KRISTINA SAHA

ADV/PRL 609
CULMINATING PROJECT

JUNE 26, 2022

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Background - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3

Problem - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3

Research Objectives / Research Questions - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3

Methodology - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 4

Research Question 1

Secondary - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 4, 5
Syndicated - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 5, 7
Social Media Listening - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 7, 8
Qualitative Research (Picture Drawing) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 9, 10

Research Question 2

Secondary - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 10, 11
Syndicated - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 11, 12, 13
Social Media Listening - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 13, 14
Qualitative Research (Word Association and Word Cloud) - - - - 14, 15

Research Question 3

Secondary - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 15, 16
Syndicated - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 16, 17
Social Media Listening - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 18
Qualitative Research (Personal Interview + Laddering Technique) - - - 18, 19

Persona - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 20

Insights - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 21

Rationale - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 21

Recommendations - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 21

Qualtrics Survey - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 22

References - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 22, 23
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BACKGROUND
Victoria’s Secret is the largest American retailer for women’s lingerie and swimwear. The
company was founded by Roy Raymond in 1977. Raymond initially founded the brand after an
uncomfortable experience trying to buy undergarments for his wife. Thus, he built Victoria’s
Secret as an attempt to make lingerie stores comfortable for men. Yet, this also meant that the
brand was ultimately founded on Raymond’s desire “to create a women's underwear shop that
was targeted at men.”

However, as the years passed and new leadership began joining the company, Victoria’s Secret
shifted their focus to targeting women. The brand attempted to create affordable lingerie that felt
and looked luxurious. It even took on new endeavors through annual fashion shows that
introduced tall and skinny - perhaps best described as most “desirable” - models, better known
as the infamous Victoria’s Secret Angels. The shows’ dedicated to appealing “fantasies” built a
strong following and truly branded Victoria’s Secret with a specific image.

Victoria’s Secret opened international stores, pooling in billions of dollars in revenue per year.
However, it wasn’t until years 2019 through 2020, that Victoria’s Secret faced a serious downfall
due to the inability to keep up with modern retail trends - along with adverse effects from the
COVID19 pandemic. This led to the company having to close down several stores around the
globe and rethink their business model.

PROBLEM
With diversity needs on the rise, several fashion brands have found themselves struggling to be
deemed inclusive. Victoria's Secret, a company known for promoting a very specific body shape
and size, has been sneered at for being too exclusive in its marketing efforts. The Victoria’s
Secret “Angel”, for example, is usually a tall and skinny Caucasian woman who defies the
average body size and promotes almost unattainable beauty standards. With the brand being
deemed “tone deaf” and “outdated,” it is no surprise that sales and market share have
significantly dropped. Many studies even attribute the closing of several Victoria’s Secret stores
in 2019, to the brand’s inability to keep up with the values of the modern day Gen Z consumer.

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
● Identify consumer attitudes towards “inclusivity” in retail.
● Discover areas where Victoria’s Secret can improve their marketing efforts.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS
1. Who is Victoria’s Secret’s target consumer?
2. What threats is Victoria’s Secret facing?
3. How has Gen Z’s values impacted consumer sentiment towards Victoria’s Secret?
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METHODOLOGY

In order to gather information to be able to make insights and fulfill my research objectives, I
used a mix of secondary research, syndicated research, social media listening, and qualitative
research.
For secondary research, I gathered that discussed the rise and fall of Victoria’s Secret. The
articles ranged from Huffington Post, Vogue, MarketWatch, and even TheStute. However, what
was most helpful was using the reports from the syndicated database, Mintel, that gave a more
in depth description of market trends, values, and other consumer habits.
For syndicated research, I turned to Simmons Insights in specific to create the necessary
crosstabs and also search through pertinent demographic, psychographic and competitive
findings for each research question.
For social media listening, I relied on Twitter and Facebook to get conversations from Victoria’s
Secret consumers on what their overall experiences at Victoria’s Secret was. Twitter proved to
be best for strong opinions and detailed comment threads that were followed by specific
hashtags. Also, given I had a research question on Gen Z, Twitter was the best place to get
input from younger generations - especially since Facebook is an outdated version of social for
those aged 18-25yrs.
Finally, for qualitative research, I spoke to six different Victoria’s Secret consumers. They were
of varying ages and ethnicities, which helped me get a basic understanding of the relationship
between Victoria’s Secret brand marketing and its impact on POC consumers. Projective
techniques such as picture drawing, word association, and the laddering technique were used
on all six consumers. The conversations and responses allowed me to solidify my findings and
in turn, be confident in my final insights.

