Group 1
Dr. Kristen Heflin
12/9/2011
Victoria’s Secret Comprehensive Social Media Analysis Project
Introduction
Victoria's Secret is the leading specialty retailer of lingerie operating more than 1,000
stores across the United States. Victoria's Secret has brought attention to the lingerie industry
perhaps more than any other brand. Victoria’s Secret was established by Roy Raymond, who felt
embarrassed purchasing lingerie for his wife in a department store. He started Victoria’s Secret
in the San Francisco area during the 1970s to provide a comfortable place for men to buy
lingerie. After he opened the first store a mail-order catalog and three other stores soon followed.
The stores were meant to create a comfortable shopping environment for men, with woodpaneled walls, Victorian details and helpful sales staff. Raymond saw an opportunity to take the
“underwear” of the time and turn it into fashion. Products stood apart from the traditional white
cotton pieces, which department stores offered, with colors, patterns and style that gave them
more allure and sexiness.
In 1982, after 5 years of operation, Roy Raymond sold the Victoria's Secret company, its
six stores and 42-page catalogue, grossing $6 million per year, to Leslie Wexner, creator of The
Limited, for $4 million. By the early 1990s, Victoria's Secret had become the largest American
lingerie retailer, topping one billion dollars. Beginning in 1995, Victoria's Secret began holding
the annual Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, which is broadcasted on primetime American
television. The show is a lavish event with elaborate costumed lingerie, varying music and set
design according to the different themes running within the show. The show attracts hundreds of
celebrities and entertainers with special performers and/or acts every year.
Basic Store Facts*
Net sales (millions)
$4,018
Comparable store sales
14%
Number of stores
1,028
Selling square feet
6,057,00
*As of January 29, 2011
By first developing a strong name in lingerie, Victoria’s Secret also entered the clothing
industry, offering customers choices in clothing, accessories, fragrances, personal care,
swimwear and athletic attire. In 2004 Victoria’s Secret founded its sub-brand, PINK, which sells
underwear, sleepwear, lounge wear, beauty products and accessories marketed towards teens and
young adult females.
Business for the Victoria’s Secret Brand is principally conducted from offices,
distribution and shipping facilities located in the Columbus, Ohio area. Additional facilities are
located in New York, New York, Kettering, Ohio, Rio Rancho, New Mexico, and Paramus, New
Jersey.
Current Communication Initiatives
Victoria’s Secret has proven to be effective in defining beauty for consumers through
various marketing, advertising and public relations strategies. This company has united their
traditional and online marketing efforts successfully.
The $12 million Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show is the key focus for the brand’s
advertising machine, used as a platform to promote and sell its goods in a high profile setting.
This event is able to reach an audience of over 1 billion people, including news coverage. The
brand also has nationwide retail presence and markets themselves through their store interiors.
About 390 million copies of the Victoria’s Secret catalogue are distributed in the United States
free of charge full of intimate apparel, women’s clothing, beauty products and accessories. To
reach the teen, college age and adult women audiences, Victoria’s Secret pays for advertising
space in popular women’s magazines. The company also pays for commercial spots on major
networks to announce sales or new collections. Occasionally, Victoria’s Secret also puts on
special events to heighten the publicity surrounding the release of a new line of lingerie. To
model their lingerie and clothing, Victoria’s Secret capitalizes on their elite group of
supermodels, “angels”, to represent their brand with beauty and class. Their international
supermodels receive major media attention and are of celebrity status, including: Miranda Kerr,
Alessandra Ambrosio and Adriana Lima.
Victoria’s Secret has done a wonderful job reaching their target audience and primarily
using the online resources that their consumers use. Unlike many companies online, Victoria’s
Secret has followed their consumers to the place they spend the most time. When searching for
Victoria’s Secret on social media, they can be found on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. They
also have a mobile app for iPhone, iPad and Android devices. And finally, they offer an
exclusive email for people who want to sign up.
Victoria’s Secret uses social media impeccably. With more than 15 million fans, it is safe
to say that their Facebook approach has made an impression on their consumers. On their official
Facebook account, they offer everything from Victoria’s Secret themed wallpapers to gift card
information. Victoria’s Secret also has a great YouTube Channel. They consistently upload
content to their channel including commercials airing on television and exclusive behind-thescenes videos. On Twitter, Victoria’s Secret consistently updates their over 300,000 followers on
the deals they are having or the programs they are producing, such as the Victoria’s Secret
Fashion Show.
Besides the well-known social networking tools, Victoria’s Secret has expanded to
mobile communication efforts as well. They have mobile apps for iPad, iPhone and Android
devices that allow their customers to shop wherever they may be. Finally, Victoria’s Secret
offers an email and text service that will alert customers who have opted in on special deals and
events. Victoria’s Secret has created a model for women for how they should treat themselves
