Introduction to Victoria’s Secret Revitalization
Selman thinks along these lines – looking back not just 10 or 15 years, but beyond. “I really imagine this like a real house, like a maison,” he says after browsing through old VS catalogs. Victoria’s Secret has been around for 50 years, and the brand has an incredibly rich history with amazing stories to tell.
The Challenge Ahead
The challenge will be whether the brand can convincingly capture all the glitz and glamor of the recent past while offering a desirable product that young consumers want to buy. It will be difficult for the brand to create a revitalized profile that attracts the attention of new customers without alienating the die-hard VS fans who have fallen in love with the brand’s girly wonderland.
A Starting Point
The show isn’t the end game, of course, and executives are aware that they need to regain their minds beyond this one moment. It’s about getting people to think about the brand, connect with the brand, and then get them into the store. As an example of efforts to generate conversation, the brand points to a recent collaboration between Victoria’s Secret’s Pink sub-brand and fashion label LoveShackFancy. The brand is really thinking about how to reach new audiences.
Brand Vision and Storytelling
What’s missing, besides more exciting moments, is a cohesive brand vision. The brand’s aesthetic across advertising, stores, social media, website, and product is fractured and largely unchanged from a decade ago. When it comes to brand vision, the goal is for customers to close their eyes and immediately see Victoria’s Secret. The design codes include lace, glitter, and the trademark flower (a peony) next to the wings. The brand is also thinking about what it might look like outside the bedroom, looking at the lingerie trend and how viewers can style the look on the go.
Future Developments
Hopefully, the brand can deliver new products next year, pointing to slip skirts and bras with cardigans over them as possible developments. The first step is the show, where the brand hopes viewers will connect with a brand they may have once loved. The brand wants them to look at it in a modern way, to know that it still has an amazing heritage and is not going away. The brand is definitely leaving a lot behind, but it’s also taking the best with it, and it wants people to get more involved and think more about it.
