1. Erika Louise Tolputt 14.11.11
How does the marketing of women’s underwear affect the Great British public?
The marketing of Women‟s underwear can affect the Great British public in various different forms;
this dissertation will depict the positive and negative issues faced in the marketing industry. The
hypothesis of the final outcome of the dissertation is that the effects of the marketing strategies on the
public will have various responses which will therefore show if the businesses marketing strategies of
each focused underwear business is effective or not. I would want the public to benefit from this
investigation so that they can understand the effects that marketing has and I would want this
investigation to influence their opinion on the businesses that market women‟s underwear. I will want
the contribution to help the public have a more thorough understanding of marketing when the public
are the specific target audience. In this dissertation I will choose three specific businesses that are
distinctively different which target a similar audience and focus on their individual methods. I will also
focus on which of the three businesses has the most profound effect on the audience and if it had a
large contribution to the businesses success?
General use of Women’s Underwear
1
Women‟s undergarments are collectively called “lingerie”; intimate clothing and intimates .
2
Undergarments or underwear are clothes worn under other clothes, often next to the skin . In the
modern times, undergarments are intended for an erotic effect. Special forms of underwear are also
used for religious significance, this is normal in religions such as Islam and Judaism. Some items of
clothing are designed as underwear, while others, such as t-shirts and specific shorts, are appropriate
for both undergarments and outer clothing. If made of suitable material, some undergarments can
serve as nightwear or swimsuits. Undergarments are generally in two forms, those that are worn to
cover the torso and those that are worn below the waist, though garments which cover both also are
available. Different styles of undergarments are typically worn by women and men. Undergarments
commonly worn by women in this era include brassieres, boy shorts, knickers (known in North
3
America as panties ), bikini underwear, thongsand G-strings.
Brassieres: usually consists of two cups for the breasts, a centre panel (gore), a
band running around the torso under the bust, and a shoulder strap for each
4
side .
1
Wikipedia, Undergarment, Paragraph 1, Terminology
2
Wikipedia, Undergarment, Paragraph 1, Terminology
3
Wikipedia, Undergarment, Paragraph 1, Terminology
4
Wikipedia, Undergarment, Paragraph 4, Types and Styles
BTEC Creative & Media Extended Project
2. Erika Louise Tolputt 14.11.11
Boy Shorts: a type of panties with sides that extend lower down the hips, similar
5
to men's briefs .
Knickers: these usually have an elastic waistband, a crotch to cover the genital
area which is usually lined with absorbent material such as cotton, and a pair of
leg openings which are often also elasticized. They either have very short or no
6
leg sections .
Bikini Underwear: usually worn with the waistband lower than the wearer's waist,
7
and often at the hips, with the leg bands ending at the groin.
Thong: has a narrow strip of material along the centre of the garment's rear which
sits between the wearer's buttocks and connects the front or pouch to the
waistband behind the wearer. Thongs are sometimes worn to reduce "panty
8
lines" when wearing tightly fitting trousers .
G String: a type of thong consisting of a narrow piece of material that covers or
holds the genitals, passes between the buttocks, and is attached to a band
9
around the hips .
History and origins of women’s underwear
The history of women‟s underwear is intimately intertwined with the social history of the status of
10
women, including the evolution of fashion changing views of the body .Underwear advertising first
made an appearance in the 1910‟s. The first underwear print advertisement in the US appeared in the
“Saturday Evening Post” in 1911 and featured oil paintings by JC Leyendecker. Early underwear
11
advertisements emphasised durability and comfort, and fashion was not regarded as a selling point .
In the 1950‟s, underwear came to be promoted as a fashion item in its own right, and came to be
made in prints and colours which then changed the face of fashion and fashion advertising.