3S & QUALITATIVE FINDINGS

I. Research Question 1 - Who is Victoria’s Secret’s target consumer?
Answer: Privileged females between 18-34 years old who are skinny, attractive, and
predominantly Caucasian.

Secondary Research
Victoria’s Secret has proven itself to be a brand dedicated to women’s lingerie, swimwear,
clothing and beauty. However, it specifically targets females between the ages of 18-34. Women
aged 35-54 are also major consumers, however they are not necessarily the target market. It is
in the 18-35 age range that Victoria’s Secret is also able to target their ideal body size through
their lingerie. Going back to what the traditional “VS Angel '' looks like, one would have to be
skinnier in order to be deemed desirable in Victoria’s Secret’s clothing. In fact, a product
marketing article on IvyPanda regarding Victoria’s Secret states, “...if the lady is a mother or
grandmother of heavy weight she would obviously go for the body products and fragrances.
Whereas a young girl or a mother who is in good shape will prefer Victoria’s Secret’s lingerie
and swimwear.” This goes to emphasize the lack of body positivity in brand values.
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Mintel Reports even suggests that because Victoria’s Secret is targeting a younger
demographic, it may be easier for other brands to take advantage of the older age group the
brand is ostracizing. In fact, taking a look at Figure 1, while Victoria’s Secret brands have the
most ownership, brands like AdoreMe and Duluth Trading Co. show a higher percentage of
people who don’t currently own the brand, but are interested in purchasing. Mintel states that,
“It’s noteworthy though that roughly a quarter of women aren’t interested in owning these
brands. Speculation is that either price (Victoria’s Secret) or a perception of being too young
(PINK) are alienating some demographics. (pg.39)” Thus, ageism and price hikes are negatively
impacting Victoria’s Secret as well, along with lack of body positivity.

FIGURE 1: WOMEN’S UNDERWEAR BRANDS, NOVEMBER 2017

Syndicated Research
Using Simmons Insights Quick Reports, I was able to research more the demographics and
psychographics of the overall consumer base for Victoria’s Secret. Figure 2 suggests that the
majority of Victoria’s Secret consumers are between 18-24. They are 78% more likely to shop at
Victoria’s Secret while those aged 25-34 are only 48% more likely. Figure 3 also shows that of
all VS consumers, 16% are more likely to be college educated. After establishing that the
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consumers are young and educated, I was interested in exploring what Mintel had previously
suggested about Victoria’s Secret possibly being expensive for younger consumers. Therefore, I
was inclined to create a crosstab to look at household income. To no surprise, as represented in
Figure 4, 20% of all Victoria’s Secret consumers are more likely to have a household income of
$100k or higher.
Thus, it is safe to say that Victoria’s Secret is successfully targeting privileged consumers who
are physically fit, financially stable, and not from marginalized communities. Unfortunately, this
may not be an attractive look during a time where inclusivity is highly praised.