and they have also created a model for other companies demonstrating how to successfully be
present on the Web.
Need for Social Media Monitoring
Victoria’s Secret seems to be everywhere in the online world. They have a strong
presence on every social media platform, and their website is strong as well, but it is still
important for Victoria’s Secret to monitor social media and all online presence for their business.
There are a lot of things being said on Twitter and blogs about their products which may or may
not have a negative impact on the company. The main thing Victoria’s Secret needs to be aware
of are the fake deals that people are putting on Twitter and Facebook. Recently, Facebook was
inundated by fraudulent coupon codes for free Victoria’s Secret panties and Victoria’s Secret has
yet to do anything to negate these coupons. Not only should they make their customers aware of
the discount fraud, they should also direct their customers to legitimate discounts. On Victoria’s
Secret Twitter they do a great job of re-tweeting fans and posting relevant comments but the
majority of their posts remain promotional.
By monitoring their online presence on social media and across the internet, Victoria’s
Secret would be able to see what people are saying about themselves as well as their competitors.
While monitoring the social media presence of the company, specifically when searching the
keyword “bras”, a lot of positive posts about Playtex were discovered. Victoria’s Secret could
use this information and comments to find ways to improve their products and advertising to
remain the frontrunner in the market ahead of Playtex. By monitoring the positive feedback on
its own brand, Victoria’s Secret will be able to replicate the things customers already like and
improve on things that aren’t working.
Methodology
During the two week span beginning October 24, 2011 and ending on November 7, 2011,
our group monitored Victoria’s Secret and their presence on social media. During this time
frame, the brand was most discussed on various blogs but also on Twitter, Facebook and
reputable websites. The keyword search terms we chose were Victoria’s Secret Pink, Victoria’s
Secret Fashion Show, Victoria’s Secret Angels, lingerie and bras. The keyword phrase Victoria’s
Secret Fashion Show was the most discussed among all the phrases we chose because the
monitoring period ended within days of the live event.
The blogs discussing Victoria’s Secret were found using social media monitoring sites
such as www.addictomatic.com and www.socialmention.com. These sites allowed us to search
each individual phrase and returned results from various social media platforms. These sites
provided a convenient way to find and read relevant blogs about each specific keyword. Twitter
Advanced Search was also used to follow the conversation about the brand on Twitter, however,
the keywords Pink, lingerie and bras mainly yielded results about sales and coupons many of
which did not seem like they were from legitimate sources. www.moniterr.com was another tool
we used to search for Twitter mentions about the brand. The Google Trends tool also provided us
with insight as to when certain keywords would spike in interest.
We used various factors to determine the credibility of our sources depending on the
social media platform. On Twitter, we looked at the number of followers and the quality of the
users’ previous tweets. We looked at blogs similarly, but also used Alexa to look at the blog’s
ranking and the number of sites linking in to provide additional support for credibility. The
Huffington Post and International Business Times were the most credible websites we
referenced. Both of these sites regularly provide their audience with business and entertainment
news and they have large followings.
Results
Strengths
Advertising:
One of Victoria’s Secret’s strengths is their very successful advertising strategy.
Victoria’s Secret spends $66 million annually on advertising, essentially defining beauty and
packaging it for consumers. Thousands of newspaper ads, catalogues and televised fashion
shows convince women that buying Victoria’s Secret products will boost their confidence and
enhance their appeal. A Victoria’s Secret product represents fun, romance, fantasy, desire and
love all in one.
Print Ads in Magazines and Newspapers:
What Victoria’s Secret doesn’t spend on Internet, television ads, fashion shows, or
catalogues they spend on newspaper and magazine ads. Newspaper and magazine ads are
effective for reaching a specific audience. In particular, Victoria’s Secret targets magazines it
expects its consumer base to read, which include Cosmopolitan, In Style, Glamour and Allure.
Catalogues:
A person simply has to go to the Victoria’s Secret website, enter a mailing address, and a
few weeks later a Victoria’s Secret catalogue is delivered to their doorstep, free of charge. Over
390 million copies of the Victoria’s Secret catalogue are distributed in the U.S. alone.
Annual Fashion Show:
The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show is a centerpiece for the brands intricately designed
and elegantly functioning advertising machine. With this event, Victoria’s Secret reaches an
audience of over 1 billion. Victoria’s Secret obtains one hour of nationwide advertising and CBS
is granted the exclusive rights to one of the most popular annual programs on TV.
Facebook:
Victoria’s Secret official Facebook page has 15,987,963 “likes”. Their Facebook page
offers specials, such as giving away 100,000 reward cards worth anywhere from $10-$500,
various ways to stay connected to Victoria’s Secret, videos/photos, events tab and other helpful
links for those interested.
The Supermodels/Angels:
Victoria’s Secret holds one of the most important input supplies in the lingerie industry:
