Oregon State University

WR 214, Group 4



Victoria's Secret
North American Office
P.O. Box 16589
Columbus, Ohio 43216-6589
U.S.A.

To Whom It May Concern:

We would like to submit a proposal to improve upon Victoria’s Secret’s already

successful company. As a business project, our group chose a certain aspect about the
company that could be improved and how to improve it.

After detailed research we found information on the history of the company, competitor’s
methods of advertisement, statistics on obesity in America, and advertising strategies that
Victoria’s Secret has been using recently. As of now, the company targets a larger
market than they actually provide for. The solution to this issue can be met by expanding
Victoria Secret’s size selection. And by making advertisements with models that
represent the products as well as the average women. This would appeal to a larger
population of consumers, there by increasing the company’s revenue.

We hope that you take into consideration the work we put into this proposal and think
about using some of our ideas. We appreciate your time and thank you for reading our
proposal.

Sincerely,

Sophia Grimm , Dominique Sabedra, RosalynMayo,

grimmso@onid.orst.edu sabedrad@onid.orst.edu mayor@onid.orst.edu

Jeremy Currie, Connie Chan, KirstiClapsadle,

curriej@onid.orst.edu chanco@onid.orst.edu, clapsadk@onid.orst.edu

Enclosure: Final Proposal

2

Table of Contents
Title
Page
(Sophia
Grimm)........................................................................................I

Letter
of
Transmittal
(Kirsti
Clapsadle) ............................................................. II

Table
of
Contents
(Sophia
Grimm) ......................................................................III

List
of
Illustrations
(Rosalyn
Mayo)....................................................................VI

Executive
Summary
(Jeremy
Currie)................................................................... V

1. Introduction
(Kirsti
Clapsadle) ..........................................................................7­8

2. Company
Background
(Sophia
Grimm)........................................................ 9­11


2.1 The Origin of Victoria’s Secret’s Name.................................................... 10
2.2 The Beginning of Victoria’s Secret........................................................... 10
2.3 The Progression of the Company .........................................................10-11
2.4 The Company Challenges ......................................................................... 11
3. Overweight
&
Obesity
(Jeremy
Currie)...................................................... 12­17

3.1 Target Population ...................................................................................... 13
3.2 Who Does Victoria’s Secret Target?......................................................... 13
3.3 Body Mass Index....................................................................................... 14
3.4 Healthy, Overweight, or Obese ................................................................. 14
3.5 Big Women and Victoria’s Secret............................................................. 15
4. Body
Image
(Sophia
Grimm) ......................................................................... 18­21


4.1 The Affects Models Have on The Average Woman’s Body Image.......... 19
4.2 The Affects of Advertising...................................................................19-20
4.3 Repercussions of a Poor Body Image...................................................20-21
4.4 Victoria’s Secret’s Role............................................................................. 21
4.5 Size Does Matter ....................................................................................... 21
5. Victoria’s
Secret
in
2010
(Dominique
Sabedra) ..................................... 22­25

5.1 Current Success ......................................................................................... 23
5.2 Products Offered........................................................................................ 23
5.3 Current Sizes, Styles and Prices ................................................................ 23
5.4 Victoria’s Secret Collections..................................................................... 24
5.5 Semi-Annual Sale...................................................................................... 24
5.6 Communication with Store...................................................................24-25
6. Today’s
Advertising
Strategies
(Rosalyn
Mayo) ..................................... 26­30

6.1 How Victoria’s Secret Advertises ........................................................27-28
6.2 Angels and Advertising ............................................................................. 28
6.3 An Image and an Idea...........................................................................28-29
6.4 The Target ................................................................................................. 29
6.4 I Love My Body by Victoria ................................................................29-30

7. Competitors
of
Victoria’s
Secret
(Connie
Chan)...................................... 31­35

7.1 What can Victoria’s Secret Learn From Competitors ............................... 32
7.2 Playtex
is
carrying
bigger
bra
sizes
than
Victoria
Secret ..................... 32


3

 7.3 Difference in Advertising Techniques .................................................32-33
7.4 Image Editing .......................................................................................33-34
7.5 Companies Featuring Plus Size Models .................................................... 34
7.6 Will Bigger Bras Cost More to Produce ..............................................34-35
7.7 Survey........................................................................................................ 35
8. Summary
(Kirsti
Clapsadle) .......................................................................... 36­39

8.1 Expanding Sizes ...................................................................................37-38
8.2 Benefits from Expanding Sizes ................................................................. 38
8.3 Model Variation ........................................................................................ 38
8.4 Benefits from Varying Models.............................................................38-39






Charts
&
Figures
(Connie
Chan) .......................................................................... 40­47

Appendices................................................................................................................. 48­85

i. Annotated Bibliography (Rosalyn Mayo) .......................................48-53
ii. Procedural Documentation .............................................................54-64
a. Original Proposal (Sophia Grimm) ......................................55-60
b. Agenda/Progress Reports (Dominique Sabedra)..................60-64
iii. Original Survey (Connie Chan)........................................................65-74
iv. Final Budget (Jeremy Currie)...........................................................75-76
v. Power Point Slides (Dominique Sabedra) ........................................77-85




































4

List of Illustrations

Chapter 3: Overweight and Obesity

Figure 3.1 – Obesity/Overweight/Normal
Figure 3.2 – 1985 Map
Figure 3.3 - 1996 Map
Figure 3.4 – 2008 Map

Chapter 4: Body Image

Figure 4.1 - How does Victoria’s Secret Make You Feel

Chapter 6: Advertisement Strategies

Figure 6.1 – “I Love My Body” Models

Chapter 7: Competitors of Victoria’s Secret

Figure 7.1 – Playtex Models
Figure 7.2 – Victoria’s Secret models
Figure 7.3- Victoria’s Secret Advertisement
Figure 7.4 – Hips and Curves
Figure 7.5 – Hanes Products
Figure 7.6 – I’d shop at Victoria’s Secret if…

All Charts and Figures Page














































5

Executive
Summery




Limited
Brands,
Victoria’s
Secret

Four
Limited
Parkway
East,
Reynoldsburg,
OH
42068

Phone:
1‐614‐577‐7111


 
 
 
 
 Web
Address:
http://www.victoriassecret.com/

___________________________________________________

Management:
 Business
Description:
Victoria’s
Secret
is
an
apparel
store

CEO:
Lori
Greeley
 owned
and
operated
by
the
parent
company
Limited
Brands


 Inc.
and
specializes
in
lingerie
and
undergarments
but
also

Industry:
 has
its
own
line
of
clothing.

Apparel

 


 ___________________________________________________

Bank:
 Business
Strategy:
As
a
means
to
get
the
product
off
the

World
Financial
 shelf
and
into
the
hands
of
the
consumer
Victoria’s
Secret

Network
National
Bank
 chooses
the
option
of
advertisement.

Victoria’s
Secret
hits


 all
aspects
of
the
media
filming
television
commercials,

Auditor:
 printing
adds
in
magazines,
and
even
the
less
heard
of
radio

Henri
Bendel
 add.


 


 
 ___________________________________________________


 Products:
Victoria’s
Secret
is
most
undoubtedly
known
for


 its
lingerie
so
it
is
no
surprise
they
have
an
endless
selection


 of
it.

Ranging
from
push‐ups
to
demis,
and
briefs
to
v‐

 strings,
Victoria’s
Secret
has
the
style
each
woman
is
looking


 for
to
make
comfort
and
sexiness
the
forefront
of
their


 campaign.

As
well
as
their
lingerie,
Victoria’s
Secret
also


 holds
its
own
clothing
line
with
countless
options
of
blouses,


 bikinis,
skirts,
sweaters,
pants,
and
dresses
to
choose
from.


 


 __________________________________________________


 Target
Market:
Victoria’s
Secret
was
originally
intended
to


 be
a
location
where
men
could
shop
for
their
woman
in


 comfort
and
ease.

It
since
then
has
become
a
hotspot
for


 women
of
all
shapes
and
sizes
as
a
location
to
gain
a
feeling


 of
sexiness.

Victoria’s
Secret’s
target
market
includes
men


 and
women
of
all
ages.


 


 





Competition:

Victoria’s
Secret
competes
with
such
companies
as
Playtex,
Hanes,




Outlook:
From
the
past
year,
Victoria’s
Secret’s
sales
have
been
down
by

approximately
3%.

If
their
target
market
does
not
change
to
incorporate
a
larger

population
of
the
women,
Victoria’s
Secret
will
surely
see
the
revenue
decrease.


6




Victoria’s Secret

Introduction

7

Introduction

Victoria’s Secret is a very successful lingerie and clothing store. However, while they do
have success with a portion of the market they are currently advertising to, they do not
cater to the market as a whole.

Even though Victoria’s Secret did not begin as a store for women, it has become one over
the years. In fact, rarely do you ever see a man even step into the stores today. In the
Company Background section you will read more about the history and how Victoria’s
Secret has evolved to become what it is today.

Obesity rates in America have increased rapidly over the years, and while it is frustrating
that so few people are as healthy as they could be, it is necessary to cater to the entire
population, something that Victoria’s Secret is not currently doing. In the Overweight
and Obesity section, more details and specific numbers on obesity in America will be
given.