FIGURE 2: DEMOGRAPHICS, AGE

FIGURE 3: DEMOGRAPHICS, EDUCATION

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FIGURE 4: DEMOGRAPHICS, HOUSEHOLD INCOME

Social Media Listening

Twitter was a phenomenal resource when prying into the conversations existing consumer
bases are having regarding Victoria’s Secret. Figures 5 and 6 exhibit consumers’ dislike for the
brand’s exclusive ideas of who their target audience is. Kierra writes that Victoria’s Secret is “still
only focused on one body type,” which one can imagine is the tall and skinny figure of every VS
Angel. Amanda even goes on to state that despite Victoria’s Secret claims to have moved on
from targeting the male gaze, “they never evolved to create a product for women.” In her eyes,
the brand is still adhering to Raymond’s original desire to create a women’s lingerie brand that
targets men.
It is even more evident in these tweets that Victoria’s Secret clearly has a strong competitor,
Savage X Fenty. Savage X Fenty is a lingerie brand owned by singer Rihanna, that sells lingerie
“with accessible price points and an extensive assortment of fashion-forward styles.” Unlike
Victoria’s Secret, Savage X Fenty is gender and body size inclusive, bringing in a wide range of
consumers who can find quality lingerie regardless of financial ability and physical limitations.
Considering once again what Victoria’s Secret’s target audience is, it is no surprise that
Rihanna’s brand is deemed more inclusive in the modern day.

FIGURE 5: Twitter
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FIGURE 6: Twitter

Yet, this isn’t to say that Victoria’s Secret has completely left the attention of all consumers. As
seen in Lea’s tweet in Figure 7, the brand getting rid of its beloved VS Angels and canceling the
annual fashion show in 2019, is pleasantly shocking many consumers. The brand instead, hired
representatives like Megan Rapinoe - a female soccer player and member of the LGBTQ
community - and Priyanka Chopra Jonas - a South Asian actress, singer, and producer - to what
is known as “The VS Collective.” The collective is an attempt to rebrand Victoria’s Secret to
become more inclusive and truly revamp the current marketing model. The New York Times
even states, “It is a stark change for a brand that not only long sold lingerie in the guise of male
fantasy…[but exudes] a misogynistic corporate culture that trafficked in sexism, sizeism and
ageism." With the collective in place, consumers should expect to see stark changes in the
brand’s overall efforts to create products for consumers of every size and background.
FIGURE 7: Twitter
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Qualitative Research - Picture Drawing

To further research Victoria’s Secret’s target audience, I asked 6 women between the ages of
20-30 to draw me who they viewed as the brand’s target consumer. To note, the 6 women were
a mix of current Victoria’s Secret consumers and ex-Victoria’s Secret consumers. I also asked
the participants to briefly label their drawing for a more descriptive understanding. See their
drawing and labels below.
Figure 8 Figure 9

Figure 10 Figure 11
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Figure 8 - “This is a skinny white woman with blond hair that is blown out. She is also hairless
on her body. She has a faint outline of a six-pack and a prominent thigh gap.” AGE 27
Figure 9 - “She’s the it-girl of her friend group. She loves shopping and was homecoming queen
in highschool. She is dating the quarterback of her college football team.” AGE 22
Figure 10 - “ Victoria's Secret's target customers are women who are predominantly white,
affluent, and perhaps not diverse body-wise. I feel like they live in the suburbs, and not in urban
areas.” AGE 24
Figure 11 - “Women aged 15-35 (more on the younger end of that range) with bodies that
adhere to VS’ idea of appealing/sexy (ie. slim, slender, curvaceous, tall, long flowy hair, fair
skinned, sharp facial features, and straight teeth.)” AGE 21

From the above descriptions, it is evident that Victoria’s Secret has created a very specific
image for itself, and that image has been ingrained into the minds of consumers. The tall,
skinny, slender, white woman with the perfect life is exactly what consumers still see Victoria’s
Secret promoting, despite the brand’s efforts to rebrand itself to be more inclusive with their
target market.

II. Research Question 2 - What threats is Victoria’s Secret facing?

Answer: There’s a serious lack of diversity in their business model, a long history of
wrongs to cover up, and a slow start to DEI efforts which has unfortunately led to a long
list of competitors.