5
Wikipedia, Undergarment, Paragraph 4, Types and Styles
6
Wikipedia, Undergarment, Paragraph 4, Types and Styles
7
Wikipedia, Undergarment, Paragraph 4, Types and Styles
8
Wikipedia, Undergarment, Paragraph 4, Types and Styles
9
Wikipedia, Undergarment, Paragraph 4, Types and Styles
10
Wikipedia, History of Brassieres, Paragraph 1, Overview
11
Wikipedia, Undergarment, Paragraph 6, History 6.4, 1900‟s to 1920‟s
BTEC Creative & Media Extended Project
3. Erika Louise Tolputt 14.11.11
Women‟s undergarments began to emphasize the breasts instead of the waist, from that the decade
12
saw the introduction of the bullet bra pointed bust, inspired by Christian Dior‟s “New Look” , which
featured pointed cups. The original wonder bra and push up bra by Frederick‟s of Hollywood finally
13
achieved its right and title in the world of women‟s underwear through producing a special model of
push up bra called “The Rising Star” which achieved its title in 1948. In 2001, Julia Roberts wins an
Oscar for her role in “Erin Brockovich” where she popularised the push up look.
This is a sketch of the Fredericks of This is a screen shot of Julia Roberts in the
Hollywood “The Rising Star” bra just film “Erin Brockovich” where she is sporting
before it went into production in 1948. the Fredericks of Hollywood bra.
Women‟s panties became more colourful and decorative until the time of the 1960‟s were there were
two forms of panties which was called “the hip hugger” and the “bikini” which is produced in sheer
nylon fabric for most of its production. Pantyhose, also known as tights in England, which combined
panties and hose into one garment, this item of clothing made its first appearance in 1959, invented
14
by Glen Mills of North Carolina . The same business later introduced seamless pantyhose in 1965,
spurred by the popularity of miniskirts at the time of their release. At the end of that decade, the girdle,
also known as the corset, had fallen out of favour as women started to prefer and choose sexier and
lighter alternatives.
Underwear as fashion reached its peak in the 1970‟s and 1980‟s, and underwear advertisers forgot
15
about comfort and durability, at least in advertising . Sex appeal became the main selling point of
women‟s underwear, also in swimwear, bringing to fruition a trend that had been building since the
16
flapper era .
12
Kristina Harris, Christian Dior, New Look, Paris, 1992
13
Jill Beaverson, Fredericks of Hollywood to Sarah Palin: the push up bra mainstreams, 2011
14
Wikipedia, Undergarment, Paragraph 6, History 6.6, 1950‟s to 1960‟s
15
Wikipedia, Undergarment, Paragraph 6, History 6.7, 1970‟s to Present
16
Wikipedia, Undergarment, Paragraph 6, History 6.7, 1970‟s to Present
BTEC Creative & Media Extended Project
4. Erika Louise Tolputt 14.11.11
The first image in this sequence is of images is of the pointed bra and the second two images are
from the sports illustrated issues of the 1970‟s featuring the new line of under garments.
These images sport the 1980‟s style of under garments which became a sexier image than the 1970‟s
as underwear was becoming sexier each decade as this was the most popular demand.
The tank top, became popular warm weather casual outwear in the US in the 1980‟s. Performers such
as Madonna and Cyndi Lauper were also often seen wearing their undergarments on top of their
clothes which were one of the first samples of celebrity endorsement for women‟s underwear.
In the largely mature market to date, lingerie makers have had to work hard at innovation to keep
17
consumers interested . Diamante thongs, hipster pants and gel padded bras have been introduced in
18
more recent times, with the help of advertising boosted sales by 7.9% between 2002 and 2003 .
There has been a more popular use of celebrity endorsement from manufacturers with stars such as
Kylie Minogue and Elle MacPherson launching their own ranges among other manufacturers, these
celebrities also advertised their own range which increased the effect of celebrity endorsement which
17
Jane Bainbridge, Sector Insight: Women‟s Underwear - Beyond the Basics, Marketing Magazine, 2004
18
Jane Bainbridge, Sector Insight: Women‟s Underwear - Beyond the Basics, Marketing Magazine, 2004
BTEC Creative & Media Extended Project
5. Erika Louise Tolputt 14.11.11
again in effect increased sales for their ranges. A growing trend in this market has been for high street
19
fashion retailers to include lingerie in their ranges . Lingerie accounts for about 17% of the total
women‟s wear retail market, which is worth £13.4 billion, this market has been growing in the UK in
recent years which is not unusual as the marketing strategies of businesses has improved which in
turn helps the sales to improve.
