2. How it all started
• Roy Raymond established Victoria’s Secret in
1977
• Started as a store for men
• Limited Brands acquired Victoria’s Secret in
1982
– Completely overhauled the company
3. Limited Brands
• Formerly known as “The Limited Inc.”
• Slowly made Victoria’s Secret into one of the
top 10 most recognized brands in the world
– Now a store for Women, not men
• Expanded to 1,019 stores in the United States
4. Target Market
• Customers are
sexy, confident, and have a
desire for “sensual fashion”
• Targets middle class women
– Ages 20-40; does NOT
specifically target young
women
• Targets men shopping for
girlfriend, wife, etc.
– Victoria’s Secret was created
by Roy Raymond, as a place
for men to buy their wives
lingerie
5. Target Market (PINK)
• Victoria’s Secret PINK
Collection
• Targets a younger, college
aged woman (19+)
• Inevitably attracts teens and
high school girls
– Brighter colors, trendy
prints, less sensual attire
– “Designed to be more cute
than racy”
• Meant as a gateway in the
main Victoria’s Secret Line
6. Victoria’s Secret Stores
• Average size: 6,000 sq ft
• Very unique layout
– Most have black or cream colored interiors
– Very nice interiors
– Sub-brands separated in the store
7.
8. Flagship store NYC
• Located in Herald Square
• 25,000 sq ft
• Three floors
– Each floor intricately pieced together by Victoria’s
Secret designers
9.
10. Retailing
• Retail stores located all throughout the
United States
• Started off as 3 boutiques
• First national lingerie store (multiple
collections)
• Sold at Victoria’s Secret:
- PINK: life style brand for younger
women, colorful stores, some separate
stores
- Swimwear: now available in stores
- VSX Sport: women’s athletic apparel
- Beauty: makeup, fragrances (also men’s),
skin/hair care
- Clothing: handbags, accessories, jackets,
denim, tops, dresses
11. Product Sourcing
• Limited Brands takes much pride in sourcing from places
that meet their strict standards
– No tolerance policy
• Deem their products “fair trade” and “good for
women, good for the children who depend on them.”
12. Scandal in Burkina Faso
• In late 2011 people discovered source
of some of Limited Brand’s imported
cotton
• Cotton specifically used in Victoria’s
Secret
• Came from impoverished cotton farms
– Child labor
– Abuse
– Unpaid workers
13. Digital Strategies
• Omni Integrated Digital Strategy = same experience everywhere
• Social Media
- Facebook (2nd most popular retail store on the site, 18th
most popular brand)
- Separate pages for Victoria’s Secret, PINK, and VSX
- Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube
- Respond to customer comments and questions
14. Digital Strategies
• VictoriasSecret.com
- offers, deals, organized
- VS ALL Access
• Email Marketing
- new product= email blast
customers
• Mobile Marketing
- apps for iPhone, iPad, Android
phones
• TV/ Radio Ads
- popular super bowl ads
- Thefuture.fm
- Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show
15. Victoria’s Secret Catalogue
– Direct marketing approach
– $220 million a year is spent on the
catalogs sent to customers' homes
• includes postage, creative, printing,
paper and circulation
– VS uses print to drive more
"emotional content”
– The Victoria’s Secret brand is in the
mature stage of the product life
cycle
• Emphasis is focused on the product
rather then creating a buzz around
their brand
16. Current Marketing Strategies:
Freebies
– Coupons are sent out in the
mail every month with free
gifts
– No purchases are necessary
– Creates traffic in the store
– Causes impulse purchases
• Costs for freebies are low in
comparison to the profits
17. Semi Annual Clearance Sales
– Items only go on sales
during specified time
frames
– Items are discounted
between 25 to 70%
– Creates space in retail
stores and warehouses for
new products
– Targets different types of
consumers
18. VS Secret Rewards
– Gift card with an unknown
amount of money
– Redeemable within a specified
time frame on the card
– Values range from $10-$500
– Can be utilized online or in the
retail store
- Drives traffic
- Acts as an incentive to make
purchases with the help of the
reward card
19. Expansion of PINK
– 20% of stores carry the full
Pink assortment
– In 2012, 34 U.S. stores
totaling 109,000 square feet
– In 2013, an expansion to 83
stores will occur with 282,000
square feet
“Growth in lingerie and Pink were the primary catalysts
for a 3 percent increase in VS’ fourth-quarter same-store
sales, while beauty business was flat and holiday
performance.”- Stuart Burgdoerfer (WWD)
20. The VS Designer Collection
- High-end lingerie collection
- In-house designers
- Sold online at VictoriasSecret.com
and at 13 VS locations
“Bras retail from $98 to $158; undies
and garter belts are $38 to $68; baby
dolls and teddies are $158 to $218,
and the kimono and merry widow are
$120 and $298, respectively.”-WWD
21. Victoria Secret Fashion Show
– Incorporates their under garments
into outrageous themed costumes
– 11.5 million viewers in 2012
– Mostly women
– They have created a tradition
• “Angel wings” implemented in 1998
– Cater to their target audience
integrating popular entertainers
• Justin Bieber and Rihanna
“The 2012 themes: Circus, Dangerous
Liaisons, Pink Is Us, Silver Screen Angels,
Angels in Bloom and Calendar Girls.”
22. Competitors
Aerie- American Eagle
• Launched in 2006
• Targets 15-25 year old women
• Intimates Collection
– Bras, thongs, sleepwear,
sweatpants, “adorable wear”
• Competes with PINK
– “Dorm-Wear” fad
– Price?
– Appeal?
– Preference?
Bare Necessities
• Launched in 1998
– Second largest online specialty
retailer for intimate apparel
• Known for assortment of bras and
lingerie
• 3700 styles from 170 brands
– Bras, panties, swimwear, etc.
– Competes with Victoria Secret’s main
lingerie selection
• Targets middle aged women
– Ages 20-50
23. Major Strengths
• Market Leader
• Extremely good at
advertising
– E-mails, TV commercials,
Fashion Shows, Facebook,
Twitter, etc. ($66 million per
year)
– Traditional and Digital
Marketing
• Vast number of stores
• Very few competitors, all of
which are less successful
• Multiple Sales Channels
24. Major Weaknesses
• Parental view of Victoria’s Secret
– Many people think Victoria’s
Secret is wrongfully exposing
preteens to “adult items”
– “Bright Young Things”?
• Unable to expand their target
market; very specific market