Secondary Research
The first major threat that has already been identified is Victoria’s Secret’s lack of diversity in its
marketing model and business values over the years. However, the greater threat lies in the
ways leadership has exclusively stated their lack of desire to be more inclusive. An article by
The Stute states that the former CMO for L Brands, Edward Razek – who was also in charge of
the Victoria’s Secret Fashion shows – stated in 2017 that “If you’re asking if we’ve considered
putting a transgender model in the show or looked at putting a plus-size model in the show, we
have … Shouldn’t you have transsexuals in the show? No. No, I don’t think we should. Because
the show is a fantasy.” Not only does this elude the idea that the brand does not want to make
plus sized models and transgender models a part of their marketing efforts, but it also denotes
the idea that plus size consumers and transgender consumers are not desirable or attractive.
Similarly, as identified in RQ1, ageism was a major threat as consumers above the age of 55
are not heavily targeted - even though they are just as worthy of being deemed desirable and
attractive!
Yet, it is exactly this mindset that has caused Victoria’s Secret to be slow in catching up with
other brands who have already gotten ahead of the game in the inclusivity aspect. Brands like
Savage X Fenty, Aerie, ThirdLove, and Parade have all established a strong foundation that
eloquently mixes effortless comfort with sexiness and respect for all shapes, sizes, colors, and
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identities. Mintel reports even suggest that “consumers seek authenticity online.” As Figure 12
shows, marketing and advertising using influencers who look like the average human is more
effective than using influencers who are heavily edited and modified to hold unattainable beauty
standards.
Therefore, many now believe that Victoria’s Secret’s attempt to rebrand itself feels more like a
performative action to save the company and increase sales, than an authentic chance to
rewrite company history.

FIGURE 12: SELECT INTEREST IN INNOVATIVE BEAUTY CONTENT, DECEMBER 2019

Syndicated Research
From the secondary research, it was evident that shopping behavior was impacted heavily by
company values. Therefore, I used Simmons Insights to create a crosstab that compared 5
major women’s lingerie brands with consumers’ attitudes when shopping. (Please note that
Figure 13 is broken into two parts for better visibility.)
The findings from Figure 13 suggest that Victoria’s Secret consumers are only 5% more likely to
shop the brand due to brand loyalty, and only 6% more likely to shop the brand due to better
pricing. However, Jockey consumers show more dedication to brand loyalty and price appeal
overall at 13% and 11% respectively.
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As far as opinion from a friend, Victoria’s Secret consumers are 25% more likely to shop at the
brand due to recommendation whereas Calvin Klein consumers are 44% more likely for the
same reason.

Therefore, it can be concluded that in order to keep with competing brands, Victoria’s Secret
needs to figure out a better pricing strategy, while also building a better representation for
themselves. If more people are able to say more positive reviews about the brand, Victoria’s
Secret may be able to surpass brands like Calvin Klein in word of mouth marketing.

FIGURE 13: Crosstab, Lingerie Brands / Attitudes Related To Shopping

Similarly, from RQ1, we had identified that another threat to Victoria’s Secret was the company’s
ageist behavior. Therefore, I wanted to break Age by Race and see if there were gaps in
intersectional inclusivity efforts as well. From Figures 14-16, it is evident that those aged 18-34
Victoria’s Secret consumers are more likely to be White/Caucasian than any other race. More
specifically, 18-24 year olds are 107% more likely to be White and 25-34 year olds are 60%
more likely to be White.
However, a strong anomaly here is that consumers aged 35-49, which isn’t necessarily a target
market for Victoria’s Secret, is 34% more likely to be neither White or Black, but only 30% more
likely to be White. Similarly, only Bali seems to be doing the best job targeting those above the
age of 50, regardless of race.
There is a strong learning opportunity here for Victoria’s Secret. First, they have a strong
opportunity to surpass a brand like Bali through better efforts to target an older demographic.
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Calvin Klein, Spanx, and Jockey are all well known brands that many individuals turn to for
quality lingerie, but the older demographic does not seem to be their consumers. Bringing brand
values of “sexy” and “femininity” to the older demographic is a great way to remove the “ageist”
label from brand perception.
Another opportunity is to make diversity a business imperative. 107% of younger consumers
mostly being White/Caucasian is testament to how the brand has been biased in their
advertising. Bringing in diverse models and even collaborating with POC-owned small
businesses would be a great starting point for the VS Collective to use as a means of revamped
business efforts.
FIGURE 14: Crosstab, Age / Race (WHITE)
White

