All of the following information has been taken directly from Mintel.
"Mintel estimates that consumer spending on underwear, nightwear and loungewear has grown 18.8% during the last five years, with spending expected to reach almost £4.6 billion in 2018."
"Mintel forecasts that growth in this market will remain stable in the next five years, with consumer spending expected to reach £5.5 billion by 2023, representing 19.1% growth."
"Womenswear continues to dominate the UK underwear, nightwear and loungewear market, accounting for approximately 70.2% of total spending."
In the uk, the biggest underwear retailer is M&S.
"Despite ongoing negative publicity surrounding Victoria’s Secret, with many critics stating that the retailer is out of touch with what modern women want from a lingerie brand, Mintel’s brand research shows that UK consumers remain receptive to the brand. Although the brand falls behind brands like Triumph, Sloggi and Calvin Klein in terms of trust, it is strongly associated with being fun, stylish and trend setting. Furthermore, some 28% of consumers that have heard of Victoria’s Secret say that it is a brand that makes them feel more confident – the highest response across all of the brands included within this survey."
"Mintel estimates that consumer spending on underwear, nightwear and loungewear has grown 18.8% during the last five years, with spending expected to reach almost £4.6 billion in 2018."
"Mintel forecasts that growth in this market will remain stable in the next five years, with consumer spending expected to reach £5.5 billion by 2023, representing 19.1% growth."
"Womenswear continues to dominate the UK underwear, nightwear and loungewear market, accounting for approximately 70.2% of total spending."
In the uk, the biggest underwear retailer is M&S.
"Despite ongoing negative publicity surrounding Victoria’s Secret, with many critics stating that the retailer is out of touch with what modern women want from a lingerie brand, Mintel’s brand research shows that UK consumers remain receptive to the brand. Although the brand falls behind brands like Triumph, Sloggi and Calvin Klein in terms of trust, it is strongly associated with being fun, stylish and trend setting. Furthermore, some 28% of consumers that have heard of Victoria’s Secret say that it is a brand that makes them feel more confident – the highest response across all of the brands included within this survey."
As part of our primary research, my group decided to make a survey to ask our friends and family what they thought about Victoria's Secret. These are the results of 100 people who were surveyed.
Social Media & Influencer Marketing
Social Media, Scale and Dominance
Influencer economy worth $1.6 billion in 2018
Social media and Generation Z…
Globally…
In UK…
Pros
Cons
Advertising and Social media
Brands are…
Using social for…
Why use instagram for brand advertising?
Pros
Cons
IM (Influencer Marketing)
Focuses on targeting key industry leaders to drive brand message and awareness to a specific market of consumers via Social Media platforms.
IM represents a unique opportunity for advertisers to instruct, inspire and intrigue potential buyers regarding their products and the benefits those products deliver through key ‘content creators’.
Influencer Tiers:
Different levels of influencers have different levels of reach and respectively, different audiences.
In all fashion circles, all different levels will be used in different ways, by different brands, depending on needs and budget, for example.
Influencers Marketing & Fashion…
How the role of influencer marketing is changing…
325% INCREASE IN THE SEARCH TERM FOR ‘INFLUENCER MARKETING’ IN THE LAST 2 YEARS.
Why brands choose influencer marketing
How brands measure sales from influencer marketing…
Importance of Insights:
Brand Considerations for Influencer Partnerships
What do brands look at in influencers?
Social Media, Scale and Dominance
Influencer economy worth $1.6 billion in 2018
Social media and Generation Z…
- 24 & under
- 40% of population by 2020
- Indirect buying power of over 1 trillion dollars in US alone
- Brands competing for attention
- Digital natives; connecting and consuming
- More aware, conscious and critical than ever
- Access Instagram average 16 times a day
Globally…
- 40.7 million social media users in UK aged 18 and over, 80% of adult population
- Over 1 billion daily Instagram users internationally
In UK…
- More than 1 in 5 (22%) Brits use Instagram daily
- 13% more likely to be a student
- 48% say use instagram more than they did a year ago
- Buying decisions Gen Z influenced by YouTube (48%) and Instagram (50%)
Pros
- Essential to daily life
- Allows us to make better connections and collaborations
- Allows for better buying decisions
- Allows for inspiration
Cons
- Allows for smarter audience - seeing what’s ‘real’ and ‘fake’
- More critical outlook, opens doors for ‘toxic’ self-comparisons
- Living in the ‘digital-world’ opposed to the ‘real-world’
- Fear of missing out and staying ‘connected'
Advertising and Social media
Brands are…
- Trying to create appropriate, authentic content which connects with hearts and minds of target consumers.
- Competing against each other in a growing and crowded market
- Becoming aware of their consumers needs and desires; diversity, representation, empowerment, purpose.
Using social for…
- Establish presence across major platforms
- Create shareable content
- Gather feedback/insights
- Create ‘loyal’ consumer base to improve credibility
- Directly sell products
- Use ‘influencer marketing’
- Share news
Why use instagram for brand advertising?
