Fashion Institute of Technology

summarize Four Waves of Feminism

By 

Martha Rampton 

This case focuses Victoria’s Secret. Founded in 1977, the brand has reaped global net sales of almost $7 billion and has grown to be one of the largest intimate apparel retailers in history. This growth and success have been accredited to the brand’s iconic annual fashion shows and “VS angels,” who sold the ultimate fantasy to millions of women. Victoria’s Secret’s years of success, however, came to a halt in 2018, when the brand faced a backlash. Brands such as Savage x Fenty and Aerie had entered the lingerie market and were able to address and successfully respond to consumer demands of celebrating the diversity and inclusivity of women. Specifically, there has been a cultural shift due to the emergence of social and political movements such as #MeToo. Inevitably, there has been a notable recent shift in the female audience’s mindset and consumers’ own self-image perception; they are now increasingly looking to brands as a relevant means of self-expression. 

 consumers “self-image” quickly changed, and women demanded underwear that was no longer impractical and super fancy. Specifically, there has been a shift in how society and women view “sexy” and demand for comfort and empowerment are now at the forefront of how women see their ideal self  . Victoria’s Secret, however, chose to ignore the political climate and arguably failed to adequately respond to these changes and hence opened up the lingerie landscape for more diverse and emerging lingerie brands to enter.

How can Victoria’s Secret reposition itself and create a more inclusive and “female friendly” image in the mind of consumers with specific consideration for the cultural shift and new feminist era?

1. List three distinct solutions that will remedy the identified problem(s). For each: 
   1. Consider the implications of each solution across the entire marketing mix (product, price, placement, promotion). 
   2. List the pros and cons of each solution. 
   3. Relate each solution to the objectives of the company listed and state the impact of each on the company’s revenue and profitability. 

This case focuses on American lingerie brand, Victoria’s Secret. Founded in 1977, the brand has reaped global net sales of almost $7 billion and has grown to be one of the largest intimate apparel retailers in history appealing mainly to women aged twenty-one to forty-three. This growth and success have been accredited to the brand’s iconic annual fashion shows and presence of supermodels, the “VS angels,” who sold the ultimate fantasy to millions of women across the world. Victoria’s Secret’s forty-one years of success, however, came to a halt in 2018, when the brand faced a backlash. Brands such as Savage x Fenty and Aerie had entered the lingerie market and were able to address and successfully respond to consumer demands of celebrating the diversity and inclusivity of women. Specifically, there has been a cultural shift due to the emergence of social and political movements such as #MeToo, fueled by the acceleration and power of social media. Inevitably, there has been a notable recent shift in the female audience’s mindset and consumers’ own self-image perception; they are now increasingly looking to brands as a relevant means of self-expression. This case explores whether Victoria’s Secret historical brand identity and unabashed “sex appeal” can continue to succeed in today’s feminist era. Students will be required to understand the importance of diversity, female empowerment, and brand identity in the context of the contemporary feminist era. 

Modern brand communication theory subsequently plays a key role here, which draws attention to Kapferer’s brand identity prism. The prism is made up of six facets, which can help to contextualize Victoria’s Secret brand identity when reflecting on this relationship between the sender and receiver and the brand messaging that Victoria’s Secret emits to the public.

Analyze the problem Victoria Secret is facing and create a Kapferer's brand identity prism to develop future marketing strategies for brand rejuvenation and justify a recommended plan of action.

1. True/false: A weaker dollar increases US export competitiveness abroad. 
2. True/false: A stronger dollar is good for American expats living abroad. (Expats earn income from the US) 
3. True/false: Prices of merchandise sold at Walmart (assuming 90% is made in China) fall when the dollar gets stronger. 
4. True/false:US consumers benefit when the dollar gets stronger. (Assuming most US consumer products are made abroad) 
5. True/false: Variety of items in 99 cent stores decrease when the dollar gets stronger. 
6. True/false: The parents of Caitlin who studies abroad welcome a stronger dollar. 

In Asch’s Line Judgment study, most participants gave an incorrect answer even though they knew the right answer. How did the study findings explain this? What reasons might motivate people in this situation to give the answer that matches the answer given by others in the group?  What reasons might motivate people in this situation to give the answer they believe is correct but doesn't match the one give by others?

In Sherif’s Autokinetic Illusion Study, participants thought they saw a white dot on a black background move, but there was no right answer regarding the direction and extent of the movement.  Still participants’ answers tended to be similar after multiple instances answering with a group.  How is this type of social influence (informative) different from normative social influence?

You are working for a luxury gym company and recently your competitor has been getting a large number of positive comments on social media, though you know your competitor's facilities, classes, hours and instructors are not as good as your company's.  You find out that your competitor has started a special gym club membership that requires interested customers  to pass a tough fitness test in order to join.  How can you explain this situation using what you know about cognitive dissonance and effort justification?