FIGURE 15: Crosstab, Age / Race (BLACK)

Black

FIGURE 16: Crosstab, Age / Race (NOT WHITE or BLACK)

Not White or Black

Social Media Listening

Twitter led me to two websites that were abundant in details about the strengths and
weaknesses that Victoria’s Secret currently holds. Firstly, Marketing 91 brought up the idea of
“brand migration.” The site stated, “Some of the latest introductions have gotten poor feedback
from the market, especially in terms of comfort. This has resulted in many of the loyal customers
of the brand switching to other competing brands.” In this case, Marketing 91 is referring to
many of Victoria’s Secrets recent product lines that have been making use of cheaper fabric.
This has led consumers complaining about the declined quality of Victoria’s Secret products,
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despite the price of the products continuing to rise. Therefore, these same consumers have
chosen to ditch Victoria’s Secret and purchase from stores like Aerie or Parade, where they can
get similar lingerie for better quality and even better prices.
Similarly, Marketing 91 talked about what they describe as “poor penetration in tier 2 cities.”
With Victoria’s Secret only being prominent in metropolitan areas, smaller towns are not able to
help build competitive advantage for the brand. Instead, other brands, many of which are
competitors of Victoria’s Secret, are taking advantage of the brand’s absence – growing their
own market shares. Thus, not only does VS need to expand their target market, but also their
target locations.
Lastly, Forbes released a wonderful article that spoke to Victoria’s Secret’s recent rebranding
efforts. It brought up the new “VS Collective” which is a group of seven women working to
reverse the brand’s “misogynistic corporate culture that trafficked in sexism, sizeism and
ageism.” However, Forbes even went on to state that one of the major problems with this
Collective is that it seems more performative than all else. The former head of Victoria’s Secret’s
international business, Martin Waters, stated, “When the world was changing, we were too slow
to respond.” Thus, social media listening has only proven that Victoria’s Secret as a brand,
needs to learn how to be more authentic in the way that they choose to communicate with their
audience about the revamped brand. Otherwise, their efforts will only seem like a gimmick to
increase sales.

Qualitative Research - Word Association & Word Cloud

In an effort to truly identify emotions towards the brand overall, I made my six participants do
two different word associations. For the first word association, I gave the participants a list of
words, and I asked them to pick the words that they did not associate with the brand.
Below is an excel sheet highlighting the words most chosen to least chosen.
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Then, for my second word association, I asked participants to state 5 words that they would
associate with Victoria’s Secret. I ended up creating a word cloud to see what words were
most prominent. See below for the word cloud.

Now, looking at the top 3 words that consumers do not associate with the brand (maternity,
inclusive, elderly) and the top three words that consumers do associate with the brand, (white,
skinny, sexy), there is no doubt that Victoria’s Secret is sending out a very specific message. As
a lingerie brand, a maternity line and a line for older females is not supported. Similarly, what is
considered attractive, is made for white and skinny females, which is deemed as being “sexy.”
Overall, it’s truthful to say that the brand is not being inclusive at all, and needs to further their
efforts.

III. Research Question 3 - How has Gen Z’s values impacted consumer sentiment
towards Victoria’s Secret?
Answer: Gen Z’s constant push for more diversity, inclusion, and corporate social
responsibility has made consumers turn a blind eye towards Victoria’s Secret. This has
pushed Victoria’s Secret to work twice as hard to rebuild their business model.