- Visual content is 40x more likely to get shared on social media than other types of content
- Video content is 8x more likely to be engaged with than photo based content
- Brands are seeing a per-follower engagement rate of 4.21%, which is 58 times higher than on Facebook, and 120 times higher than on Twitter.
- 90% of instagram users are younger than 35
- 32% of teenagers consider instagram to be the most important social media network
- Female more likely to use instagram than men, 38% vs 26%
- Posts tagged with another user (56%) or location (79%) have significantly higher engagement rate
- Instant access to insights
Pros
- Easy to target International audience
- Easy to measure interaction and engagement
- Consumers choose how they want to receive their marketed content
- Good for brand development
- Benefits ‘collaborators/influencers’
Cons
- Crowded platforms/industry
IM (Influencer Marketing)
Focuses on targeting key industry leaders to drive brand message and awareness to a specific market of consumers via Social Media platforms.
IM represents a unique opportunity for advertisers to instruct, inspire and intrigue potential buyers regarding their products and the benefits those products deliver through key ‘content creators’.
Influencer Tiers:
Different levels of influencers have different levels of reach and respectively, different audiences.
In all fashion circles, all different levels will be used in different ways, by different brands, depending on needs and budget, for example.
- Nano: 1k-10k
- Micro: 10k-50k
- Mid/Medium: 50k-500k
- Macro: 500k-1 million
- Elite/‘Celebrities’: 1 million - 5 million
Influencers Marketing & Fashion…
- Sponsored content (post/stories/videos/IG TV/YouTube videos)
- Brand collaboration
- Brand led events and trips
- Reviews and blog posts
- Brand Ambassadors
- ‘Gifted’ content
- In-store events. Meet & greets
How the role of influencer marketing is changing…
- Influencer marketing no longer ‘new’
- Tiers of influencers continue to evolve and change
- Influencers are also ‘content creators’
- Influence is a strategy, not a tactic
- Brands increase investment
- Increasing eye on guidelines, disclosure and legality
- The viewer/consumer is becomings more ‘savvy’ and ‘aware’
325% INCREASE IN THE SEARCH TERM FOR ‘INFLUENCER MARKETING’ IN THE LAST 2 YEARS.
Why brands choose influencer marketing
- 70% of millennials influencers by their peers in buying decisions
- 30% of consumers are likely to buy product recommended by a non-celebrity influencer
- 39% of marketers were planning on increasing their Influencer Marketing budgets in 2018
- 70% of teenage YouTube subscribers said they relate more to content creators than celebrities
- 81% of consumers frequently purchase items they’ve seen on social media
How brands measure sales from influencer marketing…
- Affilate links
- Promo codes
- Measurable insights - impressions & engagement
- Google analytics/SEO (search engine optimisation)
- Website/blog ‘clicks’
- Measured sales/sign-ups
- Increase of follows
- Reposted content
Importance of Insights:
- Shows how well a page is performing - follows/views
- Shows engagement in relation to a specific piece of content
- Website click-through
- Email click-through
- Comparisons between posts/influencers/pages
- Tracks page growth
- Information on best performing times of day for content to be shared, viewed and engaged with
Brand Considerations for Influencer Partnerships
What do brands look at in influencers?
- Audience demographic
- Engagement and impressions of their content
- Aesthetic and narrative of their posts
- Sell-through of products and/or services
- Platforms of use
- Scale and locations
- Ethics and beliefs
For the Proposed Consumer Demographics moodboard, I decided to reflect on what Victoria's Secret is already. To begin, the stores are set out to feel very luxurious and the price point is quite high. I decided that I should keep those things to an extent to maintain the brand image.
The type of consumer I aim to attract would be aged 21-38, who are after the luxury aesthetic that Victoria's Secret has, and can afford to spend a little bit more on fancy lingerie. Currently, the consumer demographic of Victoria's Secret is quite young, which is worrying because it is portrayed as a fairly provocative and sensual brand. This could be due to featuring young, famous models such as Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner on the runway, whom of which these young girls look up to. The body-sprays are also a big selling point to the young consumers, which could be due to how they are packaged and marketed. This should be rethought in order to mature their audience slightly.
The Victoria's Secret brand also features very famous, very confident models. I would like to translate this to the consumer, by making them feel empowered too. The proposed consumer of Victoria's Secret would shop there because they want to feel not only sexy, but also confident and powerful. This is why I included the quote 'girlboss'. I think Victoria's Secret should focus more on quotes like this rather than the current 'bombshell' and other sexually anti-empowering words.
I have included an image of girls of all different ethnicities and body-types because I think Victoria's Secret should start catering to all girls, not just the ones who look like their angels. Victoria's Secret should be a shop that is empowering to all body types.