Cyndi Lauper in the 1980‟s sporting the style of underwear over clothes as
a fashion statement.
Madonna in the 1980‟s also sporting the style of underwear over clothes as
a fashion statement.
Modern Businesses
Victoria’s Secret
Victoria‟s Secret is a modern business that specialises in selling lingerie and beauty products, this
business is owned and managed by the Limited Brands Company. Victoria‟s Secret has a profit of
more than $4 billion in sales each annum. It is the fastest growing business that is owned by Limited
Brands and contributes 42% of corporate profits.
Victoria‟s Secret injects $66 million into their advertising budget each year, this is spread out into
newspaper advertisements, catalogues and televised fashion shows. In each of these sectors,
Victoria‟s Secret sells an image and a lifestyle to the public; this lifestyle represents fun, romance,
fantasy, desire and love. When Victoria‟s Secret advertises it must be of the highest standard as this
business is convincing women that through purchasing Victoria‟s Secret products will boost their self-
confidence and enhance appeal.
19
Jane Bainbridge, Sector Insight: Women‟s Underwear - Beyond the Basics, Marketing Magazine, 2004
BTEC Creative & Media Extended Project
6. Erika Louise Tolputt 14.11.11
These images are of two Victoria‟s Secret models representing their theme of fun, romance, fantasy,
desire and love and through the colours and fonts of these poster advertisements, this is immanent.
La Senza
La Senza Corporation is originally a Canadian based fashion retailer which sells lingerie and intimate
apparel. The La Senza brand is also owned by Limited Brands as is Victoria‟s Secret which is a
competitor to this business despite being owned through Limited Brands. This brand targets towards
the ages of 18-35 years, this business provides underwear, loungewear and sleepwear to all of the
ages.
Alex Black, Campaign: Bravissimo Reveals the Women behind the Brasquotes “La Senza‟s primary
objective is to provide an affordable lingerie product, which is comfortable, romantic and sensual. Our
retail stores offer women of all ages exquisite lingerie in a beautiful and intimate setting, providing our
20
customers with the unique „La Senza shopping experience‟.”
Bravissimo
Bravissimo Ltd. Retails lingerie, swimwear and clothing for D-KK cup women. It offers lingerie,
sensational sets and everyday essentials, t-shirt bras, sports bras, strapless bras, bodies and
basques, soft cup bras, and nursing bras; swimwear, bikinis, swimsuits, tankinis, and sports
21
swimwear . The business itself offers its products in different forms such as mail orders, websites
and stores. Bravissimo Ltd was founded in 1995 and is based in Leamington Spa, United Kingdom.
The objectives of Bravissimo Ltd are so that the business can communicate the Alex Black,
Campaign: Bravissimo Reveals the Women behind the Bras quotes “Bravissimo experience” as
20
The Appointment Magazine, Company Profile: La Senza, 2011
21
Bloomberg Business Week, Bravissimo Ltd, 2011
BTEC Creative & Media Extended Project
7. Erika Louise Tolputt 14.11.11
22
friendly, inclusive, supportive and fun . To appeal to an audience from girls to women in their fifties,
this is their main targeted audience.
