at different
stores/ brands. The new,
younger consumer is not only
‘younger’ but a whole new
generation with a new mindset,
beliefs and behaviour. The
brand needs to adapt to
cater for this new generation
of consumers – they need to
match their mentality as they
are not the same as previous
generations.
Today’s fashion industry is so
fragmented that brand loyalty
is becoming a thing of the
past. Money is a concern for
new generations, and so are
turning to brands that offer
cheaper prices, discounts
and deals. The fashion world
is at their fingertips – they
can search any brand, any
product at any time and
compare brands in seconds.
This means that competition
is stronger than ever for VS,
as competitor brands are
present and relevant.
The next generation of
consumers are money
conscious, therefore making
a large part of their decision
making when it comes to
making a purchase, about
the price. 100% of every
generation said they would
surf the web on their phones
looking for a better price
when in a retail store or
speaking with a sales person
face to face (Dorsey, 2016).
Marketing a luxury lingerie
brand to money-conscious
consumers could pose as
difficult, however, the brand
just needs to make the prices
persuasive and worthwhile for
the consumer.
Additionally, the new
generation of VS consumer is
typically more cultured than
ever before. Issues of gender
and race are less important
to us [Generation Z] simply
because our [their] perspective
is that they should not be
issues at all (Pandit, 2015).
Consumers are now diverse
in all aspects, including race,
religion and size. This new
generation is dismissing the
stereotypical advertising
techniques where brands
only feature skinny, blonde,
popular kids and refusing to
buy into brands that promote
such an image. VS much
respond to this cultural shift
of inclusiveness before they
are refused altogether.
The brand needs to become
more transparent to
consumers as they demand
brand transparency and the
truth. Consumers today are
having difficulty trusting a
brand’s intentions... they want
to know what a brand stands
for and what they value and
they want that brand to live
it every day – in everything
they do and how they do it
(Llopis, G. 2016). Recently,
photoshopping has become
a widely scrutinised topic
within the fashion industry
by its consumers. As some
brands such as Aerie for
American Eagle Outfitters
and Asos have pledged to stop
photoshopping their models,
it can make brands that still
do, look negative and body
shaming in comparison.
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TECHNOLOGICAL
Technological advances in
machinery could help the
manufacturing of the VS
products to be produced
more rapidly and to a
higher standard. This would
encourage cost reduction,
increase productivity and
better profitability. New
machinery could also help the
brand to be more ethical as
modern equipment is created
with the intention to be more
environmentally friendly and
economical.
The brands marketing team
must remain up to date with
the latest technology that is
being released into the world
of their consumers. Using
technology to market and
advertise the brand is highly
important, and VS must use
the popularity of social media
and modern day technology
to their advantage. It is also
imperative that the brand
hires employees whose
jobs are specific to monitoring
the brands’ social media and
technology, who are aware
and educated in how to exploit
them to correctly reach their
full marketing potential and
reach the maximum amount
of consumers.
Innovation and research
into the development of
new materials allow textile
companies to experiment with
and potentially invent/ correct
current and new materials.
New and innovated materials
for VS could make their
products comfortable, which
is an important factor for the
Generation Z consumer. They
could also be a cheaper and
more economical material to
produce which could allow the
brand to slightly reduce the
prices and therefore attract
consumers.
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ENVIRONMENTAL
An important trait for the
new generation of consumers
is being environmentally
friendly. Generation Z
consumers agreed that being
environmentally conscious is
one of the top two important
traits they look for in a brand
(Kravaris, 2017). VS will have
to highlight what it does in
order to be environmentally
conscious, or put plans in
place so that the new ecologist
consumer can respect their
sustainability efforts.
Increasing consumer demand
for environmentally sound
products and services has
prompted many businesses,
large and small, to voluntarily
implement green policies and
strategies into their business
plans (Gluck, S. 2018). The
brand must implement a
strong environmental policy
framework and initiatives,
as it has been scrutinised in
the past for being dangerous
for the environment. In 2016,
Greenpeace International
released its Detox Catwalk,
assessing how effectively 19
major fashion brands are
cleaning up their supply
chains of toxic chemicals.