One of the main selling points of Victoria's Secret is their luxury aesthetic. However, when you look at their instagram page, it is a lot of modelling shoots with white backgrounds and boring compositions. I think they should incorporate the luxury aesthetics of their stores with their instagram page. Whether this be with their models posing in interesting places, or showing off their collections in a fancy room, they should maintain this brand image throughout every platform, not just their stores and editorials. This would give Victoria's Secret a much stronger brand image.
I have included a picture of a group of influencers, as well as famous, transgender influencer Nikita Dragun. At present, the instagram page of Victoria's Secret only includes their own angels, and they do not do collaborations or sponsorships with anybody else. As a way to engage with their audience more, whilst also expanding their reach, Victoria's Secret should engage in influencer marketing. Whether this be reposting images of influencers wearing the brand or doing sponsored posts with influencers and celebrities, Victoria's Secret should definitely capitalise on social media more.
Finally, I have included a quote about body-positivity. Victoria's Secret features many beautiful, confident women, but they do not do anything to make their audience feel empowered. I think Victoria's Secret should follow in the footsteps of other popular brands such as Boux Avenue and post quotes on their social media that would make their audience feel more positive.
For the 2018 fashion show, Victoria's Secret brought in model Winnie Harlow. Winnie has vitiligo, a condition that affects the pigment within the skin. They received a lot of praise for including a model who wasn't the traditional white, blonde, perfect model. I believe Victoria's Secret should take this even further and include a range of body types and potentially include models with disabilities to make their brand more inclusive and relatable to consumers.
I included a picture of a male model to suggest the idea of using men within the Victoria's Secret brand. Whether this be making a more gender-fluid, unisex collection or even bringing out an entire menswear line, this would be an interesting move for Victoria's Secret, and would definitely get a lot of people talking. This could open up a lot of opportunities for the future of Victoria's Secret.
I have included a range of body-positivity quotes, as I believe Victoria's Secret needs to re-assess the kind of model they use and again make their brand more inclusive and diverse. The idea of promoting extremely thin, unrealistically fit models is unhealthy for their audience, as well as not relatable. There is no reason why Victoria's Secret cannot continue to sell the 'fantasy' but with a range of body types and imperfections.
This is a brand map I created for the brand Victoria's Secret. A brand map illustrates the range of positions that a product can take in a market, based on two dimensions that are important to customers e.g. low price and high price.
At the higher end of the map, with high price and high quality, I put Agent Provocateur and La Perla. Both of these brands are very expensive and luxurious. At the lower end of the map, with low price and low quality, I put fast fashion, high-street brands such as Primark and H&M. These brands are more focused on bringing out the latest trends in bulk at a low price, therefore compromising quality.
I placed Victoria's Secret on the high price side but at a lower quality. This is because many people believe Victoria's Secret is very overpriced for what it is. When you buy from Victoria's Secret, a lot of the money is paying for the name, rather than the item itself.
When exploring Victoria's Secret, I decided to do some research into their social media. An effective way of doing this way to compare their social media with another leading lingerie company.
One of the top UK lingerie retailers is Boux Avenue, with over 220k followers on Instagram. Compared to Victoria's Secret, this figure is low, as VS has accumulated over 64.5m followers.
The interesting point of differentiation between these two companies is how they use influencer marketing. On the Victoria's Secret Instagram page, they only use photos of their own models. In fact, in the screenshot above, 5/9 of the photos include model Taylor Hill. Whilst this is good for consistency and maintaining brand image, it gets very repetitive and predictable. The Victoria's Secret instagram page has no excitement, as it follows a strict algorithm. On the other hand, Boux Avenue has a lot of variation in their feed, from photos of influencers, to professional shoots, to photos of just the lingerie and inspiring quotes.
Boux Avenue uses a lot of influencer marketing, using big names such as Emily Shak and Sam Faiers. Fans of these influencers will see them endorsing the brand and be more likely to engage with it themselves. This is good for Boux Avenue because the more influencers they sponsor, the more new consumers they can bring to the brand, through fans of these influencers.
Another interesting point about the Boux Avenue Instagram page was the fact that they included quotes that could be relatable to the average woman. A quote that they posted on their page read 'It's kind of rude that you have to work out to stay in shape but okay' and 'my eating habits range from supermodel yoga fan to unsupervised child in a sweet shop.' This is a major contrast from the Victoria's Secret image as they are all about fitness, with countless reports on the intense meal and fitness plans that the angels have to go through for the fashion shows. The funny quotes from Boux Avenue makes them more relatable to the average consumer.
Brand timeline
- 1977, Victoria’s Secret is founded by Roy Raymond in Palo Alto, California
- 1982, L Brands acquires Victoria’s Secret, consisting of six stores and a catalogue, for $1 million
- 1995, Victoria’s Secret holds its first fashion show
- 1998, VictoriasSecret.com is launched
- 1998, Intimate Beauty Corporation is created to develop and build a portfolio of distinct beauty businesses. Victoria’s Secret is the first brand in its portfolio
- 2004, Victoria’s Secret introduces PINK - a lifestyle brand celebrating university-age women and campus life
- 2008, Victoria’s Secret makes history with 30-second Valentines Day ad that airs during second half of Super Bowl XLII
- 2008, Victoria’s Secret enters social media with a Facebook page
- 2009, Victoria’s Secret Beauty and Accessories stores debut in international airports and tourist destinations around the world
- 2012, Victoria’s Secret opens its first full-assortment stores in London on New Bond Street and in Westfield Stratford City
- 2017, Victoria’s Secret opens its first full-assortment store in Shanghai, China
Sources; L Brands & Wikipedia
This moodboard is based off of Victoria's Secret's current consumer demographics.