Primary Research
Survey:
Target Audiences
Seven Lifestyle Values:
23
22
Alex Black, Campaign: Bravissimo Reveals The Women Behind The Bras, PR Week UK, 2007
23
Adobe Reader, Target Audiences, 2011
BTEC Creative & Media Extended Project
8. Erika Louise Tolputt 14.11.11
Victoria‟s Secret Target Audience:
I believe that the Victoria‟s Secret target audience depends on various elements in order to be
specific with their audience specification. The terminal education age for the audience is 21+, this
means that the age in which their target audience should of finished education is 21 and over as this
business targets at educated individuals. The social category for the audience is ABC1 which means
that the audience can afford the luxuries of Victoria‟s Secret. The post code for the audience should
be of areas that habituate people that earn a large amount of money and therefore these areas of
wealth are more likely to receive the catalogues and magazines etc. The age is between 18 and 44
years so that there is a range of women that are eligible to wear Victoria‟s Secret due to their explicit
nature. A Victoria‟s Secret audience should be an aspirer which means that the audience require
status which is the main reason for the audience to want to purchase the Victoria‟s Secret items is so
the audience can gain status due to owning an item from the brand “Victoria‟s Secret”.
La Senza Target Audience:
I believe that the La Senza target audience depends on various elements in order to be specific with
their audience specification. The terminal age for this audience is 18+, this is because La Senza
reaches out to a much younger audience than its main competitor Victoria‟s Secret. The social
category of the audience is ABC1 which means that the audience should be able to afford the items
that La Senza provides. The post code of the audience should focus around areas that are populated
with working class citizens as these are the targeted audience of this business. The main age range
for this audience 16-44 years of age as the business find that targeting at a younger audience
because La Senza found that the younger audiences are the most frequent purchasers. A La Senza
audience should have live under the category of an explorer, this means that the audience would
want to discover new things and La Senza provides this is in their range of underwear as it provides
that new and exciting vibe in all of their products.
Bravissimo Ltd Target Audience:
I believe that the Bravissimo target audience depends on various elements in order to be specific with
their audience specification. The terminal age of the audience is 21+ as this business is sophisticated
and targeted at the older women due to the nature of the underwear. The social category that this
audience falls under is BC1C2D this means that this audience should be able to afford the Bravissimo
products. The post code that the audience falls under the working class citizen population, this is
because this is the targeted audience of this business. A Bravissimo audience should live under the
category of mainstream, this means that the audience are looking for security in the product which all
BTEC Creative & Media Extended Project
9. Erika Louise Tolputt 14.11.11
of their products provide as this business help large breasted women to feel comfortable and
flirtatious in underwear which compliments them which most underwear stores don‟t.
Marketing Schemes
Victoria’s Secret
Victoria‟s Secret has multiple attributes that contributes to its marketing schemes. These are
attributes such as annual fashion shows, catalogues, printed ads in magazines and newspapers, the
super models and the store front.
Annual Fashion Show:
The Victoria‟s Secret fashion show is one of the most famous fashion shows of all time. Victoria‟s
Secret manages to reach over 1 billion people including their target audience, including news
coverage. For one hour the super models of Victoria‟s Secret parade around in the new collection of
lingerie to advertise perhaps a new image or just a general collection. From a recent questionnaire,
three out of ten women attend fashion shows; this means that this form of advertising is not perhaps
the most effective.
Catalogues:
Victoria‟s Secret catalogues are more erotic than a standard magazine as their attempting to present
the best from their range of underwear collection. Over 390 million copies of the Victoria‟s Secret
catalogue are distributed in the US alone, this provides the target audience with a personal shopping
catalogue which is delivered to their door, and this helps to build a relationship between the client and
the customer. From a recent questionnaire, six out of ten women receive and purchase from lingerie
catalogues which means that this is a successful form of advertising and reaching the target
audience.
Print Ads in Magazines and Newspapers:
Victoria‟s Secret doesn‟t spend on internet and television advertisements; it is put into their magazine
and newspaper advertisements. Newspaper and magazine adverts are the most reliable when
attempting to reach a wide audience, in particular, Victoria‟s Secret targets other magazines which
their target audiences purchase on a regular basis, these are magazines such as Glamour, Vogue, In
Style, Cosmopolitan. From a recent questionnaire, eight out of ten women said that they find print ads
and magazines to be the most effective form of advertising and from the results this seems to be the
most effective form of advertising.