The Detox Catwalk assesses
how committed companies
have performed against
key criteria, including
eliminating known hazardous
chemicals from their
products and manufacturing
processes, disclosing
pollution information and
publishing suppliers’ lists…
Victoria’s Secret scored in the
lowest “Faux Pas” category
(Greenpeace, 2016).
The brand must implement
a CSR strategy which would
provide benefits including
image, transparency and
profitability. The strategy
is in not only the brands’
best interests but also
the consumers and the
environments. Recently,
VS has pledged to trace
the sources of its woodbased
fabrics, joining the
ranks of fashion companies
addressing human rights
and deforestation… In a
new policy statement, parent
company L Brands said it
aimed to eliminate sources
of wood pulp, used to make
rayon, viscose and modal
that contribute to rainforest
destruction or violate
the rights of local people
(Wulfhorst, 2017).
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LEGAL
When handling the brand
on an international scale,
VS must be educated in and
respect the different laws of
the multiple countries and
cultures they encounter.
For example, holding their
runway show in Shanghai
in 2017 resulted in some
legal complications. Models,
singers and bloggers who were
meant to be part of/ be at
the show were banned from
China for multiple reasons.
Also, the after party for all
the models was abruptly shut
down by Chinese authorities
before midnight. Although
they may not understand
why, it is important for VS
and its models and employees
to conform to the laws and
regulations of the country
they have travelled to in order
to remain professional.
In 2014, Victoria’s Secret
sister brand Pink lost a UK
Trademark infringement
battle against a London based
retailer ‘Thomas Pink’. As
both brands have
similar names, they fell into
a legal battle as Thomas
Pink refused to have their
consumers confusing the
two. Victoria’s Secret
could no longer promote its
Pink line in Europe after
a United Kingdom court
ruled the brand infringes
on trademarks owned by
the London-based clothier
Thomas Pink…While not
affecting Victoria Secret’s
U.S. practices, the ruling
will threaten the lingerie
company’s attempt to expand
its presence in the U.K.,
according to a Bloomberg
report (Ellis, 2014).
From its top paid models to
its store associates, VS must
ensure it is following the legal
specifications of employment.
For example, ensuring they
do not violate minimum wage,
ensure its employees have
appropriate breaks and that
no one is being mistreated. If
the brand were to neglect the
safety of their employees, it
could
be harmful for the brands
identity and luxury image if
those employees speak out.
In the past, VS has found itself
involved in a child labour
scandal. An investigative
report from Bloomberg
reveals that the “fair-trade,
organic” cotton used in many
of Victoria’s Secret’s products
is actually produced by a
company that largely relies on
forced child
labourers (Phelan, 2011).
This scandal damaged
the brand trust between
its consumers, whilst also
being harmful to the brands
image of being luxurious
and expensive. The brand
must always be aware and
conscious of the deals and
contracts it signs and buys
itself into in order to avoid
scandals like this. Rather
than signing a deal and
forgetting about it, VS must
make regular research into
what it is involved in.
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EXTERNAL
brandING
The corporate identity is based on the
colour pink, with light and dark pink
alternating lines serving as the brands
known pattern and colours of which the
consumer associates Victoria’s Secret
with. The colour palette has remained
pink as it is the colour of femininity.
Additionally, the brand uses two logos:
an interlocked ‘V’ and ‘S’ and their
‘VICTORIA’S SECRET’ name in their
own specific font style. The font used for
the logo of the company is a commercial
old style serif typeface by the name of
Trajan, where they modified the initial
caps of VS, used a different apostrophe
character, and thinned some parts
of the letters… It was designed by
American calligrapher and typeface
designer, Carol Twombly in 1989 for
Adobe… As it was a modified version
of Trajan, Victoria’s Secret called it
Victoria (Gonsalvez, 2015).
