In fashion, few brands are more iconic than Victoria's Secret. For over 50 years, the company has been dressing women in beautiful lingerie, robes, and nightwear. While watching Hulu's documentary "Victoria's Secret: Angels and Demons," I was astonished at their marketing prowess. They were developing their ideal persona long before it became a marketing buzzword. Their flagship character, Victoria, is a big part of that. She's the perfect embodiment of everything the brand represents: beauty, femininity, and luxury. Her character was so real people thought she was an actual person. In this article, we'll highlight the success of VS's buyer persona, Victoria. Love them or hate them, there's no doubt they got this part of their marketing right at the height of their success.
The History of Victoria's Secret
Victoria's Secret was founded in 1977 by Roy Raymond. He was inspired by a trip to a department store where he felt uncomfortable buying lingerie for his wife. He wanted to create an inviting and comfortable store for everyone, not just men. Inspired by the idea of dignity and class, Raymond designed a shop in 1992 with Victorian-style decor to make shoppers feel like they were at home. Drawing inspiration from Queen Victoria and the seduction of secrecy, the brand name, and character were born.
Victoria was introduced as the brand's official mascot in 1989. She quickly became the face of the brand, and she represented everything the brand stood for: beauty, mystery, and sex appeal. The company invested heavily in marketing her as the "perfect" woman, and it paid off. Over the years, she has appeared in countless advertising campaigns and is now recognizable worldwide. Her image has been so successful in promoting the brand that she is now considered one of the most iconic symbols in American advertising.
Victoria's Secret sales exploded in the 1990s, thanks in large part to the introduction of their popular catalogs. These catalogs featured "angels" – models with perfect bodies who were draped in lacy lingerie. They became wildly popular, and women all over America began coveting the "perfect" body on display.
The Obsession with Perfection
While there's no doubt that Victoria's Secret has always been a successful brand, there's an underlying obsession with perfection that has made them one of the most successful brands in the world. Their marketing is focused on selling an aspirational lifestyle, not just selling clothes. They want women to believe that if they buy their products, they'll somehow become closer to achieving the "perfect" life, just like Victoria. As a result, consumers spend billions of dollars at Victoria's Secret every year in pursuit of perfection.
Their product offerings are also designed to help women achieve the "perfect" look. Their bras are designed to lift and shape breasts into what is considered to be the ideal form. Their panties are designed to give women a flawless silhouette. And their clothing is designed to conceal any flaws or imperfections women may have. In other words, they're selling perfection – and women were eating it up.
Victoria's Secret is one of America's most iconic brands because they tap into our obsession with perfection. Their flagship character Victoria was a person women aspired to be. 'Victoria' was such a life-like character she even received love poems addressed to her. Buyer personas are more than just a fancy project for marketing; they can be the difference between obsolete or iconic brands. Victoria's Secret tapped into its target market in its hay day and spoke to its desires to become a successful billion dollar brand. However, they made the fatal mistake of not evolving with their market's change of opinion. But that's a topic for another article.
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