Secondary Research
Gen Z is the newest booming generation in both the workplace and retail economy. Not only are
they the most diverse generation to date, but Gen Z truly has the most impact on consumer
trends. Therefore, it is indisputable that the secret success to Victoria’s Secret’s rebrand, is
ensuring that they successfully target this specific generation. However, they cannot do that
without truly understanding Gen Z’s values as individuals and consumers.
A Mintel article on Beauty Retailing suggested that there are two main pillars to engaging Gen
Z. First, a brand has to prioritize wellbeing. With the pandemic having caused a significant
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impact on Gen Z’s mental health, brands that emphasize wellness in products and company
values, will always be the center of their attention.
Second, a brand has to “accelerate in the race to a more sustainable future.” Mintel states that
Gen Z consumers are “increasingly environmentally conscious and concerned with the negative
impact modern life has on the environment and its finite resources.” Thus, Gen Z gravitates
towards brands that are helping them to make a change in the world.
However, one may question Gen Z’s spending power given their young ages. While it is true that
Gen Z is young and may not always pay for more expensive products, Figure 17 suggests that
Gen Z primarily cares for brands that support causes that they are passionate about. Therefore,
if a brand is participating in CSR efforts that make the world a better place in the eyes of a Gen
Z consumer, they will be willing to pay more for the brand’s products.

FIGURE 17 : “What product or brand qualities would encourage you to pay a slightly
higher price?”

Syndicated Research
Due to the social media findings suggesting that Gen Z is attracted to environmental health, I
used Simmons Insights to create crosstabs that matched shopping behaviors related to
environmental health to Victoria’s Secret’s Gen Z consumers. Figure 18 had three shopping
behaviors. First one is “I buy products that use recycled paper in their packaging.” Second one
is, “All products that pollute the environment should be banned.” Last one states, “I would be
prepared to pay more for environmentally friendly products.” In all cases, Victoria’s Secret
consumers are 29% more likely, 24% more likely, and 20% more likely to be environmentally
conscious in all behaviors respectively. Therefore, these consumers show a positive outlook
when it comes to sustainability efforts.
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FIGURE 18 : Shopping Behavior of Gen Z Consumers / Environmental Health

I also decided to make a cross tab identifying the comparison between digital retail and
Victoria’s Secret’s Gen Z consumers. Considering that Gen Z is so heavily influenced by
technology, I wanted to see if there was any relationship between technology and their lifestyle
or retail behaviors. The data from Figure 19 suggests that the internet plays a major role in
helping Victoria’s Secret consumers make purchasing decisions. It seems though, that while
Gen Z consumers are 22% more likely to shop on the internet, they are only 15% more likely to
purchase a product online than in store. From what we have learned from prior research
questions about a decline in product quality and a lack of inclusive sizing, this is more than likely
due to a slight lack of loyalty consumers have when it comes to Victoria’s Secret products.
Therefore, they would rather make purchases in person since it gives them a better idea of their
interest in the product they are purchasing.
FIGURE 19 : Lifestyle and Behavior of Gen Z Consumers / Digital Retail

Lastly, I wanted to identify the general behavior of Victoria’s Secret’s Gen Z consumers. From
Figure 20, I was pleasantly surprised to see that not a lot of Gen Z consumers decide on what
they want to buy before they go shopping. They appear quite spontaneous in their retail
choices. Therefore, I feel that Victoria’s Secret needs to alter their business plans to really
entice Gen Z consumers to walk into their stores – especially if a consumer is not originally
planning on going to Victoria’s Secret on any given day. The brand can entice consumers
through in-store pop-ups that are collaborations with small businesses. Considering Gen Z loves
CSR efforts, any chance that highlights a donation or chance to support a small business might
lure them into Victoria’s Secret’s spaces. Similarly, expanding product options is a great start.
From prior qualitative research, it is clear that the majority of consumers do not find Victoria’s
Secret to sell maternity lines, or even athleisure products. Perhaps expanding the product line to
hold those options is a great way to highlight inclusion within the store and promote a better rep
for the brand overall.