The name logo is used as the main logo
that represents the brand. It features on
the front of the stores, on the shopping
bags it gives to customers and even
across the band of some of its panties.
The smaller, initials logo can appear
on the bras as a small metal clip.
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Victoria’s Secrets’ methods of print advertising are limited, as
the age of technology has dawned. May 2016 saw the brand
turn its back on its mail-order catalogue that had been running
since 1977. They have saved themselves almost $150 million a
year since deciding to axe the catalogue, and bank analysts
expect the elimination of the catalogue to have "little to no
impact on sales," according to Market Watch (Manning, 2016).
It seemed that the catalogue was no longer connecting with its
consumers, who are now viewing products online.
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The iconic in-store displays have a running theme
throughout all VS stores. The colour scheme is pink
and black, with dim lighting to create a sexy ambience.
The lingerie is displayed on body mannequins that sit
on top of classical furniture pieces.
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The furniture has small drawers descending underneath,
that each carries different sizes. This makes it easy for
shoppers to find their size (as each drawer is labelled with
a size) rather than sifting through a rack of coat hangers,
which can be irritating and also create a tacky vibe. The
display of drawers and furniture creates the atmosphere of
a personal shopping experience and makes the store feel like
a walk in wardrobe.
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DOVE’S REACTION TO ‘THE PERFECT
BODY’ CAMPAIGN

VICTORIA’S SECRET WAS ACCUSED OF BODY
SHAMING AND PROMOTING AN UNREALISTIC
STANDARD OF BEAUTY
Unfortunately, the brand has been under scrutiny for previous ad print campaigns. The most
memorable and impacting being the ‘The Perfect Body’ campaign in November 2014. The advert
suggested that only slim models had the ‘perfect body’, after 26,000 people signed a petition
calling for the lingerie company to ‘amend the irresponsible marketing’, it changed the ad to
read ‘A body for everybody’ (The Telegraph, 2017). Brands like Dove jumped on the backlash
bandwagon and created their own campaign ‘The Perfect Real Body’ in response, which worked
to their own advantage.
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AIDAr
ANALYSIS:
AWARENESS,
INTEREST,
DESIRE, ACTION
& RETENTION
A
VS uses a range of
platforms to create brand
awareness to its target
consumer. This includes
outdoor print methods
such as billboards and
bus adverts, they also
have a website along
with a heavily based
social media presence.
They hold accounts
on Facebook, Twitter,
Pinterest, Instagram and
YouTube. In addition to
the 58.9 million Instagram
followers, it is important to
recognise that its ‘Angels’
all have from 3 to 38
million followers each too,
depending on the model.
It uses its social media
platforms to advertise its
new products and deals
that are on offer, often
driving its consumers to
their website to purchase
products. There are also
offers exclusive to in-store
only, which are also clearly
advertised. Other than
in-store deals, the brand
traffics its customers to the
website.
I
The brand gains interest
from consumers by hosting
an annual Victoria’s Secret
Fashion Show, which has
in recent years found itself
being hosted globally in
countries including the
UK, Paris and China. The
shows create a huge global
interest each year, with
millions tuning in to watch
the show live. The runway
shows help the brand to
grow globally and introduce
itself to consumers in new
countries, dominating
on an international scale.
It is broadcast live on
TV and on their official
website, broadcast again
at a later date, and clips
from the show feature on
their YouTube channel
and social media pages.
Although the shows have
proven successful since
they began, the last show
(Shanghai 2017) suffered
its worst ratings on record.
The lingerie show averaged
a 1.5 rating among adults
18-49, sinking nearly 30
percent from the previous
low in 2016 (O’Connell,
2017).