The models used to advertise Victoria’s Secret are no doubt beautiful—skinny, tan, have
gorgeous hair, and large breasts with a tiny waist—but you rarely see women that look
like this in public. In the Body Image section, details about how unrealistic ideals cause
mental and physical illnesses are described.

While we offer a great deal of detail on what Victoria’s Secret could improve upon, we
would like to point out that they have obviously been doing something right, or they
would not be where they are at now. In the section Victoria’s Secret in 2010, you will
read about how they are doing today, including successes and failures of the company.

Victoria’s Secret currently advertises to a specific audience by using beautiful, skinny

models. In Advertising Strategies, details on how the company advertises and who they
advertise to will be given.

Victoria’s Secret is not the only lingerie store, but it is definitely one of the most well-
known. In the Competition section, you will read about how the other lingerie companies
advertisement techniques and the population they are targeting.

With all of this information, you can assume that there are specific things that Victoria’s
Secret could be doing differently. In the Summary section, these specific will be laid out
in detail.

8

Victoria’s Secret

Company Background

9

Company Background

The Origin of Victoria’s Secret’s Name

Victoria’s Secret was originally designed to resemble a Victoria’s Bedroom, it is only

fitting that the stores name is derived from the 19th-century monarch, Queen Victoria.
Queen Victoria was a vibrant woman, who was often referred to as the ideal wife or
“Angel of the House.” The Angel of the house is almost assuredly were the company
derived the name Victoria’s Secret’s Angels. Angels were suppose to be passive, meek,
charming, sympathetic, self-sacrificing, pious, and above all, pure. Victoria’s devote
faithfulness to her husband and the domestic life on the outside made her look like the
perfect angel (The Angel in the House). However, Queen Victoria was notoriously fond
of sex. During her life the Queen and her husband Prince Albert produced nine children.

Queen Victoria was the primary influenced on women’s clothing in this era. The
introduction of the corset was originally advertised as a sign of female decency.
However, it is easy to see how sexually charged the corset truly is. It accentuates a
woman’s curves both above and below the waist (Bonander) drawing the eyes to key
points of the body. The 19th-century’s fashion and the multitude of children produced by
Queen Victoria, lead Roy Raymond (Victoria’s Secret’s founder) to ask, what was
Victoria’s Secret to becoming a sex goddess, while still maintaining a wholesome image?

The Beginning of Victoria’s Secret

Founded 1977, Victoria's Secret was established in San Francisco by entrepreneur Roy
Raymond, a determined Stanford Graduate. Raymond. While ambitious Raymond was
also somewhat timid. He often found buying lingerie for his wife to be an embarrassing
experience. This is why he decided to create Victoria’s Secret, to make it less
uncomfortable for men to purchase lingerie for their wives. Victoria’s Secret’s lingerie
assistants did not give lofty glances, but merely offered helpful advice. The original store
was somewhat secluded and instead of walls lined with bras and panties of every size and
shape, the stores resembled a Victorian bedroom. The store was furnished with vanities
whose draws were filled with up scale bras and panties. The draws were organized to
make it easy for the man to find exactly what they were looking for in a short amount of
time.

The Progression of the Company

Although Raymond’s future stores were not quite as elaborate as the first, they all had a
balance of seduction and elegant charm, which lead to the company’s great success
(Frentner). After the first year Raymond had earned over half a million dollars and was
able to established four more stores. Unfortunately, he was forced to sell Victoria’s
Secret in 1982 to Columbus, Ohio-based The Limited. Since Victoria’s Secret was
already known nationally, so “The Limited decided to keep the stores personalized image

10

intact, albeit in a mass-produced, cost-efficient manner (Frentner).” However, the stores
moved from somewhat secluded areas to openly luxurious locations in malls throughout
the United States. The Limited also changed its target audience from men who wanted to
buy lingerie for their wives, to middle class women themselves. Despite all of the
changes made by The Limited, the store was still able to avoid the stigma of lingerie and
be perceived as a fun and intimate, rather than taboo.

Throughout the 1980s Victoria’s Secret stores continued to increase at an exponential

rate. Increasing from merely a few stores to over four hundred. The increased number of
stores throughout the United States malls and the release of a mail-order catalog issued
eight times a year allowed the company to add additional products to the stores inventory.
These products included: shoes, eveningwear, and perfumes (Bonander). By the early
1990s Victoria’s Secret had become the leading specialty retailer of lingerie and women’s
clothing.

The Company Challenges

Regardless of that fact that Victoria’s Secret reaching the one billion dollar mark, in 1993
the company began to show signs of decline. Around this time Grace Nichols became
Chief Executive of the Victoria’s Secret. Many critics were questioning the quality of
Victoria’s Secret’s products and the high price put on merchandise. Many individuals
believe that Victoria’s Secret is limiting their current market by making older and more
voluptuous women feel out of place in sexy underwear. “The company's advertising
campaigns exclusively portray younger models with slender, busty figures (Frentner)”,
neglecting the average woman to whom they are trying to supposedly cater to.

Nevertheless, with aggressive promotions and the 1995 launched of the first annual
Victoria’s Secret fashion show, Nichols was able to help the company over come its
financial setbacks. Now there are currently over 1,000 operating stores in the United
States alone.

11

 Victoria’s Secret

Over Weight & Obesity










12

The
Overweight
and
Obese



Target
Population



When
it
comes
to
the
world
of
business
it
is
ever
so
important
that
primary
targets

are
established
in
the
company.

In
other
words,
who
is
the
consumer?

Many

companies
answer
this
question
through
years
and
years
of
research
to
discover

what
population
will
yield
the
greatest
percent
of
income.

Other
companies
don’t

even
worry
about
the
question
at
hand
and
instead
take
the
entire
population
into

consideration.

Take
the
corporation
Wal‐Mart
for
example.

Wal‐Mart
does
not

choose
to
specialize
or
single
out
one
individual
race,
ethnicity,
or
gender
to
become

their
consumer.

Wal‐Mart
attacks
the
entire
population,
not
discriminating,
and

through
this,
they
have
become
a
multi
billion
dollar
corporation.
Looking
at
the

effects
of
corporations
that
do
discriminate
or
put
restrictions
on
their
consumer’s

choices,
it
is
evident
that
the
effects
are
a
lowered
level
of
revenue.

For
example,

view
the
corporation
Costco
Wholesale.

As
it
is
well
known,
Costco
Wholesale
is
a

giant
warehouse
specializing
in
“buying
in
bulk”.


And
as
it
is
also
well
know,
Costco

Wholesale
requires
their
customers
to
purchase
a
yearlong
membership
card,
which

is
a
hefty
sum
of
money.

By
requiring
consumers
to
have
to
purchase
a
membership

card
and
pay
a
membership
fee
for
renewal,
Costco
Wholesale
has
diminished
the

percent
of
the
population
it
is
targeting.

The
idea
coming
up
is
that,
when
a
smaller

percentage
of
the
population
is
targeted,
the
company
does
not
benefit.

However,

through
reducing
the
target
population
the
result
is
a
reduction
in
the
amount
of

potential
income
or
revenue
for
this
company.

In
conclusion,
if
a
larger
percentage

of
the
population
is
allocated,
the
more
consumers
there
are
being
attracted
and

therefore
more
revenue
is
being
generated.




Who
Does
VS
Target?



So
where
does
the
Victoria’s
Secret
corporation
stand
on
this
question?

Do
they

target
the
entire
population,
or
just
a
small
portion
of
it?

To
answer
this,
look
first

at
what
this
company
is
selling.

And,
as
it
is
known,
this
is
lingerie.

By
examining

further
into
the
product
they
are
selling,
it
can
be
realized
that
the
sizes
they
are

selling
their
product
in,
are
for
smaller
woman,
not
the
woman
who
are
overweight

or
obese.

So
what
does
this
mean?

Well,
it
can
be
implied
from
the
products
that

Victoria’s
Secret
is
selling
that
they
are
only
targeting
a
certain
type
of
person,
and

by
doing
this,
as
has
been
demonstrated
through
the
Costco
example,
they
are

minimizing
the
potential
revenue.

Victoria’s
Secret
only
focuses
on
the
“skinny

girls”,
but
what
about
the
bigger
girls,
the
obese
girls
and
the
overweight
girls?

To

first
discover
what
obesity
and
overweight
means
for
Victoria’s
Secret,
what

determines
obesity
and
overweight
must
first
be
examined.














13

Body
Mass
Index



To
discover
what
is
considered
obese
or
overweight,
our
BMI
rating
or
our
Body

Mass
Index
rating
needs
to
be
examined.

Body
Mass
Index
is
simply
a
general
rating

that
describes
a
ratio
between
height
and
weight.

Body
Mass
Index
rating
is
not

always
accurate
and
cannot
always
indicate
the
overall
level
of
health.

For
example,

an
individual
who
goes
to
the
gym
everyday
and
lifts
weights
is
going
to
be
very

strong
and
have
a
large
muscle
mass.

This
person,
in
ones
own
eyes
is
very
healthy

and
strong.