supermodels. Advertisements capitalize on this association and cement in consumer minds that
Victoria’s Secret represents beauty and class.
Store Front:
Store interiors are also consistent with Victoria’s Secret’s brand image. Wallpaper hues
of soft pink promote a soft, feminine environment. Victoria’s Secret stores are meant to evoke
images of class.
Sweepstakes & Contests:
Victoria’s Secret website has contests and sweepstakes year round that offer prizes
ranging from $10 gift cards to $10,000.
Victoria’s Secret further reinforces positive shopping experiences with customer service.
At its Direct Client Contact Centers, trained call center personnel not only assist callers with
sizing and other concerns, but also talk about products in a manner that communicates the
romance of the brand. They recommend complementary items or alternatives to products that are
out of stock.
Weaknesses
As Victoria’s Secret is a very well-established company, there are only a few weaknesses
this organization reveals. First, Victoria’s Secret is not interested in expanding their target
market. Some people believe this limits them by keeping their products targeted to younger girls
and not older, married women. Also, Victoria’s Secret could take some more time with their
online presence, including responding more to their consumers on Twitter and blogs monitoring
the internet for discussions about the brand.
Opportunities
Victoria’s Secret is a strong company with a prominent online presence and is extremely
active on social media world. The one opportunity Victoria’s Secret could take advantage of is
the promotion of the annual fashion show. There is always a lot of hype about the show.
Victoria’s Secret does a good job of advertising on its website and social media platforms for this
fashion show. However, if they created official Facebook and Twitter accounts dedicated to
specifically promoting the event, the already impressive viewership ratings could be increased.
They could include information such as the model’s bios, pictures and other interactive
information sources for the fashion show’s audience. Victoria’s Secret could also create a smart
phone app with a countdown to the event and run specials in their store the whole week leading
up to the show. Although the fashion show is advertised, it blends in with the rest of the website
and advertisements. It needs to stand out as its own entity and not be grouped in with the general
function of the company.
Threats
The public and the media have often criticized Victoria’s Secret for promoting incredibly
thin models, creating a negative idea of the brand. These “angels” are required to be at least 5
feet, 8 inches tall and meet specific measurement requirements in order to model the clothing.
Models with a 34-inch bust, a 24-inch waist and 34-inch hips are the most desired. Because
Victoria’s Secret angels are the most prestigious models in the industry, this creates an almost
physically impossible body standard to live up to. The brand also provokes numerous Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) complaints every year following the annual fashion show.
The FCC has yet to impose a fine against Victoria’s Secret but could in the future. Groups like
the American Family Association annually flood the FCC with criticisms about how the
Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show is indecent or obscene.
Conclusion
Overall, Victoria’s Secret is consistent with their appearance across all communication
outlets including traditional and online media. They reach their customers through almost every
source available and update their audience frequently. Victoria’s Secret controls the majority of
the lingerie market with little to no competition. The success of the brand name and their
products is a result of their overall communication efforts.
As a nationwide retailer they market themselves through their store interior, packaging
and event through the name of the Pink product line. Customers are promised quality service
when they walk into a Victoria’s Secret store. Employees are knowledgeable about all of their
products and make sure customers are comfortable throughout their shopping experience. These
are some of the strengths attributed to the Victoria’s Secret company.
Since Victoria’s Secret is such a well established company, they aren’t open to expanding
their market. Even though their status as a company is a strength, the weakness is they may be
too comfortable with the brand’s identity. Victoria’s Secret has a prominent online presence but
they don’t use it to their advantage and actively join in the conversation with their customers.
The annual fashion show is a strong part of Victoria’s Secret’s marketing efforts but it
tends to blend into the company’s general marketing. They should exclusively use the official
Twitter account for the annual fashion show to promote the event and make it stand out rather
than blend in to Victoria’s Secret’s everyday promotions. This missed opportunity could increase
the already impressive viewership of the show.
Victoria’s Secret provokes numerous FCC complaints every year following the fashion
show. Prominent groups like the American Family Association regularly complain that the show
is indecent or obscene and should be televised during late night television rather than during
primetime. Victoria’s Secret is also criticized by the media and the public for promoting
impossibly thin models that could potentially create a negative image for the brand. The “angels”
are the most prestigious women in the modeling world and are considered celebrities. This
creates an almost physically impossible body standard for girls to live up to. These all create a
negative brand image threatening the Victoria’s Secret company.
We recommend Victoria’s Secret implement the following in their overall
communication efforts:

Edit their company information page on Facebook. It is text heavy and consists mainly of
legal notices about copyright and use of information. Even though this is important
information, it should appear elsewhere and not under the mission section of their
information page.

Redesign Victoria’s Secret home page to make the Facebook link more prominent and
visible, rather than in the bottom right hand corner.

Add icons with links to the Twitter page and YouTube channel, Flickr group and blog.

Create a group on Flickr to share pictures from recent photo shoots and events.

Use the fashion show’s Twitter account more effectively. As of the day after the 2011
show aired, the account only had only 22 tweets and less than 1,000 followers. Twitter
could be a major help behind the fashion show if used properly.

Vary what their posts are about on both Facebook and Twitter. Currently their tweets and
posts are almost all promotional.

Give fans and followers an incentive to visit the store, like a code for a discount or a free
item at least once a week.

Focus on creating deals on gift set items and share those gift ideas on both Facebook and
Twitter around the holiday season.

Respond to customers’ feedback more on social networking sites such as Twitter and
Facebook.

Create a blog dedicated to directly communicating with customers to answer questions,
solve issues in store and online, etc.

Create a blog for Victoria’s Secret employees to encourage communication between
employees in the corporate offices along with the retail stores.

Participate in the conversation with influential bloggers who talk about Victoria’s Secret.

Inform customers about coupon scams that spread through social media and how they can
spot fake discounts.

Reach out to the American Family Association to generate feedback about the annual
fashion show.

Involve models in organizations that promote healthy lifestyles and a positive body
image.

Monitor potential competitors like Playtex as their presence on social media has started to
increase.
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