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D A R
By selling an idealised
image of women, Victoria’s
Secret is desirable to its
consumer by creating the
idea that women should
buy into the brand and
its products in order to
be desirable, sexy and
popular. This ideology
has previously worked
successfully for the brand,
as these have long been
sought after traits by
young women. However, the
recent decline in sales and
popularity suggests that
the new generation of VS
consumer has alternative
priorities.
The brands’ call to actions
are placed online on their
official website. Consumers
cannot contact the brands
via social media even if they
‘follow’ them. Although
contact is limited, it is
still easy for customers to
engage. For example, the
website has a 24/7 live chat
available where anyone can
message a representative of
the brand at any time with
queries/questions. There
is also a phone number
available on the website
which varies according to
the consumers’ country.
The proposition to retain
loyalty is limited and
niche, and is in the form
of a ‘Victoria’s Secret
Credit Card’. The credit
card is issued by Comenity
Bank and can be used
for purchases online at
VictoriasSecret.com or in
a Victoria’s Secret retail
location. While the card
cannot be used in any
other stores, it rewards
cardholders with points
that accrue and can be
used for money off of
future purchases (Toovey,
2016). The credit card is
only of use to loyal, regular
consumers who spend a
lot of money at VS. They
must spend/ accumulate a
certain number of points
within a year in order
to qualify for the card.
This is exclusive to other
consumers who perhaps
have less to spend but still
wish to ‘treat themselves’
or shop there occasionally.
This idea defeats the
purpose of the card,
which is to save money on
future purchases – if only
consumers who have a lot
of disposable income have
access to the card, those
are the type of consumer
who generally doesn’t need
the money off.
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SWOT ANALYSIS:
STRENGTHS
The brand has a worldwide consumer
base, selling in countries all over the
world. Victoria’s Secret Direct sells to
customers in approximately 80 countries
[they] also offer select Victoria’s Secret
products through duty-free stores in 23
countries around the world and have
been successful with [their] beauty and
accessories concept for Victoria’s Secret in
airports and tourist destinations (Brands,
L. 2018). This results in the brand
already having a global presence, with a
popularity that is not just restricted to the
USA. Additionally, the brand continues
to globalise further by introducing its
annual fashion show in different capital
cities all over the world. These include
London, Paris and Shang Hai. Not only
do the fashion shows create global brand
awareness, but they have continuously
proven to be a hit with consumers. The
show has happened every year since 1999,
except for 2004 when an “Angels Across
America” tour was held instead, with
stops in Las Vegas, Miami, N.Y.C. and
L.A (Pearl, D. 2016). The annual runway
shows feature performances from top
singers whilst the angels walk the runway
in lingerie and huge angel wings, racking
up millions of views each year.
Another strength of the brand is its large
online presence. Victoria’s Secret has
official pages on Facebook, Twitter,
Instagram, Pinterest and its own official
Website. The VS models also have their
own personal accounts too, which is
beneficial to the brand providing they
remain responsible for social media and
do not post anything that could potentially
hurt the brand. This is unlikely as the
models tend to have been in the VS family
for years and are respectable and aware
of the importance of their position. The
brand is also popular amongst celebrity
singers/artists. This also boosts their
consumer base as when artists such as
The Weeknd and Selena Gomez perform
for VS, their fans/consumers are also
exposed to Victoria’s Secret too.
An important strength that Victoria’s
Secret holds is branding consistency. One
of the major elements of successful brand
implementation is consistency… without
a uniformly consistent message, there
is no branding (Foote, C.S. 2012). The
brand has managed to remain consistent
when it comes to presenting its brand
message, logo, colour scheme, packaging
and models. This has resulted in a stable
brand essence which is attractive and
dependable.
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SWOT ANALYSIS:
WEAKNESSES
One of the most apparent and ancient
weaknesses of Victoria’s Secret is that it
only caters to a niche market. The sizes
the brands offers in both its clothing and
lingerie is an extremely small range, which
excludes a mass consumer base that has
money to spend (and most likely would) if
they had the ability to at Victoria’s Secret.