In
the
eyes
of
the
BMI
scale
however,
this
individual
may
appear
to
be

overweight.

This
is
so
because
as
it
is
known
muscle
weights
more
than
fat
so
they

will
have
a
bigger
BMI
rating.

Although
the
BMI
rating
is
not
necessarily
the
most

accurate
way
to
determine
whether
or
not
an
individual
is
healthy
or
not,
it
is
still

the
number
one
way
used
throughout
the
country
to
collect
information
in
regards

to
obesity
and
is
the
means
the
American
Obesity
Society
uses
to
collect
data.

Once

the
BMI
has
been
calculated
using
a
particular
formula
(plugging
in
our
height
in

inches
and
our
weight
in
pounds)
a
number
is
generated.

But
what
does
this

number
mean?
Am
I
healthy?
Am
I
overweight?

Or
am
I…obese?








Healthy,
Overweight,
or
Obese



When
it
comes
to
being
of
a
healthy
weight
and
body
fat
rating,
having
a
BMI
rating

between
21
and
25
is
excellent.

Now,
it
is
very
good
if
a
calculated
BMI
is

somewhere
in
the
middle
of
those
numbers,
but,
unfortunately
for
some,
a

calculated
BMI
will
above
the
25
mark.

If
this
is
experienced,
the
result
is
being

overweight.





When
it
comes
to
being
overweight,
a
BMI
between
25‐30
must
be
calculated.

When

discussing
the
number
of
female
adults,
those
18
and
older,
in
America
that
are

overweight,
over
half
of
the
population
is
found
to
be
overweight.

To
be
more

precise,
62%
of
the
population
of
adult
females
is
overweight.

This
in
number
form

is
roughly
68,100,000
(Physical
Inactivity).





Now,
back
to
the
BMI
value.

If
a
BMI
is
calculated
that
exceeds
30,
obesity
is
the

result.

In
America,
34%
of
the
adult
female
population
is
obese,
having
a
BMI

greater
than
30
(Physical
Inactivity).



(See
Figure
3.1
for
graphical
representation)




Despite
America’s
efforts
to
stop
obesity
and
bring
our
nation
back
to
health,
the

trend
of
America
is
getting
larger
and
larger
as
the
years
progress.

This
can
be

demonstrated
through
Figures
2.2,
2.3,
&
2.4
as
well
as
the
fact
that
the
average

woman’s
dress
size
has
increased
from
a
11
to
a
14
(What
Size).
As
America
gets

bigger,
companies
all
throughout
the
nation
must
make
changes
to
incorporate

those
larger
bodied
populations.




14

Big
Woman
and
Victoria’s
Secret



What
does
all
this
data
of
obese
and
overweight
woman
mean
to
Victoria’s
Secret?



Currently
as
shown
through
the
various
advertisements,
as
well
as
the
sizes
and

styles
of
merchandise
available
at
Victoria’s
Secret,
it
can
be
noticed
that
they
are

focusing
their
sales
on
a
select
group
of
women:
the
young,
skinny,
and
“of
normal

weight”
women.
This
group
only
makes
up
17%
of
the
adult
female
population.


Granted
some
of
the
male
population
is
also
targeted
in
their
campaign
as
well
but

even
with
the
small
percentage
of
men
combined
with
the
17%
of
woman,
you
are

still
only
targeting
a
minority
population.





If
it
is
Victoria’s
Secret’s
interest
to
expand
their
franchise
and
generate
a
larger

revenue,
changes
will
have
to
be
made
to
incorporate
a
larger
percentage
of
the

female
population
as
consumers.

If
Victoria’s
Secret
can
incorporate
the
overweight

woman
and
even
a
small
portion
of
the
obese
woman
they
will
be
targeting
roughly

80%
of
the
female
population,
not
only
17%.

By
simply
increasing
sizes
and

availability
of
certain
styles
in
larger
sizes,
Victoria’s
Secret
will
easily
be
able
to

accomplish
the
task
of
incorporating
more
of
the
population.

Through
this
increase

in
targeted
population,
Victoria’s
Secret
will
generate
more
costumers,
which
will

result
in
more
sales,
which
in
turn
yields
more
revenue,
the
whole
objective
of
a

business.






Figures
3.1


17%

Overweight

21%
 62%
 Obese

Of
Normal
Weight



 





























15



Figure
3.2






































 Provided
by
Centers
for


 Disease
Control
&

Prevention





Figure
3.3









































Provided
by
Centers
for



Disease
Control
&

Prevention

16

Figure
3.4






































 Provided
by
Centers
for


 Disease
Control
&

Prevention










































17

Victoria’s Secret

Body Image

18

Body Image

The Affects Models Have on The Average Woman’s Body Image

Why are some people so immensely discontent with their body? There is no doubt that
the current social standards for beauty has put emphasis on the desirability of thinness at
a level that cannot be attained in a healthy manner (Cash & Pruzinsky 91).
Contemporary society has increasingly put more emphasis on beauty and creating the
ideal body. And now it is almost impossible to go anywhere these days without seeing an
advertisement for the latest fashion statement or beauty product. These advertisements
create ideals that people internalize both consciously and subconsciously.

When internalization occurs so does automatic comparison. According to Dr. Rita

Freedman, a psychologist in Scarsdale, New York, “Distorted views of the body are due
in part to an insidious contrast effect, in which people compare themselves with the
models in advertisements." (Goleman C13). Social comparison is when someone
evaluates them self against another person. This can become problematic if the individual
that they are associating with is an unrealistic comparison. And possibly becoming can be
detrimental to one’s personal growth and happiness. The average company model in
Victoria’s Secret advertisements is a size 2, often around 5’11’’ and 117 pounds, unlike
the average American women who is a size 14, about 5’4” and 140 pounds (The Average
American Woman). These models are not a realistic comparison for many women in
today’s society.

The Affects of Advertising

Society paints a fairly narrow picture of what beauty is and as long as someone meets the
set criteria they are considered ideal. In the United States a beautiful woman is thin, with
large breasts, long hair, and a firm butt. And today Victoria’s Secret’s advertisement
campaigns continued to exclusively portray younger models with svelte, busty figures.
And as you can see in Figure 3.1 the survey we conducted of 100 women polled, 42 of
women reported feeling negative about their bodies after seeing Victoria’s Secret Models.
One of the woman polled responded, “They remind me what I "should" look like and it is
depressing.” This woman feels an obligation to fit society’s view of perfection, but
realizes that she is not nor will she ever look like the models on the television or in the
magazines.

And another woman in the survey reported, “Only 5% of women look like those models,
yet they are the only ones that advertisers feed us. This makes us feel inadequate.”
Victoria’s Secret’s advertisements were never meant to make women feel inadequate, but
it is inadvertently doing so. Empower the women, inform them that they can be sexy and
strong women no mater what size they are. This starts by finding new ways to advertise
the merchandise, perhaps by including every day women in commercials, similar to
Doves’ marketing strategy.

19

Another survey participant said, “I'd like to know what makes [Victoria’s Secret
model’s] bodies so much better than anyone else's? Where are the real women? They
should be the models. Maybe then, you wouldn't get girls starving themselves and ending
up in rehab clinics because of their distorted self-image partly due to the expectations that
are set forth everyday about what an "ideal" body is. Ideal is not normal, nor, often times,
healthy in terms of what the media deems as ideal” There is no reason for women to feel
like they have to meet a standard of beauty laid down by an androcentric (male centered)
society.

In contrast, 19 women in Figure 4.1 reported that the models gave them something to
strive for. However, for many women striving to be as skinny as a Victoria’s Secret
Model is not only unrealistic, but also potentially incredibly dangerous to = health. Many
models suffer from eating disorders and exercise addiction. There are very few
individuals that are naturally 5’11’ and 117 pounds. Often when models strive to be that
skinny it is do to pressure from the industry and peers, in reality these models are just as
dissatisfied with their body’s as the average women is.

Figure 4.1

How
Does
Victoria's
Secret
Models
Make

You
Feel

42


21

19


7

5

2


Positive,
I
love
 Positive,
they
 Positive,
some
 Negative,
I
can't
 Negative,
some
 Neither
positive


my
Body
 give
me
 other
reason
 ever
look
like
 other
reason
 or
negative

something
to
 that

work
toward


Source: Group Survey, May 11, 2010

Repercussions of a Poor Body Image

Negative body image doesn’t always result in an eating disorder or body dysmorphia. It
does however at the very least have a devastating effect on an individual’s view of self
worth. A low self worth often caused individuals to become depressed or suffer from lack

20

of confidence. If advertisers promote natural women as models and provide affirmation,
it will limit the negative effects of media on women’s self esteem and will improve their
sense of self-worth.

Some would primarily attribute the need to fit the social norm of beauty and idealism to
peer pressure. This is true: a persons’ social circle have a tremendous effect on the way
individuals perceive themselves. However, their peers’ perception of beauty and self-
worth develops from messages presented by the media. It is unlikely women will find
positive validation media. Media and advertisements are the catalysts. They feed
unrealistic expectations of beauty and body ideals to individuals, which is then reinforced
by peers.