The first image depicts a luxury bedroom. I decided to include this image and it represents the design of the Victoria's Secret stores, with their dark walls, chandeliers and boudoir vibes. It gives the impression that VS tries to attract customers who have these luxury bedrooms, or at least aspire to have them.
The next image to the right shows a group of teenage girls. This is in my opinion the average Victoria's Secret consumer. The stores may be set out to give out a very luxurious impression, however Victoria's Secret almost has an immature feel to it, which is further proven by the amount of young girls who wear the body mists. This is ironic as VS tries to portray itself to be luxury and desirable with a very strong sex-appeal, however this plus the high-prices do not reflect on its consumer demographic.
To the right of this, I have included a photo of a fancy building. This is to re-iterate the high-class/high-end consumer that Victoria's Secret are trying to attract. The photo on the bottom left also portrays the same message.
The photo of Bella Hadid and Kendall Jenner shows the type of consumer that Victoria's Secret are trying to attract. Kendall and Bella are both millionaire supermodels, and are also both Victoria's Secret Angels. By using people like Kendall and Bella, VS are saying they are the kind of people who both wear and want to wear their lingerie.
I included another photo of a group of teenage girls to re-iterate the young audience that Victoria's Secret do appeal to. Young people are obviously influenced by people they look up to, and people like Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid have many young fans. When these young people see these models walking in the Victoria's Secret fashion show and their favourite celebrities performing in the shows, they aspire to be like them and are influenced to endorse the store.
Finally, I have included a photo of a girl who is very fit and toned. This represents the standard of model that Victoria's Secret hires, and therefore the type of consumer they aspire to have. Ed Razek, chief marketing officer said VS do not hire plus-size or transgender models because they spoil the 'fantasy', therefore all of their models are extremely thin and toned.
On Friday 18th January 2019, I visited the Meadowhall Shopping Centre in Sheffield, to gather some primary research on some of their popular lingerie shops and to see how they all compared to eachother. I looked at 3 different stores: Victoria's Secret, Boux Avenue and Ann Summers.
First up was Victoria's Secret, and I was instantly greeted by their signature pink and white sign and dark walls. The store was very large, with a huge sale at the front as soon as you walk in. Immediately to the left was a wall filled with their popular fragrance collection - a great draw-point for those who are familiar with the fragrances, but perhaps not as much with their other items.
Much like the store in Milton Keynes, the walls were covered in quotes and photos of the Victoria's Secret angels in suggestive poses. Immediately you can tell the shop is very sexualised, and they are going for a provocative yet luxury theme.
One thing in noticed in particular was the display with the phrase: Dream Angels. Obviously the models at VS are referred to as Angels, so I got the impression that the line was aimed at those who aspire to be like the Victoria's Secret Angels. This point can be taken even further with the fact that there was a huge screen playing clips of the Victoria's Secret Angels walking in the fashion show directly behind the display.
The next store I visited was Boux Avenue. Instantly, I noticed a completely different vibe to Boux Avenue than that of Victoria's Secret. The store was a lot brighter, but still held an elegant and luxurious feel to it.
One of the main differences I encountered was the photography styles of the promotional images around the store. Unlike the very sexualised, posed photos in Victoria's Secret, the models on the walls of Boux Avenue were a lot more natural and fun with smiles and more realistic physiques. Another note is that the phrases that accompanied the photos in Boux Avenue were about the underwear itself such as "lounge" and "a girl's best friend" rather than suggestive phrases such as "hi bombshell" and "I'm a showstopper" that plastered the walls in Victoria's Secret.
Overall, Boux Avenue had a lot more conservative feel to it, and was a lot less tongue-in-cheek than Victoria's Secret. It should be noted that the changing rooms in Boux Avenue have adjustable lighting in their changing rooms, so you could still get the same mood-lighting, bedroom effect as they have in Victoria's Secret, just in a more modest way. This could be more appealing to customers that may be uncomfortable walking into a shop that is as sexualised as VS.
The final store I visited was Ann Summers. Ann Summers is slightly different to Victoria's Secret and Boux Avenue because not only does it sell lingerie, but it also offers a range of erotic items and costumes. Despite this, the outside of the shop is very subtle and simple, making a consumer more comfortable to approach.
Like Victoria's Secret and Boux Avenue, Ann Summers also displays quotes around their store. However, unlike Victoria's Secret, the quotes in Ann Summers are more empowering and personal to women.