The Supermodels:
Victoria‟s Secret is one of the highest rated businesses that have the widest selection of the world‟s
most famous super models to promote their collections. Victoria‟s Secret models are rated for their
BTEC Creative & Media Extended Project
10. Erika Louise Tolputt 14.11.11
beauty and their respect in the modelling industry; this helps the consumers to believe that the models
represent the business which is beauty and class. From a recent questionnaire, two out of ten women
said that the supermodels that advertise lingerie are an effective form of persuading the audience to
purchase the underwear which leads to the assumption that this is not the most effective form of
advertising.
Store Front:
Store interiors are one of the most important attributes in keeping up appearances of a business, the
appearance of high quality and up market fashion for women. The wallpaper is a soft pink which helps
to promote a soft, feminine environment; the female shoppers should feel comfortable walking into the
store and walking out with their white and pink striped bags. The presence of valet parking at a
24
sprinkling of stores confirms that Victoria‟s Secret markets to high fashion and quality . From a recent
questionnaire, nine out of ten women said that the store front persuades them to purchase from the
store just from noticing the store front, this means that this is one of the most successful forms of
advertising as those nine women also commented stating that their shopping is through window
shopping.
La Senza
La Senza has multiple attributes that contributes to its marketing schemes. These are the attributes
that will contribute to the marketing and promotion scheme; Clothes Show London, price, product,
place, promotion, people, process and the physical evidence.
Clothes Show London:
The Clothes Show London has shown that over 50,000 women are expected to attend the event
which is run over a total of 3 days. During the Clothes Show London, Victoria‟s Secret will also make
an appearance which means that Limited Brands Ltd will be one of the most talked about businesses
of the entire show. The catwalk show has been arranged to include some new designers that will be
sponsored through some confirmed magazines such as Elle, Glamour, Woman and Home which
means La Senza and Victoria‟s Secret will have improved chances on being sponsored.
Price:
La Senza is one of the cheapest in its marketing sector, while some of their competitors have an
average bra cost of £140 La Senza sits around the average bra sale being £20. This price range has
been calculated to able to make the brand more affordable so that the target audiences can grow
even more so than if the price was similar to competitors. This is also so that La Senza can make an
even greater profit compared to its competitors.
Product:
24
Chelsea Chi Chang, Alice Lin, Charlene Mak, The Silky Strategy of Victoria‟s Secret, Paragraph 13, 2004
BTEC Creative & Media Extended Project
11. Erika Louise Tolputt 14.11.11
The product is simply the underwear, in order for the product to be marketed sufficiently some
changes needed to made in order to keep interest in the business and the products. These are
changes such as re-branding, spokeswomen swaps and targeted advertisements.
Previous La Senza Campaign:
In this older advertisement of La Senza lingerie, it is plain to see that the colours are more black and
white, with a classier style of advertising underwear. This advertisement was one of La Senza‟s older
looks and one of the older collections.
New La Senza Campaign:
In this new advertising campaign, it is simple to see that there is a lot more colour and brightness, this
is to represent a more fun and exciting new line of lingerie from La Senza.
Place:
There are multiple stores across the UK; La Senza already has a strong presence amongst the high
street. As there are underwear departments in most stores in the high street, there is a lot of
competition. Enhancing the advertisement and changing the appearance of the shop will help
consumers to choose the dedicated underwear stores over the other competitors. From a recent
questionnaire, nine out of ten women said that just from La Senza being a part of the high street that
there was more incentive to purchase from the store due to its easy access, this means the location of
the stores is a successful form of advertising.
Promotion:
Communication to the customers is vital; this is done through viral promotions such as Facebook,
Twitter etc. La Senza‟s own website and magazine advertisements. These are all good forms of
BTEC Creative & Media Extended Project
12. Erika Louise Tolputt 14.11.11
converting the message to the potential customers and target audience. All their other promotional
ideas are generated into the Clothes Show London and London Fashion Week where the exposure of
their business is at its peak. From a recent questionnaire, nine out of ten women said that viral
promotions do work which means that this is also a successful form of advertising.