On the subject of sizing, the brand has
previously been under fire for its negative
and exclusive message towards women
when marketing. Its skinny-centric
marketing methods are causing the brand
to miss out on the plus size market, which
is continuously rising. US sales of women’s
plus-size apparel, including those for
teens, rose 6% to $21.4 billion in 2016
(Cheng, A. 2017).
Consumers have complained about the
disappointing product quality when
purchasing VS products, especially when
taking into consideration the high prices.
Previously, Victoria’s Secret has been
sued for consumer fraud, when they had
terminated a contract with their hosiery
supplier, Zephyr. They continued to sell a
lower-quality version of the same product,
using the same packaging (Monget, 2012).
This can damage the brand and cause
consumers to view it as dishonest, which
could, therefore, result in them resorting
to choosing competitor brands in which
they can trust instead.
Another weakness is how the brand is
struggling to manage its different brands.
VS neglects to differentiate the voice
used by their younger PINK brand, and
Victoria’s Secret… Instead, both use a
‘BFF’ tone, which blurs the personality
of these brands as one and the same
(Richard, M. 2014). Although their PINK
brand is highly popular and continuing to
be successful with their target consumer,
using the same approach with the
Victoria’s Secret Lingerie brand exercises
the incorrect and inconsistent brand
image for consumers.
When operating their many social media
accounts, VS must consider how repetition
can have a negative effect on its audience.
For example, the brand has posted the
repeat post on all of its social media
accounts (from Facebook to Twitter).
This fails to make each of its social media
platforms unique – if they all post the same
news/ photos/ deals, then consumers will
refuse to follow all of the brands Social
Medias. Failing to be popular amongst
Social Media will cause the brand to miss
out on the most successful and accessible
platform of advertising.
33

Being such a globally successful and
well-known brand, Victoria’s Secret has
unfortunately neglected to engage in
corporate social responsibility initiatives.
The brand could benefit from participating
in charity events or implementing their
own charity that allows the company and
its consumers to donate money to a good
cause. In 2012, their major producers of
fair-trade cotton have been discovered to
be using child labour and forced labour
(Simpson, Ekow & Bliss, 2012). Having
suffered backlash previously for ethical
issues, the brand is showing weakness by
failing to be involved with charities and
making a conscious effort to do good.
Previous ad campaigns such as the
‘Perfect Body’ have damaged the brand’s
reputation as consumers have responded
negatively to the message the brand was
portraying. This is a weakness within VS
as the brand is neglecting to consider how
their campaigns can potentially offend
consumers and give the wrong message.
Consumers are more brand aware than
ever and offending them can result in
them boycotting the brand and resorting
to competitor brands.
34

SWOT ANALYSIS:
OPPORTUNITIES
Victoria’s Secret has the opportunity to
become a brand which promotes diversity
in all aspects, including body shape, race
and religion. This will not only expand
the brands target consumer, but also
update the brand message to be modern
and inclusive. This is imperative for VS as
emerging generations such as Generation
Z and Generation Alpha are particularly
adoptive of this mindset. Generation Z is
the generation that has now become the
brands target consumer age as previous
generations become older. Gen Z is the
most diverse generation in US history…
they are so diverse, that they do not see
diversity unless it’s absent (Dorsey, 2015).
The brand also has the opportunity to
improve upon its in-store experience.
Consumers are becoming increasingly
immersed in the ease of online shopping,
and brick and mortar stores must
compete in the sense of bringing to them
an experience that can only be offered by
coming to a VS store. For example, stores
could feature mini exhibitions of the
genuine runway outfits the models have
worn each year.
There are many factors to take into
consideration that are massively impacting
the fashion
industry that Victoria’s Secret can
take advantage of. For example, ‘The
Amazon Effect’ is the ongoing evolution
and disruption of the retail market, both
online and in physical outlets, resulting
from increased e-commerce (Rouse, M.