The fashion cycle: the ongoing introduction, rise, peak, decline and obsolescent in popularity of specific styles or shapes.
All styles that come into fashion rotate through the cycle.
Stage 1 - introduction
New styles, colours, textures and fabrics are introduced.
New style may be accepted by small number of people called 'fashion leaders'.
Promotional activities include fashion shows and advertising in high-fashion magazines.
Produced in small quantities at high prices - penetration pricing.
Retail buyers purchase limited numbers to see if the style will be accepted.
Stage 2 - growth/rise
Consumer interest grows and fashion becomes more readily accepted by consumers.
Mass production brings down the price of the fashion - more sales.
Styles are manufactured in less expensive materials and lower quality construction than original.
Promotional efforts are increased in high-fashion magazines to heighten consumer awareness.
Retail buyers order items in quantity.
Stage 3 - maturity/peak
Style is at height of popularity.
Fashion is demanded by almost everyone because it is now within the price range of consumers and is mass produced in many variations.
Each retailer tries to persuade customers that their version of the style is best.
Stage 4 - decline
Market is saturated and popularity decreases.
Fashion is overused and becomes dull and boring.
As the fashion decreases in popularity, retailers mark down their prices.
Promotions centre around major clearance or closeout sales of the fashion.
Stage 5 - obsolescence/rejection of a style
Style is rejected, is undesirable at any price, is no longer worn, and is no longer produced.
Ends as an accepted fashion.
Extension strategy
Can be defined as: a medium to long-term plan for lengthening a product's life cycle. It is likely to be implemented during the maturity or early decline stage.
Extension strategies include:
All styles that come into fashion rotate through the cycle.
Stage 1 - introduction
New styles, colours, textures and fabrics are introduced.
New style may be accepted by small number of people called 'fashion leaders'.
Promotional activities include fashion shows and advertising in high-fashion magazines.
Produced in small quantities at high prices - penetration pricing.
Retail buyers purchase limited numbers to see if the style will be accepted.
Stage 2 - growth/rise
Consumer interest grows and fashion becomes more readily accepted by consumers.
Mass production brings down the price of the fashion - more sales.
Styles are manufactured in less expensive materials and lower quality construction than original.
Promotional efforts are increased in high-fashion magazines to heighten consumer awareness.
Retail buyers order items in quantity.
Stage 3 - maturity/peak
Style is at height of popularity.
Fashion is demanded by almost everyone because it is now within the price range of consumers and is mass produced in many variations.
Each retailer tries to persuade customers that their version of the style is best.
Stage 4 - decline
Market is saturated and popularity decreases.
Fashion is overused and becomes dull and boring.
As the fashion decreases in popularity, retailers mark down their prices.
Promotions centre around major clearance or closeout sales of the fashion.
Stage 5 - obsolescence/rejection of a style
Style is rejected, is undesirable at any price, is no longer worn, and is no longer produced.
Ends as an accepted fashion.
Extension strategy
Can be defined as: a medium to long-term plan for lengthening a product's life cycle. It is likely to be implemented during the maturity or early decline stage.
Extension strategies include:
- Redesigning the product
- Adding an extra feature
- Changing the packaging and advertising to appeal to a new market segment
- Providing a Unique Selling Point (USP)
Market Segmentation - a way of analysing a market by categorising their specific characteristics.
Specific characteristics can include:
Specific characteristics can include:
- Demographics - describe population in terms of personal characteristics e.g. age/gender/income/religion/lifestyle
- Psychographics - studies of consumers based on social and psychological characteristics e.g. attitudes/interests/opinions
- Geographic - statistics about where people live
- Behaviouristic/usage - statistics about consumers based on their knowledge, attitude, use or response to a product
- Geodemographic - e.g. residential store vs campus store
- Situation - e.g. season
Purchase occasion - identifies instance where consumer might use a product
Product benefit - identifies benefits that consumers desire in fashion product or service
Usage level and commitment - how often a product is used and loyalty to purchasing it
Geodemographic segmentation - hybrid segmentation: You are Where you Live (financial needs, tastes, preferences, lifestyles and consumption habits)
Targeting
Marketers evaluate each segment and decide upon which group of customers they will invest marketing sources.
- Selected groups are known as target markets
- How is technology making it easier for fashion firms to target potential customers?
Brand Positioning
Brand positioning - conceptual place where brand sits in consumer's mind - the benefits you want them to think of when they think of your brand. An effective brand positioning strategy will maximise consumer relevancy and competitive distinctiveness, in maximising brand value.
When doing research to inform a brand positioning project, you must be able to answer:
- What does the brand community currently believe about or value in the brand?
- What might the brand believe or value about the brand in the future?
- What does the organisation currently claim about the brand?
- What would the organisation like the brand to become down the road?
How do you want to be seen in the marketplace?
