Victoria’s Secret
The angels have fallen.
Sales for the company have slowly declined over the years as consumers turn to women-run brands. Victoria’s Secret came into the hot seat after their forced feminist-focused rebrand made things worse. We helped the brand reposition their wings through a rebellious-styled campaign to set them back on course.
We dove right in.
Lingerie Category Research
Desk Research
Pitch Deck
Creative Executions
The girls have been
wing-washed.
Victoria’s Secret spearheaded the ‘dream girl’ fantasy back in 1977. They were the first ones to push the boundaries of what ‘sexy’ was. For a while, it was something consumers wanted to be a part of.
Fast forward to today and their definition of ‘sexy’ has soured into a push towards the ‘perfect body’. Consumers and models alike had had enough of the company promoting unrealistic body standards.
“The company caused controversy when it used the words "The Perfect 'Body'" in an ad for its Body by Victoria lingerie. The photo that accompanied the slogan featured 10 models, several with visible ribs.“ - ABCNews
Performative inclusion won’t win you any battles.
The rebrand offered a commitment to body positivity, inclusivity, and diversity but it was clear to customers that this attempt was inauthentic. It wasn’t enough. After years of doing it wrong, customers deserve more than performative inclusion.
“This was a brand atoning for past non-inclusive sins and giving itself a thorough reputational scrub-down. But now it’s all over. With revenue for 2023 projected to be down £1.1bn since 2020, Victoria’s Secret is reverse ferreting the woke rebrand and bringing back “sexy!”.” - TheGuardian
Real authenticity takes work.
Victoria’s Secret took the easy way out. What they need to do is help women take charge of their bodies. What the world needs now more than ever is a brand that is willing to show them what it looks like to stand up against outdated mindsets (especially ones they helped create).
So how does Victoria’s Secret become a catalyst of authentic change? By closing the curtain on their last performance, erasing the old, and rewriting a new legacy. By reminding customers that sexy is how you feel, not how you look. The power is in the hands of the customer and no one else’s.
Because true power looks like this.
Strategy
Rewrite your legacy.
So how will you wear your wings?
Pushing forward with this new initiative, Victoria’s Secret has a chance to rewrite its legacy by empowering the people supporting their brand rather than focusing solely on profit.
Take back the reigns and become the leader in not only lingerie but the leader of change for the future. And when you take that first step into battle, your new (and improved) army of angels will follow. Take a stance, join the revolution.
We will tease our campaign first at universities. Meeting women at the time in their lives when they discover who they are, and decide what they want to believe, think, and feel. We want to recruit them to our army of allure! To be different from the past generation and show future generations how authenticity looks and feels.
Guerilla Marketing - Through Pushing the boundaries, we will hack into one of the most visited websites in the world, Pornhub. This hack will disrupt the constant cycle of toxic sexualization; replacing the expected pornographic videos with fresh new imagery of what real feminine power looks like. Taking a stance against those who view the act of being sexy as an act for others and not for yourself.
OOH - Victoria's secret will initiate their army of anarchy to disrupt traditional advertising by destroying the brand's current billboards and signage. Acknowledging that Victoria’s Secret has made mistakes, and proves the seriousness of their revolution.
Team
Chelsea Glowacki (ST)