Victoria’s Secret’s Role

Critics believe that the Victoria's Secret formula of femininity eliminates a majority of
women. By advertising models that do not represent that average women, it often
discourages older and more voluptuous women from going into stores to try on sexy
lingerie and underwear. If women are not comfortable with their body they won’t want to
go into a store that has size zero models everywhere. Because they know that once they
are in the dressing room looking at them-selves in the mirror, the only thing they will see
is imperfection. Victoria’s Secret reinforces the fact that average women do not look like
the models in advertisements and can discourage them from purchasing the company’s
products.

This is why we are proposing that the company should create campaigns that are diverse
and representative of women. Teach consumers to recognize and value their body as their
own, no matter what shape, size, or color it comes in. By diversifying the advertisements
it will show women that they came be gorgeous no mater what size or ethnicity they are.
And encourage women to purchase the company’s products.

Size Does Matter

The Victoria’s Secret must all keep in mind that for larger women to buy lingerie and
other apparel, larger sizes must be carried in stock. For may women not only are they
bombarded buy the media telling them they do not have the idea body, they have it
reinforce in the stores when they are force to look else where for cloths that will fit them.
A devastating blow to ones self-esteem, no doubt. Today’s fashion industry is still
catering to a smaller generation, a generation that has long past. Today the obesity rate is
higher than ever and it is about time that the clothing and advertising reflected that.

When the sizes are increased it will allow a larger demographic of consumers who are
able to purchase the products. However, it is unlikely women will notice the change in
size selection unless the marketing is changed to also reflect the increase in sizes. By
doing these two things, it is expected that the store’s revenue will increase significantly.
As well as, give women a more realistic view of that is beautiful.

21

Victoria’s Secret

Victoria’s Secret in 2010

22

Victoria’s Secret in 2010

Current Success

Victoria’s Secret currently operates over one thousand stores that span across America
today. The store alone brings in a net sale of 5,307 million dollars per year. This net sale
does not include the profit that is contributed from Victoria’s Secret catalogue and
website. Due to the increase of technology over the years consumers are able to buy
lingerie without ever leaving the comfort of their own home. Women are able to order
products that are delivered to their front doorstep from the monthly catalogue via phone
or internet. Because of this easy accessibility of products, the company’s sales rose nine
percent taking the business to a monumental net sale of 6,695 million dollars a year.

Products Offered

Victoria’s Secret has come a very long way from being a small, secretive store for
lingerie. Today the store goes above and beyond simply selling undergarments. Walking
into any of the stores in America, one can see the line of fragrances, body care and
cosmetics sold. Along with the beauty line there is also a large demand for swim wear,
shoes, sleep/lounge wear and regular, everyday clothing. All of these recently added
lines have added to the success of Victoria’s Secret, making it one of the leading
women’s shopping centers in the United States today.

Considering the increase in sales, Victoria’s Secret did what every other clothing store
has done in the past decade, offered a store credit card. The store’s credit card is known
as, “The Angel Card” and comes complete with many benefits. Some of these benefits
include; six months of irresistible offers, worth up to $100, surprise birthday gifts every
year, access to a personal customer service number and much, much more! Annual
percentage rates for purchases are 24.99% and there are no annual or processing fees. If
a payment is late there can be a penalty of up to twenty-five dollars depending on the
current balance of the account.

Current Sizes, Styles and Prices

Current bras that are offered online and in-stores vary in size. The waistline size spans
from a 30 to a 40 and cup sizes include; A, AA, B, C, D, DD and DDD. There are many
different styles of bras to choose from, each made to cater different needs and offered in a
variety of colors and patterns. According to Victoria’s Secret website, there are three
secrets to know when buying a good bra; style, swell and size. They recommend
shopping for undergarments by first choosing the style you are looking for, then deciding
how much “lift” you want, and finally knowing your “true” measurements.
As far as prices are concerned, bras that are of the same style are sold at the same price
unless offered in print. If a bra is offered in something besides a solid color the price will
rise about two dollars for the consumer. In other words, Victoria’s Secret bra prices are
not determined by size but rather by quality of fabric used. Cost can range anywhere from
a nineteen dollar clearance sale to fifty-some dollar high quality bra that is not only
guaranteed to last and support but to also be sexy.

23

Victoria’s Secret Collections

Victoria’s Secret offers hundreds of products separated by lines or collections. Many of

these collections have been patented due to the quality and innovation of their products.
The most popular collections are Body by Victoria, Angels by Victoria and Victoria’s
Secret Pink. These three collections have driven Victoria’s Secret to tremendous success.
Each collection provides bras, panties, lingerie and other products that differ from other
lines and are known for certain styles, fabrics, color palettes etc.

Victoria’s Secret Pink collection is currently the number one lounge wear in the world
and Body by Victoria has recently come out with a new campaign that claims to cater to
all body type. These collections have become so popular that they have created their own
website completely separate from the Victoria’s Secret home page.

Semi-Annual Sale

Twice a year, Victoria’s Secret offers incredible discounts on many products throughout
the store including clothing, lingerie, cosmetics, sleepwear and swimsuits. For
consumers, the semi-annual sale has been a great way to stock up on merchandise that is
normally so costly. Benefits of the sales for the stores are well worth it. Because these
discounts are only offered twice a year the sales within that short amount of time soar
skyward.

Communication with Store

Victoria’s Secret has several pages on their website dedicated to the customer service.
They encourage asking question as well as consulting their frequently asked questions
page. The following is a brief list of FAQ that I found useful as a consumer:
• My order has shipped but I still can’t track it. How can I find out where it is?
• What is your Returns Policy?
• When checking on the status of my order I received an “In Process” message.
What does this mean?
• How can I use an Offer Code online?
Although these are basic questions that, for the most part, seem self-explanatory they are
helpful not only to the consumers but also for the individuals working for the company
that have to answer the same questions over and over again.

If a consumer has a question or comment that is not answered in the list of FAQ they are
invited to contact the store in a number of ways. Customer service is available via email,
phone and mail. The address to send a letter in is:

Victoria’s Secret
North American Office
P.O. Box 16589
Columbus, Ohio 43216-6589
U.S.A.

24

There are many customer service numbers including the U.S. & Canada Customer Care,
Victoria’s Secret Angel Credit Card Service and other international lines. Most of these
lines are automated but have the option of talking to a representative. The U.S. customer
care line is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and can be contacted by calling:
1.800.888.8200.

To gain information for this proposal our team wrote an email to human resources
claiming to be a woman who was a size 40DDD and had several questions for the
company. The following is a copy of the letter sent:

Hi,
I was wondering if your store is able to custom order bras. I am a 40DDD and
love your bras. They always have the cutest patterns and designs, but none of the cute
ones come in my size.
If you are not able to custom order is there another place you recommend for
bigger cute styles?

Thanks so much,
Dominique Sabedra

We received two responses the same day. The first response was an automated email that
simply recognized the fact that an email was sent and told us that we would be receiving
a detailed response shortly. The second was sent shortly afterwards and contained the
following:

Dominique Sabedra,
Thank you for your email regarding the size selections featured in our collections.
We apologize for any disappointment this may cause. As you have recently noticed, we
have expanded our sizes because of customer comments. Unfortunately, we are not
currently featuring the size selection you desire.

If you have any questions regarding sizing and styles feel free to call our
consultants and they would love to be of assistance.

Victoria’s Secret values each of our customers and we hope you will grant us the
opportunity to serve you again in the future.

Truly,
Your Friends at Victoria’s Secret

The email was satisfactory in that it was personable and speedy in timing but vague in its
content. The biggest issue that our team had was that on Victoria’s Secret website, they
advertise a 40DDD which contradicts the email we received. This looks bad for the
company as it seems to be false advertisement. Other than this small miscommunication
the customer service has phenomenal. All representatives on the phone are friendly and
willing to help along with the sales men and women in stores.

25

Victoria’s Secret

Today’s Advertising Strategies

26

Today’s Advertisement Strategies

How Victoria Secret Advertises

Victoria’s Secret spends $66 million every year on advertising. One of the biggest
contributors to their great success is the fact that they cover all the media bases. More
specifically, they cover all the visual media bases. Victoria’s Secret thrives on the
persona that they produce and sell. Victoria’s Secret runs advertisements in newspapers,
magazines, and on the internet. They have catalogs, television commercials, and even an
annual televised fashion show. Radio is not used as often in the advertising of Victoria’s
Secret. This is because radio is not visual in any way. It requires you to think and form
mental pictures for yourself. Victoria’s Secret wants you to see the image that they
created instead. They use an aggressive advertising style that causes word of mouth.

Newspaper and Magazine Ads

Newspaper and Magazine ads are last on Victoria’s Secret’s priority list. All of the big
time and money go into the Fashion Show and Television commercials. Newspapers are
a smart idea for advertising because they will reach a large audience with a wide variety
of people. Although in today’s day and age, the newspaper is dying. Television and the
Internet are taking its place.

Victoria’s Secret does not put advertisements in just any old magazine. They target their
audience by putting advertisements in the magazine that their consumers are buying, like
Cosmopolitan, Allure, and Glamour.