Process:
La Senza provide a bra fitting service in their stores, this is an opportunity for customers to purchase
the correct bra and a high quality bra and the matching briefs. There are no other forms of process
that La Senza take in order to improve the process of sale apart from receiving customer feedback
which could be a potential process.
Bravissimo
Bravissimo Ltd is a new business into the lingerie market which provides an abstract service for
25
customers which is uncommon in most lingerie businesses . Bravissimo used exhibitions and
conferences to attract the media and get extensive press coverage. There are multiple processes that
Bravissimo used to become more recognised in the public eye such as sponsoring, making speeches
to the public at certain exhibitions where their target audience will be located, doing product demos
and inviting VIP guests to a product launch.
Bravissimo Ltd then pushed on to organise an open day for their business where target customers
were invited to a hands on demonstration of the products, organised a special sale, held an auction to
26
raise money for charity and invited special guests to attract media attention and coverage .
25
The Marketing Donut, Resources for Media, Becoming an Authority in the Media
26
The Marketing Donut, Resources for Media, Becoming an Authority in the Media
BTEC Creative & Media Extended Project
13. Erika Louise Tolputt 14.11.11
Poster Analysis
Victoria‟s Secret:
La Senza:
BTEC Creative & Media Extended Project
14. Erika Louise Tolputt 14.11.11
Bravissimo:
Internet Analysis
Victoria’s Secret:
Text: the text in this internet screen shot of the Victoria‟s Secret official website is professional and
outstanding behind the background as the text is white whereas the background consists of darker
colours. The text is also short and bold so that the target audience are attracted to the deals and
information provided on the website.
Colours: the colours on this website are blue, white and black which are the colour scheme for the
new winter collection from the brand. The background is a mixture of shades of blue, the model is
BTEC Creative & Media Extended Project
15. Erika Louise Tolputt 14.11.11
bright and wearing elements of white and purple and the information sections are in black. This is
positive use of colour as the background is dark and the model is wearing bright underwear and has a
light skin tone which means that the underwear and the model is in the front of the audience‟s eye,
this is the image Victoria‟s Secret would want the audience to see first.
Images: the images included in this website are the main image which is a model advertising the new
winter collection which added props to advertise the collection even more. The other images involved
are other models advertising the other elements that the website has to offer to the audience.
La Senza:
Text: the text in this website is professional and feminine which therefore does advertise to women
and promotes the business as being feminine and professional. The text is also basic and bold which
stands out to the target audience and helps the items of information to be acknowledged.
Colours: the colours in this website are revolved around electric pink and multiple other colours that
complement the electric pink on the website to use for titles and background colours. The other
colours that help complement the electric pink are soft oranges, pinks and purples which will help the
colour coordination on the website.
Images: the images on this website page are of multiple models advertising the businesses products
from various different sectors of that business. The main image on the page is advertising the new
winter collection of products through using a model wearing the new collection and including colours
that relate to winter to also include with the winter collection.
BTEC Creative & Media Extended Project
16. Erika Louise Tolputt 14.11.11
Bravissimo:
Text: the text on this website is rather small although short so the customer will read the smaller text
but might not notice it as well because it is not bold and outstanding to the audience. The text is also
random and mixed together with other fonts to represent that the business is diverse in sizes and
women which makes the audience more accepted.
Colours: the colours on this website revolve around the block colour purple, there are also other
colours that revolve around the main colour purple such as pale pinks and soft moves which
complement the colour purple on this website and helps to bring out the femininity of the website and
brand.
Images: the images on this website are limited apart from the main image on the page which is a
model representing and advertising the new winter collection from that brand. The image also has use
of the colours used in the colour scheme of the website.
Logo Analysis
Victoria‟s Secret:
Colour: the colours used in this logo is pink and black, the pink background
is a pale pink which is a stereotypical women‟s colour and also a more
sophisticated pink which projects that the brand is of a sophisticated and
professional standard. The black colouring in the font is used so that the
brand name stands out from the back ground.