- Product differentiation
- Service differentiation
- Personnel differentiation
Market Mapping
Market maps illustrate the range of 'positions' that a product can take in a market based on two dimensions that are important to consumers. For example:
- low/high price
- low/high quality
- low/high volume
- necessity/luxury
- light/heavy
- simple/complex
- unhealthy/healthy
- low-tech/high-tech
Consumer behaviour - the study of the processes involved when individuals or groups select, purchase, use or dispose of products, services, ideas or experience to satisfy needs and desires. (Solomon et al, 2011)
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
Self-actualisation needs: desire for self fulfilment in achieving whatever someone can
Esteem and status: striving to achieve a high standing in relation to other people
Social needs: we need social experience and desire products and services that facilitate social exchange
Safety needs: protection from the unpredictable happening in life e.g. accidents
Physiological needs: the fundamentals of survival
- this model does not take into account influence from other people e.g. family
Self Esteem - (Richins 1993; Kees et al., 2008)
Marketers use attractive models for a social comparison process where young female consumers compare themselves and feel inadequate against them.
Ironically, when showed adverts with 'real sized women' the advert scored less favourably.
Diverse and Changing Markets
Most fashion markets try to attract several segments at once - e.g. Gap sells to men, women and children.
Consumer buying habits do not remain the same - changes in social or economic conditions can affect consumer's choices.
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
Self-actualisation needs: desire for self fulfilment in achieving whatever someone can
Esteem and status: striving to achieve a high standing in relation to other people
Social needs: we need social experience and desire products and services that facilitate social exchange
Safety needs: protection from the unpredictable happening in life e.g. accidents
Physiological needs: the fundamentals of survival
- this model does not take into account influence from other people e.g. family
Self Esteem - (Richins 1993; Kees et al., 2008)
Marketers use attractive models for a social comparison process where young female consumers compare themselves and feel inadequate against them.
Ironically, when showed adverts with 'real sized women' the advert scored less favourably.
Diverse and Changing Markets
Most fashion markets try to attract several segments at once - e.g. Gap sells to men, women and children.
Consumer buying habits do not remain the same - changes in social or economic conditions can affect consumer's choices.
Starting Point
- immersion - understand business and market
- insight
- brand development
- strategy
Market Map - defining where you want to sit
Define audience
Three ways for a brand to grow
- ACQUISITION - attract new customers
- FREQUENCY - increase the regularity of purchase
- AVERAGE WEIGHT OF PURCHASE - increase the number of products purchased
Brand Requirements
- identity and assets - consistent global branding
- packaging - improving messaging at point of purchase
- distributor communication - engage and support
- website - building a big brand approach to online and driving sales at best margin
- education - educating the benefits globally and consistently
- sales strategy & support - approach to sales to re-engage customers and convert new products
- channel branding
Continuous Innovation
- seasonal and gifting - gift sets/limited edition
- brand collaboration
- new product development
The first image shows an Aerie campaign of a group of models with diverse body types and ethnicities. Aerie is an underwear brand started by US brand American Eagle Outfitters, and has taken the US underwear market by storm. People like Aerie because it features a wide range of sizes and the models have more realistic and relatable body types. The image below is of plus-size model Iskra Lawrence, who is a current #AerieREAL model. This campaign features natural models without airbrushing, and has been inspirational to girls worldwide. Consumers these days seem a lot more interested in these relatable campaigns.
I have then included the quote 'ethical is the new black'. I decided to include this quote because I feel modern consumers are inspired by the ethical and sustainable fashion movement, and are becoming increasingly aware of where their garments originate from. There has been a spike in the founding of new sustainable lingerie alternatives, including Svala and Ayten Gasson.
Below this quote, I have included a picture of popular transgender influencer Nikita Dragun. Nikita clapped back at the recent comments from Victoria's Secret chief marketing officer Ed Razek by creating her own VS-style ad. Razek's interview with Vogue showed him remarking that Victoria's Secret would not use plus-size or transgender models because they are trying to create a 'fantasy'. Nikita then created her own Victoria's Secret campaign with the caption; "dear Victoria's Secret, you said trans women can't sell the 'fantasy' so here i am as a TRANS WOMAN selling the FANTASY!" Modern day society, in particular, Millennials and Generation Z are increasingly interested in inclusivity and activism, so were appreciative of the stance Dragun decided to make.
The image on the top right shows a recent editorial by Rihanna's new lingerie line Savage X Fenty. Like Aerie, Savage X Fenty aims to focus more on diversity and inclusivity, with their campaigns featuring women of all different ethnicities and body types. This has gone down well with consumers and has been heavily praised on social media.
The photo below is a campaign from British lingerie shop Boux Avenue. Boux Avenue is one of Victoria's Secret's biggest competitors in the UK, with 30 stores across the country.
Finally I included a picture of the 2018 Victoria's Secret fashion show. I decided to add it under the current market position moodboard because in 2018, the VS fashion shows got its lowest views ever. Currently, the fashion show is one of Victoria's Secret's biggest selling point, so the fact that views are declining is not good news for the company.