2017). In 2016, the total value of the US
apparel market was $200 billion, with
Amazon claiming about $3.4 billion
of that, a new report from One Click
Retail has found (Thomas, L. 2017). VS
could take this opportunity and sell their
products through the retailer Amazon.
VS has the funding and resources to
enforce further international expansion,
therefore marketing to more women in
different cultures and countries. China’s
first VS flagship store opened in Shanghai
in 2017, proving that the brand has the
capability to expand countries and cater
to different cultures. By demonstrating an
understanding and respect for different
cultures, the brand will gain the respect
and loyalty of its international consumers.
The brand has the opportunity to
engage in corporate social responsibility
initiatives (CSR). Research by Handelman
and Arnold (1999) found that firms that
engage in institutional actions (actions
suitable to societal
35

norms) enhance firms’ legitimacy, which
in turn increases support (Hill and
Langan, 2016). By showing consumers
they are aware of worldwide issues and
helping to charity the situation, the brand
will gain consumer trust and respect.
With consumers becoming more aware of
economics, politics and the world around
them, it is important for VS to stay
relevant and educated. The brand could,
for example, offer graduate schemes or
fund college students with fashion projects.
36

SWOT ANALYSIS:
THREATS
A major threat to VS is its competitors
are growing from strength to strength.
Competitor brands such as Aerie for
American Eagle Outfitters are stealing
the limelight along with VS’ consumers
with their value for money, unique lingerie
that sends a body positive message. Aerie
refuses to photoshop its models and
features models of different body shapes
and sizes, embracing diversity and being
inclusive. This refreshing brand message
makes VS look outdated. Additionally,
lingerie competitors can be cheaper
which a major selling point is also for new
generations, who are more careful when it
comes to splurge spending. Consumers are
now losing the justification for spending
$60 on a bra. Due to the highly fragmented
fashion industry, new generations are not
brand loyal. They will skip from brand to
brand depending on which one is suitable
or attractive enough for them at the time.
VS needs to be the brand that is always
attractive, convenient and worth it to
consumers.
As VS has become a global brand, they
must consider exchange rates when selling
products in the many currencies all over
the world. When dealing with international
business, VS may
run into extraneous costs in their global
efforts that were not anticipated due
to the exchange rate fluctuations that
make temporary changes to the cost of
distribution (Richard, M. 2014). Also,
whilst taking on new countries, VS will
encounter foreign competitor brands which
are the most educated and immersed in
their own culture in comparison to VS’
acute knowledge.
When introducing the brand to new
countries, such as China in 2017,
they must take full consideration into
educating themselves (and all their
employees) about the countries culture,
rules and regulations. One slip up and
the consumers could boycott VS or the
country could even banish the brand.
When dealing with particularly sensitive
countries such as China, the brand needs
to adhere to their beliefs in order to
succeed in that country. Acting the same
and using the exact same marketing and
advertising techniques in China as they
do in the UK would be disastrous.
The new Generations including Generation
Z and Generation Alpha have a brand
new, inclusive mindset. They believe in
inclusiveness and celebrate being unique,
exclusive
37

ands to not appeal to the next generation
of teens/ young adults. This has been
proven by the decline of brands such as
Abercrombie and Fitch who promoted the
idea of exclusiveness. VS has for a long
time exercised this approach of only being
accessible to women of a certain, refined
body type and size which could result in
a loss of interest with the next generation
consumer.
38

39

CONCLUSION
Considering Victoria’s Secrets’ sudden rise in success
since its entrance into the world of fashion and lingerie in
1977, it is important to understand the position of power
it holds globally. Although the brand has made marketing
errors in the past and is currently showing signs of a dip
in popularity, VS is not over yet. There are many ways
in which the brand can learn from its old mistakes, and
educate itself on the brand it has the potential to be in
order to cater for the next generation consumer.
40

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