FIGURE 20 : General Behavior of Gen Z Consumers / Retail

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Social Media Listening

With my growing interest in learning about Victoria’s Secret’s existing product lines, I came
across an article on MarketWatch that elaborated on Victoria’s Secret’s reluctance to embrace
the plus-sized retail market. As the article states, “Victoria’s secret took so long to embrace
more body positive and diverse branding, that it opened the door for other companies to chip
away at its dominance.” The idea of Victoria’s Secret being late to the game when it comes to
inclusion, was something I had previously come across in my research, further highlighting the
notion that the brand is slowly being overtaken by competitors. The article even mentions that
the majority of the US female population wears plus-sized clothing and therefore the demand for
size inclusive brands is growing.
While many may argue that Victoria’s Secret has already opened the door for size-inclusivity
through models like Ali Tate Cutler and Barbara Palvin, many argue that these models are not
necessarily “plus-sized.'' With Cutler being a size 14 and Palvin a size 4, consumers have
openly stated that Victoria’s Secret is mislabeling the average woman, who is between the sizes
8-14. This labeling ultimately transfers over to their clothing lines, further polarizing their sizing
charts. Refinery 29, in an article about Victoria’s Secret’s 2021 Swimwear collection, stated,
“Victoria’s Secret told Refinery29 that the new size range goes from a 32A to a 40D and an XS
to an XL. According to the site, a size XL will fit a 34-36” waist and a 44.5-46.5” hip, which, by
the brand's standards, is a US size 16 to 18. At plus-size retailer Eloquii, those measurements
are equivalent to a US size 12.” Additionally, with former CMO Ed Razek having openly stated
that Victoria’s Secret was not made for plus-sized women, the brand’s inability to overcome
deep-rooted fatphobia can truly lead to an increased lack of efficient size inclusive product
development, and eventually its demise in the market.

Qualitative Research - Personal Interview + Laddering Technique

To dig deeper into why certain consumers have chosen not to shop at Victoria’s Secret
anymore, I used the laddering technique on six participants. First, I asked them if they shop at
Victoria’s Secret - or if they ever shopped at Victoria’s Secret prior - and then kept asking
“Why?” to dig into the finer details of their reasoning. Below are snippets of some of the most
significant statements I came across.
“I shopped at Victoria's Secret in high school, when the "popular" girls were getting all of
their cute undergarments from there. For a high school budget though, it was pricey —
and a source of friction between my mom and I! I'm now a regular at Aerie, as I feel their
marketing/imagery/message is less aspirational and more so "be yourself." VS
communicates this ideal of having a supermodel's body via these huge posters of
supermodels all around their stores, which made the whole shopping experience…at
least for me…a bit intimidating and honestly made me feel bad about my body. I found
that Aerie's emphasis on being myself, plus a wider array of sizes and diversity in
models, fit what I was looking for more so than VS.”

“I started shopping at Uniqlo a while ago because they have a good range of super
comfortable bras. The reason I've stopped buying bras from VS is because the bras get
worn out quickly and aren’t able to support my body well over a long period of time.
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They're expensive…I honestly would prefer to try another brand that's more sustainable,
comfortable and long-lasting - I just need to make the time investment to do that.”

“I am no longer a consumer at Victoria's Secret. I found that their quality does not justify
their price at all. They charge at a premium for sub-par quality clothing, especially their
bras and undies which are the crux of their branding. The aesthetic they sell isn't
revolutionary either so I feel like I can buy their items from other places...for example
UNIQLO or buying athleisure from another brand.”