The Fashion Show

The Victoria’s Secret Annual Fashion Show features the company’s top models. The
first show happened in August of 1995 in New York City. It was not aired on television
and neither were any of their other annual shows until 1999. Beginning in 1996, the
fashion show ran right before Valentine’s Day, in order to promote their store and brand
prior to the holiday. In 1999 and 2000, the fashion show became a webcast. The first
webcast was promoted during Super Bowl XXXIII. The thirty second commercial cost
$1.6 million, which resulted in over two million internet viewers. In 2001, the fashion
show was moved to right before Christmas, instead of Valentine’s Day. Also in this year,
the show made its network television debut on ABC. Every following year, the hour long
show has been aired on CBS, with whom they have an exclusive contract with. In 2004,
the show was cancelled due to the Super Bowl incident involving Janet Jackson’s
wardrobe malfunction. The show hit its peak in the number of viewers in 2001 with over
12 million viewers. This number has never been this high since that time. With the help
of special effects, music, and lighting, the fashion show is almost to the level and
excitement of a Broadway play.

Catalogs

27

The Victoria’s Secret catalog is an at home ordering tool. It is easy to obtain one of these
catalogs. All one would need to do is go onto Victoria’s Secret’s website, enter in their
address and a complimentary catalog will arrive on your doorstep in a couple weeks.
Over 400 million copies have been printed in the United States.

The Semi-Annual Sale

Twice a year, Victoria’s Secret has a semi-annual sale. They advertise for it a great deal
before it starts so that by the time the sale finally gets here, women cannot stay away.
Prices dramatically drop down during this sale. Forty dollar bras are now suddenly
twelve dollars, for example.

Angels and Advertising

If asked what a typical Victoria’s Secret model looks like, most people would come up
with a similar answer. She is a tall, beautiful, young, tan, skinny, probably white female
with a big chest, perfect hair, perfect skin…She, herself, is essentially, by America’s
standards, a “perfect” woman.

With all the money they spend on advertising, Victoria’s Secret not only has models, they
have supermodels. These supermodels go by the name of Angels, and it is the most
sought after gig for a model. Victoria’s Secret has a reputation for having the most
beautiful supermodels in the clothing industry. You never hear any one rave about Old
Navy models, but if Victoria’s Secret is brought up, the models beauty is most definitely
mentioned as well. The company has signed and made many models famous, including
Heidi Clum and Tyra Banks. There is no mistaking a Victoria’s Secret model in
comparison to the rest of us normal, average looking women. In the same way, there is
no mistaking a Victoria’s Secret advertisement.

Victoria’s Secret advertisements can be anywhere from foggy, wild, and animalistic, to
being soft, fluffy, and seductive. There are generally many colors and a lot of things
going on in each shot. The models are generally in over-exaggerated, un-natural, and un-
comfortable poses. There is nothing simple or real in any of these shots. They are not
even real women, but this is what our culture believes that men want.

An Image and an Idea

Victoria’s Secret sells both an image and a specific idea of a certain lifestyle. The image
that they represent is fun, romance, fantasy, desire, and love. The idea that they sell is
that the women who wear Victoria’s Secret are confident, beautiful, spontaneous women.
Their advertisements tell you that you are not investing in a bra; you are investing in
beauty and confidence. You are told that just by putting on this bra, you will be
everything you want to be. You will have fun and experience romance. You will live out
your fantasy and become your partner’s fantasy. You will be desired and you will find

28

love. Isn’t that what every Victoria’s Secret commercial markets to us? We are led to
believe that their bras can give us a Cinderella-like story, that we can be transformed,
because we are not perfect already. Victoria’s Secret tells us what beauty is and makes it
into a physical object that we can buy and take home.

The Target

With models and advertisements like this, who is targeted? Men. Although the company
was founded by a man for men to shop for their wives, times have changed. Women can
and usually prefer to shop and pick things out for themselves. Even though women are
the ones spending the money, these commercials are still made with the men in mind.
Women are also interested in the commercials. They can see the way that men are taking
in these commercials and want with all they have to appeal to their man the same way
these models do. Every woman wants to feel sexy and desired. Every woman wants to
make their man go crazy and Victoria’s Secret claims to hold that key.

Sex Sells…Kind of.

Victoria’s Secret thrives on their sex appeal. They base all of their advertisements on the
basis of “Sex Sells”. It is true, sex does sell. But does it sell to everybody? No, not
exactly. In a study done at the University of Georgia, a professor researched the
reactions of both men and women to sexually charged ads. He had these volunteers
watch a series of sexy ads, including a Victoria’s Secret one, and then he asked them to
rate how much they liked them. The men responded well to the ads, regardless of their
attitudes towards sex. The women, on the other hand, were highly influenced by their
views about sex. The women with open minds to sex rated the ads positively, while the
ones with negative attitudes towards sex were repelled.

I Love My Body by Victoria

A big campaign going on for Victoria’s Secret right now goes by the name, “I Love My
Body by Victoria”. The campaign says that “you will love the way your body looks” in a
Victoria’s Secret bra. As the thirty second commercial progresses, different beautiful
models wearing only bras and underwear tell us why and how much they love their
bodies. Of course these women love their bodies! They are skinny, gorgeous, and
perfect. Models make a living off of the way they look. But do they really love their
natural bodies? They are constantly on a diet to restrain from putting any fat or
carbohydrate into their body. They have personal trainers that work with them every day
to keep their body thin and toned. They even get spray tanned before each photo or film
shoot to make them look bronzed. The people running the campaign don’t even love
their models natural bodies. If they did, they would not make them starve themselves.
They would not edit the pictures to make these skinny women look even skinnier. And
they would not spray on a quick tan before letting them step foot onto the set.

29

The last shot of the “I Love My Body by Victoria” commercial is a pan over all the
models standing next to each other while a voice over recites the line, “There really is
body of everybody”. What they just showed us is not everybody. What they just showed
us is a group of very thin women and a very small percentage of the entire population.

Figure 6.1

Voltaire, Robert. "Voltaire Photos". June 2, 2010

<http://www.robertvoltaire.com/blog/tag/victorias-secret-model/>.


30

 Victoria’s Secret

Competition of
Victoria’s Secret

31

Competitors
of
Victoria’s
Secret



What
can
Victoria
Secret
learn
from
competitors?



In
the
world
of
lingerie
business,
it
is
important
to
always
examine
how
other

competitors
change
their
technique
of
marketing
such
as
methods
of
advertising

and
choices
of
supermodels,
as
the
population
of
consumers
also
change.
For

example,
currently
the
obesity
epidemic
is
creating
a
consumer
population
that
is

bigger
in
size
and
other
competitors
are
beginning
to
change
their
marketing

techniques
to
cater
the
sizes
of
bigger
women.
It’s
also
important
to
examine
how

much
of
the
consumer
population
other
competitors
are
catering
by
looking
at
the

sizes
of
products
they
offer
and
the
achievability
of
producing
these
products
at
a

cost
that
is
reasonable.




Playtex
is
carrying
bigger
bra
sizes
than
Victoria
Secret



The
primary
competitor
of
Victoria
Secret
is
Playtex
Inc.
which
is
a
sub‐company

owned
by
Hanes
Inc.
Playtex:
My
Fit
specifically
produces
bras
for
women
of
all

shapes
and
sizes.
Playtex
relies
on
many
re‐tail
stores
such
as
Target,
Macy
and
Wal‐
Mart
to
distribute
their
products
where‐as
Victoria
Secret
only
sells
their

merchandise
in
their
Victoria
Secret
Stores.
Both
companies
offer
online
shopping.

However,
Playtex
offers
bras
in
bigger
sizes
compared
to
Victoria
Secret.
Playtex’s

distributors
only
carry
limited
sizes
in
stores
but
bras
up
a
46G
can
be
found
on

their
online
website
compared
to
Victoria
Secret
where
only
a
size
up
to
40DD
can

be
found
(Playtexbras,VictoriaSecret).
Obviously,
Playtex
is
offering
products
to
a

broader
range
of
consumers
and
their
advertising
reflects
these
consumers.



Difference
in
advertising
techniques



The
biggest
difference
between
Playtex
and
Victoria
Secret
is
their
method
of

advertising.
Playtex
chooses
a
very
personal,
direct
approach
towards
advertising

while
Victoria
Secret
relies
heavily
on
a
“sex
sells”
type
of
method.
For
example,

Playtex’s
online
website
is
full
of
consumer
testimonials
on
the
quality
and
comfort

of
their
bras.
This
method
reassures
women
out
there
of
all
shapes
and
sizes
to
buy

their
products.
Victoria
Secret
offers
no
personal
message
or
consumer
testimonials

on
their
website
and
don’t
rely
on
quality
and
comfort
to
sell
their
bras.
Instead,

they
rely
heavily
on
the
sexual
images
of
their
models
to
sell
their
products.

Playtex’s
Ads
consists
of
a
variety
of
women
in
all
shapes
and
sizes
sharing
their

experience
with
Playtex
bras,
which
shows
strong
verbal
messages,
to
lure
in

consumers.
Victoria
Secret
Ads
have
few
words
but
many
sexually
explicit
images

and
poses
to
lure
in
men
more
than
women.



