As my last post was on the lighting at the annual Victoria’s Secret lingerie show, I thought I would take this case study a bit further and look at the marketing involved.
The Chartered Institute of Marketing states that “Marketing is the management process that identifies, anticipates and satisfies customers needs profitably”. In the case of this fashion show, it is the companies chance to showcase the new designs and satisfy the needs of the consumers by televising the show.
The show has developed over the years and gets bigger and more creative each time. Matthews (2008) expresses the importance of creativity in events stating that it is ‘absolutely essential’, and ‘it is the event producer who ends up with the task of creating and designing an event from the ground up, incorporating everything from décor and entertainment to all the technical elements’. The latest marketing tool being used in the show is allowing backstage access, explanations of each theme and interviews with the ‘angels’ themselves. This makes the audience feel involved and allows them to connect with the product and the brand as a whole.
Victoria’s Secret is an aspirational and lifestyle brand. Middleton (2001), states that todays society are ‘more quality conscious and generally more sophisticated consumers’. This means that although the lingerie may be pricey, consumers will be willing to pay more money to own a high class brand of underwear. Using famous celebrities such as Miranda Kerr (seen below) also endorses the brand and makes women everywhere aspire to be like them.
(Image taken from herworldplus.com)
A furthur marketing tool Victoria’s Secret have used in this case is various competitions, including winning a trip to New York. This is another way to get the audience involved, and a successful way of creating a database for future promotions and events. Using e-marketing is another way that Victoria’s Secret have successfully branched out into a global brand. By streaming the fashion show online, they have successfully reached a wider audience as the show was not aired on any UK channels. The Victoria’s Secret official website also has videos of behind the scenes, and backgrounds and interviews with the main models used in the show. Bowdin et al (2011), states that when using a website as a marketing tool, the key to success is to ensure that the website is ‘simple and easy to use – in other words, that it is user-friendly’.
Victoria’s Secret has become one of the most famous lingerie brand in the world with over 1000 stores in USA and advertising campaigns that are seen around the globe. If you haven’t already seen the show I would highly recommend it! So we’ve always wanted to know what Victoria’s Secret is.. Maybe it’s simply great marketing.
References:
Bowdin et al, 2011, Events Management, Elsevier, Oxford.
Matthews, 2008, Special Event Production: The Process, Elsevier, Oxford.
Middleton, 2001, Marketing in Travel and Tourism, Butterworth-. Heinemann, Oxford.
http://www.cimhk.org.hk/ (accessed on 10/12/12)
http://vsallaccess.victoriassecret.com/news-events/ (accessed on 10/12/12)
http://www.herworldplus.com/celebs/updates/victoria%E2%80%99s-secret-show-opens-circus (accessed on 10/12/12)
Events Operations in Context 