BTEC Creative & Media Extended Project
17. Erika Louise Tolputt 14.11.11
Font: the font used in this logo is feminine just as the colours which is to show again that the brand is
for women, the font has light shapes which represents that the brand is for women of a delicate and
petite shape.
Text: the text used in this logo is “Victoria‟s Secret”, “Victoria” is a women‟s name which could
represent either the designer or the audience that this brand targets. “Secret” could represent that
women‟s underwear should be a secret and not be displayed as fashion item.
La Senza:
Colour: the colours used in this logo is electric pink and jet black, the jet
black background helps the colour in the font to stand out and not merge
with the background. The electric pink represents that the brand is more
new, updated and for the younger generation.
Font: the font used in this logo is curvy and long perhaps to represent the new age range that “La
Senza” brings to the market of women‟s underwear. The font also appears to be retro which also
represents the younger age generation that this business brings to the market.
Text: the text used in this logo is “La Senza”, “La” means “feminine” and “Senza” translates to
“without”. This could mean that the brand name represents that without “La Senza” there is no
femininity to the clothes and underwear that the target audience wears unless the customer
purchases “La Senza” products.
Bravissimo:
Colour: the colours involved in this logo is black and white which are
also known as shades. The white background helps the font to stand
out in the logo and also presents a professional aspect to the logo.
Where the black colour is used in the font it helps to push the logo
into looking even more professional and mature than with a colour
such as pink or blue.
Font: the font used in this logo is curvy and wide which represnts that the brand is more for the plus
sized woman which appears to be the target audience for this business. The font is also curvy in a
feminine form which helps the font to not just be professional but also feminine.
Text: the text used in this logo is “Bravissimo” which is a term to express great approval, especially of
a perfomance. This could mean that the brand is attempting to sell their products as a great
BTEC Creative & Media Extended Project
18. Erika Louise Tolputt 14.11.11
performance clothing item for the larger woman which could be in terms of support and structure of
the products.
Successes and Failures
Victoria‟s Secret:
Victoria‟s Secret has one major success and that is their high class reputation, this reputation has
been gained through advertising in a form that represents class, using models, advertising and
promotional schemes in order to create this image. Their reputation soared when directors wanted to
use Victoria‟s Secret underwear on their actresses and from that celebrities would wear their products
as Victoria‟s Secret had become the underwear manufacturer for the stars. This helped their target
audience grow dramatically as celebrity endorsement helped other women without that reputation to
desire the status of owning a product from Victoria‟s Secret.
Victoria‟s Secret has one major flaw in their business and that is that despite the desire and that
status of owning a product from Victoria‟s Secret, their target audience that had grown so dramatically
could not afford the luxuries of their products and this meant that sales had dropped and so had the
mass audience. The Victoria‟s Secret brand would then have to drop prices and increase celebrity
endorsement so that their mass target audience could see Victoria‟s Secret as a more affordable
brand than its previous price ranges.
La Senza:
La Senza has one major success and that is that their outlook on underwear is much fresher and new
than most underwear companies and manufacturers. This is so that the younger generation would
start purchasing their underwear more so than the current consumers as the successes was falling
without the aid of younger consumers. The fresher and new look for underwear meant that the
younger generation would be attracted to purchasing their products. This form of outlook on
underwear meant that La Senza‟s audience grew dramatically as the younger generation had shown
interest and continued to grow interest in the products and the brand.
La Senza has one major flaw in their business and that is that as the growing increase of a younger
audience meant that La Senza had to start appealing to them and then the older generation stopped
purchasing from La Senza as the brand had become a lot younger and fresher meaning that the older
consumer felt uncomfortable purchasing from a younger generated business and therefore whilst La
Senza had begun growing their audience for the younger audience meant that the business had lost
some of their older and more mature customers.