32

 

Figure
7.1





 




 

Figure
7.2





























Choice
of
Models



Another
major
component
of
advertising
is
the
type
of
models
a
company
chooses
to

hire
to
represent
their
products,
which
in
turn
represents
the
company.
Playtex

hires
models
that
are
of
average
size
and
shape.
They
look
like
women
who
could
be

seen
in
a
grocery
store.
This
method
tells
consumers
that
the
company
is
using
the

consumers
or
the
majority
of
the
image
of
their
consumers
to
represent
their

products.
Victoria
Secret
hires
models
that
are
tall,
extremely
skinny
and
tan.
These

models
only
represent
a
sliver
of
the
population
of
women
out
there.
They’re
giving

the
message
that
in
order
to
be
sexy
and
to
wear
sexy
lingerie,
one
has
to
be
this

skinny,
tall
and
tan.
This
approach
of
advertising
is
more
directed
at
men.




Image
Editing




One
of
the
biggest
differences
in
their
advertising
technique
is
the
 



Figure
7.3

way
they
shoot
their
pictures.
It
is
very
subtle
but
the
changes
cause

a
tremendous
affect
in
their
advertising.
Playtex
always
uses
a
white

background
and
the
models
do
the
same
general
pose.
The
pictures

are
shots
of
their
upper
bodies
which
puts
a
focus
on
the
products

they’re
trying
to
sell,
bras.
Victoria
Secret
uses
a
variety
of

backgrounds
and
many
different
sexual
explicit
poses,
along
with

working
the
faces
of
the
models,
to
create
an
over‐all
distracting

image
of
what
they’re
trying
to
sell.
Their
pictures
can
be
posters
of

models
instead
of
an
advertising
piece.
Also,
Playtex
uses
computer

editing
to
rid
their
models
of
imperfect
skin
while
Victoria
Secret

uses
computer
editing
to
correct
the
overall
body
of
their
models.
In

some
of
their
advertising,
the
whole
body
of
the
model
is
so
very

blatantly
edited,
that
she
looks
plastic.

This
sends
a
message
to
the

consumers
that
even
the
super
models
don’t
have
the
perfect
body


33

that
the
company
is
trying
to
show.
Indeed,
Victoria
Secret
is
the
sex
icon
of
the

fashion
industry,
but
the
times
have
changes
and
there
has
been
a
big
increase
in

plus
size
super
models
showing
that
bigger
women
can
be
part
of
a
“sex
sells”

company.



Companies
Featuring
Plus
Size
Models



There
are
many
personally
owned
companies
out
there
that
are
producing
sexually

appealing
bras
to
bigger
women.
Such
a
company
is
Hips
and
curves.
This
company

only
hires
models
that
are
a
size
12
and
above
which
shows
that
bigger
women
can

be
sexy
(hipsandcurves).
The
problem
with
these
smaller
companies,
however,
is

that
consumers
can’t
try
on
their
products
in
stores
before
purchasing
and
aren’t

guaranteed
quality
and
comfort.
Victoria
Secret
is
a
big
enough
brand
that
if
they

decided
to
carry
bigger
bra
sizes,
consumers
would
be
lured
into
their
stores
to
try

it
on
before
purchasing
and
buying.



 Figure
7.5

Figure
7.4
 
 





































Will
bigger
bras

cost
more
to

produce?



A
big
problem
with
producing
bigger
bras
is

the
cost
of
production.
Obviously,
bigger

bras
require
more
fabric
which
will
cost

more
money.
However,
after
researching
on

other
competitors,
it’s
apparent
that
bigger

bras
don’t
need
to
cost
more
to
produce.
For
example,
at
Hanes
Inc.
they
offer
a
bra

that
is
a
58J
for
the
same
price
of
a
bra
that
is
38B(Hanes).
If
other
competitors
are


34

willing
to
produce
bigger
bras
for
the
same
price
then
Victoria
Secret
should
be
able

to
as
well.





Survey




Lastly,
to
prove
that
this
change
is
beneficial
to
the
company,
a
survey
of
100

women
was
done.
Out
of
the
100
women,
almost
half
agreed
that
if
Victoria
Secret

hired
plus
size
models,
they
would
be
more
willing
to
shop
there(survey).
Plus
size

models
are
emerging
in
many
industries
to
reflect
the
majority
of
the
consumers.

They
encourage
consumers
to
buy
their
products
because
the
company
has

marketed
the
products
in
such
a
way
that
shows
bigger
women
can
look
good
with

their
products.
It
also
shows
that
the
company
is
aware
of
exactly
who
the
majority

of
the
consumers
are
and
are
representing
this
portion
of
their
consumers.




Figure
7.6




I
would
be
more
or
less
likely
to
shop
at
Victoria's

Secret
if:

70

60

50

I
would
be
more
likely

40

30

I
would
be
less
likely

20

10

This
would
not
change
how
oBen
I

0

shopped
there

There
were
 There
were
 They
used
plus
 They
had
more

larger
bra
sizes
 more
styles
in
 size
models
also
 plus
size

offered
 larger
bra
sizes
 workers



Source: Group Survey, May 11, 2010

35

Victoria’s Secret

Summary

36

Summary

Expanding Sizes

As of now, the largest bra size Victoria’s Secret offers is a 40DD, even though sixty-two
percent of American women are overweight and cannot fit into this size. If Victoria’s
Secret wishes to continue to increase profit, the company will have to start
accommodating to more of the population. This means selling larger sizes in different
styles.

While there are a few larger bra sizes right now, there are not large enough bras for the
majority of the population. We are proposing that Victoria’s Secret sells bras up to a
44DDD in all styles. This would include all collections including Victoria’s Secret Pink,
Body by Victoria, VS Cotton, BioFit, Angels by Victoria’s Secret, Emma Collection,
Second Skin Satin, and Glamour by Victoria’s Secret.

After surveying one-hundred women, we found that the best option would be to sell bra
sizes up to 44DDD (in all styles) in eight different stores around the United States. Six of
the stores would be in Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and
West Virginia, where obesity is most prevalent. The other two stores would be located in
states that gross the most revenue among all of the United State’s Victoria’s Secret stores.
In the all other Victoria’s Secret stores one 44DDD would be available for sizing.

Another addition to the website would be to include a section for custom orders. There
would be an area where one could choose a size and style, and then a fabric or color. It
would be similar to the current order form for normal bras, except that you would have
two separate selectors for your bra size, one for band size and one for cup size. Custom
orders would range from a 46DDD to a 54G. If the company deemed it necessary, an
extra fee would be an option for these custom orders.

Women of all sizes have difficulty finding bras that fit them comfortably. For example,
one woman who took part in our survey wrote “usually bras that fit me around have a cup
size that is way too big.” She has smaller breasts, but a large band size and cannot find
bras from Victoria’s Secret that fit her properly. If larger sizes were offered, this would
no longer be an issue.

Lane Bryant, another company under the parent company Limited, sells bras for larger
women, but they do not have the same “sexy” look to them. From the survey, one
woman wrote “I cannot buy bras at Victoria’s Secret. They do not have my size. But I
have no trouble finding them at Avenue or Lane Bryant.” Right now these competitors of
Victoria Secret are catering to a larger population of consumers.

Another woman wrote “Who wears a 32D?! Apparently just me! Even finding a 34D bra
is hard!” This woman has a small band size, but larger breasts, and she can’t find a bra
there—which is ironic because the models are small around and they have larger breasts.
This makes consumers wonder: do they have to custom make the models bras? And if
so, why isn’t that an option to the public?

37

Victoria’s Secret advertises to all women, yet the company fails to provide for all women.
If they sell larger bra sizes, this will no longer be an issue.

Benefits from Expanding Sizes

From our survey, we gathered that over thirty percent of women would shop at Victoria’s
Secret more often if they offered larger sizes, and over forty percent would shop there
more often if they offered larger sizes in a larger variety of styles.

The most obvious benefit from selling larger bra sizes is that it would accommodate to
more of the population, thus creating more sales, and more sales equals more money. It
is important to cater to the majority of the population, and right now, Victoria’s Secret is
not doing that as well as they could.

Model Variation

Another issue with Victoria’s Secret is their lack of variation in models—not only in size
and shape, but in color also. For example, the slogan for one particular line of bras, Body
by Victoria, is “a body for everybody,” yet all of the models have the same shape, some
varying slightly in height or breast size. Within the seven main models, there are only
two models of color.

The plan would be to apply these plus size models in a way so that they seem no different
from the regular Victoria’s Secret models. They would be mixed in with the other
models among all of the styles of bras. That is, there would be no separate section for
plus-size bras, because all of the bras would be offered in all sizes and styles.

In Body by Victoria, only three of the 25 bras that are modeled are worn by the two
women of color. As the percentage of minorities continues to increase, we should
continue to advertise more to minorities also.

Right now Victoria’s Secret puts off the vibe that only thin white women can shop at
their store. They could be doing much better if they included everyone.

Benefits from Varying Models

From the survey, it became clear that if plus size models were put to use, Victoria’s
Secret would be likely to recruit more customers.