“I am not a consumer at Victoria's Secret anymore mostly because I found bras that fit
me better and provide more coverage for a similar price. I also found better underwear
that is 100% cotton instead of the PINK ones I used to get in high school. Another
reason I don't shop there is because many brands that are more ethical and inclusive
provide similar products that I would rather get. I feel like VS also has lots of pushup
bras and underwire bras which I don't wear anymore. When I was in highschool I used to
want those because like most teenage girls I wanted bigger breasts which is something I
feel like they benefit off of and encourage.”

From these statements, the most significant issues that came up often were in relation to
pricing, sizing, comfort, product quality and lack of DEI/CSR efforts within brand values. Not only
did several participants deem the brand to be outdated, but many felt intimidated to shop at
Victoria’s Secret. The brand made participants feel bad about their bodies through marketing
efforts and in return overpriced them for what was not necessarily a high quality product. (See
Figure 21 for concept map)

FIGURE 21 : Concept Map from Qualitative Data

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IV. PERSONA

FIGURE 22 : The Ideal Victoria’s Secret Consumer

After gathering all my research, I used Brand Catalyst to create a persona for the ideal Victoria’s
Secret consumer. Based on the index numbers presented in Figure 22, I created “Careless
Chloe” who is a young Caucasian woman from Manhattan, NY. She comes from a well to do
family and is currently pursuing her dreams in the fashion industry while working at Conde Nast
in Los Angeles. Chloe, as a retail consumer, is likely to purchase products she sees advertised
on social media websites. She also uses her mobile/digital devices to track her daily activities.
Given her greater budget, she has the ability to buy clothes she does not necessarily need and
therefore can buy clothes from Victoria’s Secret that are not necessarily of the highest quality.
Chloe doesn’t need clothes that are a long term investment. From the photo I used, it is evident
that Chloe is young and fit - she’s the poster child for Victoria’s Secret’s target consumer.
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V. INSIGHT
Consumers are looking to purchase from brands that practice authentic DEI efforts as a
part of their business model and marketing structure.

VI. RATIONALE
Between decreased sales, outrage towards prior marketing, and a new consumer base in the
market - Generation Z - Victoria’s Secret needs to start asking themselves, “How are we going
to listen to the culture around us and implement that into strategy?” Research has proven that
Generation Z values inclusivity, but for several years, Victoria’s Secret has encouraged a culture
that targets a very exclusive market of consumers. The skinny, cis-white female aesthetic is not
alluring to the largest and most diverse generation in the world at the moment. Gen Z wants to
purchase products from companies that truly, and authentically, represent them. To Gen Z, DEI
is not an afterthought. As companies have been forced to wake up in the past few years,
Victoria’s Secret needs to follow suit and prove that they too, are trying to rewrite their shaky
history and not simply trying to increase sales through revamped, performative efforts.

VII. RECOMMENDATIONS

1) EXPAND TARGET AUDIENCE

Create products for demographics that currently don't align with Victoria's Secret's
outdated brand identity. Develop a maternity line, design products for females 55+,
include gender-inclusive and body-inclusive products across the store, and more. Beauty
is everywhere, not just within the cis-white-skinny body.

2) CREATE A DIVERSITY CAMPAIGN TO SPREAD THE WORD

Given so many consumers are on digital platforms, a social rebrand is necessary. No

one will take Victoria's Secret seriously unless the brand's social media reflects it. The
campaign should acknowledge that they have been slow to the game, but do it in a
classy manner. Owning their history is a phenomenal way to prove dedication to
transparency and accountability. Consumers need to be aware of the newer, more
inclusive, and respectful version of the brand. Additionally, accountability is critical to
credibility and success.

3) PARTNER WITH COMPANIES FOR CSR EFFORTS

For Gen Z, companies that appreciate the world and actively promote social justice are
preferable than brands that don't. Victoria’s Secret has the opportunity here to not only
show inclusion but participate in inclusion through action.
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VIII. QUALTRICS SURVEY

https://syracuseuniversity.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6uvHPnsrThaBbdY

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