Bravissimo:
BTEC Creative & Media Extended Project
19. Erika Louise Tolputt 14.11.11
Bravissimo has one major success in their business and that is that they‟re in a whole different market
in underwear of their own through producing products that have never been produced in any other
underwear distributor. Bravissimo pride themselves in their creations such as producing bra‟s and
briefs that are for the larger women but it compliments their bodies and helps them to feel secure
about their bodies, this is an up and coming trend to be comfortable and pleased with the customers
bodies where as other underwear stores use younger and skinnier models which helps women to
aspire but also being unhappy. Bravissimo helps women to take pride in them and to not push or
persuade them to loose vast amounts of weight just to look like a pin up girl, this business is up and
coming and their audience is growing dramatically.
Bravissimo also has one major flaw in their business and that is that due to their recent upcoming
business is so new and fresh that it is un heard of and people are unaware of their business and what
this business provides. This means that as Bravissimo are starting out there is a small audience and a
small target audience as it provides a handful of women with a service that cannot be provided
through another manufacturer. This also means that Bravissimo need to either expose themselves
even more than their current position but the funding to be able to do this is not immanent as there
are not enough customers purchasing from this business.
Conclusion
To conclude the question “How does the marketing of women‟s underwear affect the Great British
Public?” I had researched three different businesses that had the same aim. These businesses are
“Victoria‟s Secret” a more high reputation and classy business, “La Senza” a more erotic and
adventurous business and “Bravissimo” a more sensible and practical business, each of these
businesses has one thing in common, selling underwear.
Victoria‟s Secret are a classy and high class business that sells underwear to multiple different
audiences, the average audience in the high street have been researched and questioned on whether
the average woman would purchase products from Victoria‟s Secret, the answer is yes if the brand
was affordable then each average woman would want to purchase from their collections although due
to their high price products women can hope that their husbands will purchase them one set of
underwear from Victoria‟s Secret for Valentine‟s Day. The average woman cannot afford luxuries such
as Victoria‟s Secret but when it is advertised the women see a slim petite model wearing hundreds of
pounds worth of underwear it forces women to feel uncomfortable and wishful that the model could be
them at some point in their life, this could be the reason for the multiple anorexic children as the
adverts alone is pressure to be skinnier and beautiful like the supermodels in the adverts.
La Senza is an erotic and adventurous business that has started advertising for the younger
generation and therefore due to the aluminous pink lettering and erotic displays of underwear, the
older generations feel uncomfortable and dismiss that business as an underwear shop worth
BTEC Creative & Media Extended Project
20. Erika Louise Tolputt 14.11.11
purchasing from. The younger generation are drawn in from the plasticised models and their peers
expressing their love for the models and the underwear means that the younger generation are
pressurised even more to purchasing the underwear from that particular store. As the average woman
can afford this brand means that this business has a wide audience but that is decreasing due to their
advertisements becoming a younger attraction.
Bravissimo is a sensible and practical business that has started off as a small business but is
growing, from their advertisements it is clear that Bravissimo is for the average woman that is not a
size 6 and rich. This means that through using plus models that still look beautiful as a plus size and
still looking fabulous in underwear means that the average woman is comfortable to purchase their
underwear and comfortable to wear the underwear that is designed from this business as through
their advertisements you can tell that the underwear can make you feel glamorous but is also practical
underwear as the average woman is a worker, mother, student etc.
To conclude the question of how does the marketing of women‟s underwear affect the public? The
simple answer is that through its advertisement, the up market businesses such as Victoria‟s Secret
make the average women feel insecure about their looks but on the other hand makes them desire
the brand; this business makes an operational income of $1 billion dollars a year. Through the
businesses advertising, the more average high street brands such as La Senza make women feel that
it is an affordable brand although for most of the average women it is too exotic and inappropriate for
most ages, La Senza has a net worth of $100 million dollars. Through advertising, the more down to
earth businesses such as Bravissimo make women feel comfortable and secure about themselves
due to their welcoming nature, this businesses current net worth is £35,000. Altogether, the more
down to earth businesses such as Bravissimo will be the up and coming business that will over run
the other brands such as Victoria‟s Secret and La Senza due to their welcome nature and promotion
of being a healthy average woman.
BTEC Creative & Media Extended Project