First off, forty-two percent of the survey-takers felt negatively about themselves when
looking at Victoria’s Secret models. In addition to the negative feelings regarding the
current models, forty-nine percent of the women surveyed said that they would shop at
Victoria’s Secret more often if plus-size models were used.

38

There would be a positive result on sales due to the positive feelings that would come out
from seeing that average women can be sexy too. There would be no more feeling of “I
will never look like that. I can’t shop there.”

When women have more pride in themselves, they have more pride in what they will
wear as well. Women need to feel sexy no matter what their bodies look like. If
Victoria’s Secret made this obvious, they could really improve their sales.

39

 Victoria’s Secret

Charts & Figures




















40

Charts/Graphs/Images

Chapter
3:
Overweight
&
Obesity

Fig
3.1





Overweight

Obese

Of
Normal
Weight




This
graph
represents
the
body
sizes
of
adult
American
women.
The
information

was
gathered
from
American
Heart
Association
and
shows
that
the
majority
of
the

American
women
are
either
obese
or
overweight.
It’s
important
that
a
company

sells
its
products
with
the
intention
of
reflecting
the
majority
of
their
consumers

which
Victoria
Secret
is
currently
not
doing.
Victoria
Secret
is
advertising

specifically
to
the
sliver
of
women
who
are
of
normal
weight
and
neglecting
the

needs
of
the
other
major
sizes
of
American
women.



Fig
3.2














































41

This
map
shows
the
distribution
of
the
percent
of
adults
that
are
overweight
in

America.
It
was
collected
from
the
Centers
of
Disease
Control
and
Prevention

website.
The
colors
on
the
map
represents
the
percentages
of
adults
living
in
those

states
that
are
obese.




Fig
3.3








































This
map
represents
America
at
a
later
time,
year
1996,
and
shows
the
trend
of

obesity
as
it
becomes
more
and
more
predominant.
As
the
population
of
consumers

change,
companies
also
need
to
adapt
to
these
changes.
For
example,
the
population

of
women
is
increasing
in
size
and
need
bigger
bras.
Victoria
Secret
needs
to

manufacture
bigger
bras
to
continue
to
upkeep
the
revenue
from
the
women.



Fig
3.4






























42









This
map
shows
the
most
recent
and
updated
distribution
of
obesity
in
America.

Notice,
that
the
previous
maps
were
predominantly
blue
and
now
the
majority
of

the
map
is
colored
in
orange
and
even
deep
red.
The
obesity
epidemic
is
not
lighting

up.
Victoria
Secret
needs
to
change
it’s
company
to
reflect
their
consumers.



Chapter
4:
Body
Image



Fig
4.1



How
Does
Victoria's
Secret
Models
Make

You
Feel

42


21

19


7

5

2


Positive,
I
love
 Positive,
they
 Positive,
some
 Negative,
I
can't
 Negative,
some
 Neither
positive


my
Body
 give
me
 other
reason
 ever
look
like
 other
reason
 or
negative

something
to
 that

work
toward







The
information
in
this
chart
was
gathered
by
a
survey
done
on
100
women.
The

question
asked,
“how
do
Victoria
Secret
models
make
you
fell?”
Out
of
the
100

women,
almost
half
said
the
models
made
them
feel
negative
about
their
own

images
because
they
felt
they
could
never
achieve
the
sexy
look.
21
women
felt

neither
positive
nor
negative
about
the
supermodels
and
19
women
felt
positive

because
the
models
gave
them
an
image
they
felt
they
could
strive
for.
This
question

was
important
in
the
proposal
in
gathering
feedback
from
the
consumers
of
Victoria

Secret
in
answering
how
Victoria
Secret’s
current
marketing
is
affecting
them.












43













Chapter
6:
Advertisement
Strategies

Fig
6.1




This
image,
taken
by
Robert
Voltaire,
is
the
newest
advertising
campaign
from

Victoria
Secret.
It’s
slogan
is
“Body
for
Everyone.”
The
problem
with
this
image
is

that
the
models
do
not
represent
the
typical
body
of
any
women.
The
models
are


clones
of
each
other,
tall,
skinny,
tan,
and
having
the
perfect
body.
This
advertising

campaign
is
causing
some
women’s
self‐esteem
to
be
hurt
is
completely
unreflective

of
the
major
consumers
out
there.






Chapter
7:
Competitors
of
Victoria
Secret

Fig
7.1


44

 

This
image
is
taken
off
of
Playtex’s
online
store
and
is
of
the
models
that
they
chose

to
hire
to
represent
their
products.
Notice
how
the
models
are
of
average
size,
shape

and
show
a
variety
of
ethnicities.
They
resemble
women
who
can
be
seen
in
a

grocery
store.
This
decision
in
model
choosing
is
a
major
difference
between
Playtex

and
Victoria
Secret.
Playtex
is
trying
to
hire
models
that
represent
the
majority
of

their
consumers.



Fig
7.2




These
images
were
taken
off
of
Victoria
Secret’s
online
store
and
are
used
to

contrast
the
differences
between
Playtex
and
Victoria
Secret.
The
models
are
all
tall,

skinny,
tan
and
have
unrealistic
bodies.
They
are
not
representing
the
majority
of

the
corporation.
While
they
make
the
products
they
wear
look
good,
they
are
also

making
other
women
self‐conscious.




Fig
7.3


45

 

This
ad
is
from
Victoria
Secret’s
newest
campaign
called
“Bombshell.”
The
image

shows
a
super
model
whose
body
is
so
computer
edited
that
she
no
longer
looks

realistic.
This
sends
a
message
to
consumers
that
even
super
models
don’t
have
the

perfect
bodies.
Victoria
Secret’s
image
of
sexy
is
unrealistic
and
unachievable.








Fig
7.4




This
image
shows
one
of
the
super
models
that
company
“Hips
and
Curves”
hired

and
uses
to
promote
sexy
lingerie
for
bigger
women.
She
is
proof
that
plus
size

super
models
can
be
represented
in
a
“sex
sells”
corporation







Fig
7.5


46

 

The
images
above
were
taken
from
a
onehanesplace,
an
online
compilation
store
of

all
sub
companies
that
Hanes
Inc.
owns.
It
shows
that
competitors
out
there
are

manufacturing
bigger
bras
for
the
same
price
as
a
smaller
bra.
It
proves
that
bigger

bras
are
achievable
and
cost
beneficiary.





Fig
7.6


I
would
be
more
or
less
likely
to
shop
at

Victoria's
Secret
if:

70

60

50
 I
would
be
more
likely

40

30

20

10
 I
would
be
less
likely

0

There
were
 There
were
 They
used
 They
had

larger
bra
 more
styles
in
 plus
size
 more
plus
 This
would
not
change
how

sizes
offered
 larger
bra
 models
also
 size
workers
 oBen
I
shopped
there

sizes



This
graph
is
a
representation
of
a
question
that
was
in
a
survey
of
100
women.
Out

of
the
100
women,
almost
half
agreed
they
would
be
more
willing
to
shop
at
Victoria

Secret
if
plus
size
models
were
used.
Over
60
women
said
they
would
shop
at

Victoria
Secret
if
bigger
bra
sizes
were
offered.
This
chart
proves
that
this
proposal

will
increase
the
population
of
consumers
shopping
at
Victoria
Secret
which
will,
in

turn,
increase
revenue,


47

Victoria’s Secret

Appendices: Annotated
Bibliography

48

 Work Cited

Bonander, Ross. "5 Things You Didn't Know: Victoria's Secret - AskMen.com." AskMen.com -
Men's Online Magazine. 2 Dec. 2009. Web. 22 May 2010.
<http://www.askmen.com/entertainment/special_feature_150/165_special_feature.html>.

In “5 Things You Didn’t Know” the author discusses many interesting facts about
Victoria’s Secret. Including the death of Victoria’s Secret’s founder Roy Raymond.
Raymond committed suicide after being forces into bankruptcy. The article also contains
less depressing information such as the origin of the stores name, background
information about models and information about some of Victoria’s Secret’s most
outspoken critics.

Cash, Thomas F., and Pruzinsky, Thomas . Body Image A Handbook of Theory, Research, and
Clinical Practice. New York: The Guilford, 2002.

This book is comprehensive, with 57 chapters in nine sections; covering all aspects of
body image, including developmental and cultural aspects to psychological,
pharmacological, and surgical interventions. The authors of this handbook are 71
internationally recognized experts in their field. They came together and work jointly to
address the suffering that stems from body image problems. Written in 2002 I believe
that this book is still relevant to today’s society, because the ways in which we create and
attribute body image and perceptions of ourselves has remained the same. The
information in this article is very complete and is presented in an organized fashion, with
many citations. It is a great resource for anyone hoping to get an in-depth look at what
influences body image.

Frentner, Shuan. "Victoria's Secret History | Summary." BookRags.com | Study Guides, Lesson
Plans, Book Summaries and More. 2005. Web. 23 May 2010.
<http://www.bookrags.com/history/victorias-secret-sjpc-05/>.