I made my first moodboard based on Victoria's Secret's current social media/influencer marketing.
The first image is a photo of a girl in front of a big Victoria's Secret sign. I chose this image because a lot of social media posts recently (particularly Instagram) are of influencers posing in front of walls of interest. Victoria's Secret is engaging with this trend by implementing their own feature wall, which could then have the potential ability to geo-tag and hashtag to connect social media users together, as well as with the brand.
I then decided to include a photo of the Kardashian/Jenner sisters, who recently dressed up as Victoria's Secret angels for Halloween 2018. The Kardashian/Jenners are some of the most influential people on social media, with Khloe Kardashian, Kendall Jenner, Kylie Jenner and Kim Kardashian being in the top 15 most followed people on Instagram. This means they have a huge reach, with many very young fans looking up to them.
The third image I used was a picture of Taylor Swift performing at the 2014 Victoria's Secret fashion show. Taylor Swift is a world-famous performing, also with a huge reach including young fans. Using big stars like her in their fashion show would guarantee the VS fashion show to attract more viewers. In the past they have also featured other huge performers such as Justin Bieber, Halsey, Rihanna and Bruno Mars.
The bottom left image shows a pile of the iconic pink and black Victoria's Secret shopping bags stacked up. I used this image to portray the fact that young people on social media tend to be more materialistic, and that there is currently a culture of 'flexing' where people show off all of their expensive purchases. Obviously the VS bags are very aesthetically pleasing so people feel more inclined to show them off, and young people may be inspired to shop from Victoria's Secret if they see their favourite influencers posting images like these. There is also a huge trend of haul videos on YouTube, where influencers show off their recent purchases. This could also inspire people to shop at particular stores.
Next to this shows a photo of model and reality TV star Kendall Jenner posing in a silk Victoria's Secret robe at one of their recent fashion shows. Kendall Jenner has been walking for VS since 2015, and is a major attraction for fans of Keeping up With the Kardashians fans and just admirers of the model in general.
Finally, I included a photo of the Victoria's Secret angel Irina Shayk, carrying a handful of Victoria's Secret shopping bags. This again relates to the image of people being materialistic of social media, and especially her fans looking up to her and aspiring to be able to purchase as much Victoria's Secret merchandise as her.
On Friday 11th January 2019, I decided to conduct some primary research at the Victoria's Secret store in centre:MK, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire. From the outside the store is very big and eye catching, using their signature colours of black, white and pink. There is only one window display out front, displaying the iconic angel wings and notice of a sale. Immediately, the bold, red sale sign offering up to 70% draws the customer in.
Upon entering the store, the strong brand image is immediately recognisable. With marble black and white flooring and velvet furniture covering the store, Victoria's Secret definitely has an expensive feel about it. The store feels like a boudoir, as shown with the dim lighting and dark walls, however it does not feel unwelcoming. All of these things put together help portray that Victoria's Secret is an underwear shop, which is successful for their brand image.
One thing I did notice was the array of monochromatic images of the Victoria's Secret 'angels' in suggestive poses scattered across the walls. Of course, the models are a key part of their brand image, hence why there are constant videos of the annual Victoria's Secret fashion show playing behind the checkout.
One of Victoria's Secret's biggest selling points is their fragrances. I noticed that the body range in the Milton Keynes store were not only displayed very well, but were also situated right by the tills. This might be a strategy used by VS to sell more of their toiletries, as they are something you could just pick up on your way to paying for the rest of your goods.
Throughout the store, the same colour scheme of pink, white and black is repeated. Again, this contributes to VS's strong brand image and helps to tie together the stores all over the country, whilst also communicating the expensive, girly vibes that is iconic to the Victoria's Secret brand.
What's interesting to me is that I noticed they were selling similar items, but in completely different ways. For example, the underwear displays in PINK were bright and inviting, whereas the underwear displays in Victoria's Secret were dark but sexy. The same occurred with the body care displays too and also the changing rooms, as shown in the photos below.
Underwear displays in Victoria's Secret vs PINK
Body care displays in Victoria's Secret vs PINK
Changing room entrances in Victoria's Secret vs PINK
Brand Marketing Report
Basics of report writing (academic structure)
Any written piece needs a structure
- Clear beginning, middle and end - introduction, main body, conclusion
- Needs to be logical
- Critically analyse
Title page - student number, full name, word count, course on
- Contents - whats inside the report
- Introduction - what report is about
- Mid-section of the report - deals with key issues under discussion - analysis
- Conclusion - tends to be repetitive. Cover everything you have done - no new material
- Recommendations - from report research and findings
- Bibliography
- Appendices - “……” see appendix 5. Ties back into report. Extra information that did not fit in report. Can put results of questionnaire in appendix. Big data
Example outline of business report
Title Page
Institution title
[insert title of your piece]
By
[name]
BA (Hons.) XXXX
[declaration]
[insert date - month and year]
Word Count (not including quotations or bibliography) - intro and conclusion included, abstract or executive summary not)
Contents Page
List of things in chronological order
Introduction
Overview on what you intend to discuss
Keep concise - only so much word count
Discuss key points of report and intended research
Give flavour of what you anticipate your findings/research may extract
Headers
Contents include series of headers
2 Topshop - main header of section you tend to discuss; then go on to break into sub-sections
2.1 Research findings; what were research findings?
Conclusion
Sum up go research findings/report intentions
Touches on critical aspects of discussion
To the point and concise - word count
Recommendations
These are recommendations to industry from research gathered
Consider
Bibliography
Bibliography is things you have looked at, but not necessarily used in report. References are direct quotes used in work. Stick to references more than bibliography. (referencing guide on blackboard)
Appendices
Can be used to relate any information that connects to your essay context, but not in actual essay itself.
e.g. full quote which attaches to segment of quote used in main essay.
Basic Guide to Academic Writing
ALWAYS HAVE BRIEF CLOSE TO REFER TO
Understanding the assignment brief
- Why does your chosen brand have issues?
- What are they doing, or need to do, to redress this?
- Where is the brand situated? Where do you feel (based solidly on research) does the brand need to be?
- How can the brand intervene through its current situation; what can it do to change its fate? (consider market conditions, positioning in market place)
- Who is intended audience?
- Why is the report needed?
- What do the audience want to find out?
- What sections does your report need?
- How long should the report be?
- When is the deadline?
- What is the word count?
Writing Styles
Factual writing - states the facts of the case exactly as they are
Descriptive writing - a detailed account of the characteristics of things
Explanatory writing - makes things clear and gives the reasons for them
Discursive writing - investigates things by reasoning or making a reasoned examination
Analytical writing - examines complex things to discover how they work
Avoid phrases that add nothing e.g.
Factual writing - states the facts of the case exactly as they are
Descriptive writing - a detailed account of the characteristics of things
Explanatory writing - makes things clear and gives the reasons for them
Discursive writing - investigates things by reasoning or making a reasoned examination
Analytical writing - examines complex things to discover how they work
Avoid phrases that add nothing e.g.
- Due to the fact that = because
- On a daily basis = daily
- Of a complex nature = complex
- In a fashion studio situation = in the studio
- ‘we’ not ‘I’
- ‘an experiment was conducted’
Voice
Use passive or active words to avoid using the first person
Passive ‘a concept was selected’. Or active ‘ we selected a concept’.
Tense
When reporting your findings, use the past tense.
When you are reporting other people’s research, use the present tense.
When you are discussing your findings, use the present tense.
Numbering
Main sections are numbered 1, 2, 3, etc.
Each sub-section given decimal subdivision, e.g. 1.1, 1.2, etc.
Other issues to consider
Diversity
Ethics
Sustainability
Social media
Influencer marketing
Diversity
Ethics
Sustainability
Social media
Influencer marketing
ABSTRACT - BEFORE INTRODUCTION (not included in word count)
SWOT Analysis
Used to analyse brands.
- Strengths -internal
- Weaknesses - internal
- Opportunities - external
- Threats - external
PESTLE Analysis
- Political - political factors that might affect brand
- Economic - exchange rates, currency, income
- Social - demographics, age, sex, culture, biggest issue in fashion
- Technological - artificial intelligence, digital, online shopping
- Legal - legal requirements in country
- Environmental - how the brand is affecting the environment - carbon footprint, recycling, landfill
To further my understanding of the brand, I decided to make a collage on what I think of personally when I think of Victoria's Secret.
Victoria's Secret has always portrayed itself as a very elite brand, even the name itself suggests a feeling of exclusivity and mystery, like some kind of secret club. This point is solidified further with their use of models, or 'angels', that appear in the annual Victoria's Secret fashion show, as they all have to fit a certain unattainable standard that is beyond the reach of the average woman.
The brand gives off an expensive, feminine vibe, with its heavy use of materials such as silk and satin. And, of course, the lingerie itself doesn't have a particularly low price tag.
The primary colours the brand uses are pink, white and black, so I wanted these colours to be the main focus of my collage. Starting off with a pink, satin background, I started to search for images that I thought best represented the brand. I then chose to include some images of Dutch angel Romee Strijd, who has been walking the Victoria's Secret catwalk since 2015. The image of the Panthéon building in Paris was to emphasise the point of being luxurious and expensive, as I believe this is the image that Victoria's Secret tries to portray.
Finally, I decided to include the quote 'too glam to give a damn' as I feel it sums up the brand perfectly. They try so hard to show this perfect image of their beautiful, polished models and lingerie to the point where they do not care about inclusivity and diversity. They are stuck on the idea of their brand being a 'fantasy' so will not consider any other ideas or criticism from the public.
Overall, this is just some of my initial research into the brand Victoria's Secret, based on my preconceived knowledge of the brand. It will be interesting to do perhaps do a comparison collage further into my project to see if the outcome would be very different or the same.