This
 article
 gives
 a
 general,
 yet
 fairly
 comprehensive
 overview
 of
 the
 history
 of

Victoria’s
 Secret.
 It
 covers
 why
 entrepreneur
 Roy
 Raymond
 decided
 to
 create

Victoria’s
Secret.
And
how
The
Limited
company
kept
the
stores
personalized
image

in
tacked.
The
Limited
did
however
determined
that
the
marketing
should
be
more

directed
towards
women
instead
of
men,
because
it
would
be
more
profitable.
The

article
is
very
informative
and
gives
the
reader
a
very
wide
view
of
the
history
and

background
of
Victoria’s
Secret.


Goleman, Daniel. "When Ugliness Is Only in Patient's Eye, Body Image Can Reflect Mental
Disorder." The New York Times 2 Oct. 1991: C13.

In this article the author addresses the issues of body dysmorphic disorder and image
ugliness. These disorders cause extremely self-conscious people to hide themselves from
some aspects of their lives. The author of this article cites many doctors and points out

49

 different case studies; this helps the flow as well as informs the reader. Written in 1991
some of the percentages and ratios may be off, but the definition and symptoms do not
change making this article as relevant today as it was 18 years ago.



Hartlaub,
Peter.
"MSNBC".
06‐01‐2010

<http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22871730/ns/business‐
business_of_super_bowl_xlii/>.



This
is
a
news
article
I
found
about
“The
Sleaziest
Super
Bowl
ads
of
all
time.


Victoria’s
Secret
made
it
onto
the
list.

It
is
talking
about
the
ad
that
aired
to
promote

Victoria’s
Secret’s
first
webcast
fashion
show.

The
thirty
second
ad
cost
around
$1.6

million.



Lacey,
LB.
"What
Size
is
the
'Average'
Woman?"
Full
and
Fabulous.
N.p.,
23
May
2010.

Web.
3
May
2010.


<http://www.fullandfabulous.org/articles_view.asp?articleid=17064>.




The
article
entitled,
"What
Size
is
the
"Average"
Woman?",
found
on
the
Full
and

Fabulous
website
discusses
with
the
reader
actual
facts
when
it
comes
to
the

average
woman
in
America.
It
gives
a
great
and
accurate
depiction
of
the
size
of

woman,
not
what
is
seen
on
the
television
and
magazines.
This
website
and
article

were
useful
in
providing
information
to
provide
backup
in
demonstration
that
the

trend
of
America
is
that
we
are
growing
larger
and
larger.



McAfee,
"The
Silky
Strategy
of
Victoria
Secret".
BEM.
May
31,
2010

<http://www.mcafee.cc/Classes/BEM106/Papers/2004/Victoria.pdf>.



This
is
a
paper
students
from
a
different
college
wrote
in
2004.

It
is
about
Victoria’s

Secret.

I
found
it
very
helpful
and
thorough.

They
did
many
different
sections
in

their
paper.

The
section
that
I
found
particularly
helpful
was
the
part
on
marketing

and
advertising.



Rawlins,
Aimee.
"The
Hard
Sell".
Fast
Company.
06‐01‐2010

<http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/119/the‐hard‐sell.html>.



This
is
an
article
I
found
about
the
“Sex
Sells”
phrase.

A
professor
did
an
experiment

about
how
different
people
react
to
sex
ads.

He
wanted
to
find
out
if
the
”Sex
Sells”

method
really
works
and
how
often.

He
found
that
it
works
more
than
not
to
male

viewers.

But
it
does
not
work
as
well
or
often
to
the
female
viewers,
unless
the

female
viewers
had
an
open
view
towards
sex.



Voltaire,
Robert.
"Voltaire
Photos".
June
2,
2010

<http://www.robertvoltaire.com/blog/tag/victorias‐secret‐model/>.




50

 Robert
Voltaire
is
a
photographer
that
has
worked
with
Victoria’s
Secret
many

times.

He
has
done
photo
shoots
with
many
of
their
models,
along
with
other

models
in
different
companies.

He
keeps
a
online
blog
and
posts
to
it
every
so
often.


In
this
post,
he
explains
what
it
takes
to
be
a
Victoria’s
Secret
model.

The

qualifications
are
outrageous,
expectations
like,
be
on
the
cover
of
Vogue
before
you

are
18.

He
tells
it
like
it
is
though.







"The Angel in the House." 2 Oct. 2005. Web. 02 June 2010.
<http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/english/melani/novel_19c/thackeray/angel.html>.

The article on The Angel in the House describes the expectation but on women to be
passive, meek, charming, sympathetic, self-sacrificing, pious, and above all, pure in the
19th-century. Written by Coventry Patmore a poet, the phrase "Angel in the House"
comes from his poem in which he uplifts his angel-wife up as a model for all women to
strive to be. The article allows you to read the poem for yourself and points out the
correlation between Queen Victoria and popularization of the Angel in the House ideal.


"The Average American Woman - Dieting and Weight Statistics." Weight Loss through
Fitness Affordable Weight Management Program and Community. Web. 28 Apr. 2010.
<http://www.inch-aweigh.com/dietstats.htm>.

The Average American Women, jumps straight to the point, giving fact and figures about
today’s women and the influence media has had on their body image. It encourages
readers to take a step back and analyze the reasons why their feel the need to diet, before
actually engaging in the “diet roller coaster.” Some of the information provided while
somewhat startling is very informative and helps to put things in prospective.

"Credit
Card
Commentaries."
Card
Offers.
Web.
2
June
2010.

<http://www.cardoffers.com/introComments/posted/card.asp?idmin=1381&offset
=0>.




This
website
is
helpful
if
a
customer
is
interested
in
applying
for
a
Victoria's
Secret

credit
card.
Consumers
are
able
to
go
to
cardoffers.com
and
leave
feedback
about

not
only
their
cards
but
their
experiences
with
how
they
obtained
a
card
and

whether
or
not
they
are
satisfied.




“Hips and curves” Web. 03 June 2010 <http://hipsandcurves.com>

Hips and curves is a privately owned company that specializes in lingerie for bigger
women. They only hire models that are a size 12 and above. Their models and images are
much similar to Victoria Secret’s style instead of Playtex, which shows that bigger
women can represent a company that relies on sexually explicit images to sell their
products.



51

"Obesity
and
Overweight."
Centers
For
Disease
Control
and
Prevention.
CDC,
May
2008.

Web.
4
May
2010.


<http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/trends.html>.




This
website,
Centers
for
Disease
Control
and
Prevention,
is
a
reliable
source
of

information.
The
website
was
used
to
gather
information
in
regards
to
the
rates
of

obesity
in
America
in
a
graphical
representation
using
the
maps
of
obesity
through

the
ages.
This
source
was
very
useful
in
showing
the
overall
trend
of
obesity
and

overweight
in
America.




“One Hanes Place.” Web. 03 June 2010 <http://onehanesplace.com>

This online store contained all of the products that sub-companies of Hanes’ offered, such
as Playtex. When searching for bra sizes on this website, it showed that the price for a
bigger bra was the same for a small bra. This website also proved that Playtex:My fit is
owned by Hanes Inc.



"Physical
Inactivity,
Overweight
and
Obesity."
American
Heart
Association.
AHA,
19
May

2010.
Web.
6
May
2010.


<http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=742>.




This
article,
"Physical
Inactivity,
Overweight,
and
Obesity",
published
by
the

American
Heart
Association
is
a
very
reliable
source
of
information.
The
article
itself

discussed
with
the
reader
the
current
statistics
in
regards
to
the
percentages
and

numbers
of
women
that
are
obese
or
overweight.
This
article
was
very
useful
in

trying
to
demonstrate
how
the
number
of
woman
that
are
obese
or
overweight

greatly
our
numbers
or
outweighs
the
number
of
women
that
are
of
normal
weight.



“Playtex” Web. 03 June 2010 <http://playtexbras.com>

The Playtex online store provided information on their advertising techniques and
products that they carry. The website showed consumers and their responses to the
Playtex products as well as model images. The website alone served as an excellent
example of the differences between Victoria Secret and Playtex.

“Victoria Secret” Web. 03 June 2010 <http://Victoriasecret.com>

Victoria Secret’s website provided information on product sizes and images that were
evaluated and analyzed to show their method of advertising.


“Victoria's
Secret
Angel
Credit
Card."
Web.
03
June
2010.

<https://onlineaccess2.mycreditcard.cc/victoriassecret>.




Victoria's
Secret
has
their
own
credit
card,
also
known
as
"The
Secret
Angel
Credit

Card".
On
this
website
specific
details
of
the
card
are
given
as
well
as
benefits
and

rewards.



52

 

“Victoria's
Secret:
Lingerie
and
Women's
Clothing,
Accessories
&
More”.
Web.
03
June

2010.
<http://www2.victoriassecret.com/>.




The
Victoria's
Secret
website
was
a
valuable
source
for
finding
current
sizes
and

prices
of
lingerie.
It
allows
a
customer
to
shop
by
certain
types
of
clothing,
sizes,

colors,
styles
etc.
It
is
a
colorful
and
effective
advertisement.




“VS
PINK::Welcome”.
Web.
03
June
2010.
<http://www.vspink.com/>.




Victoria's
Secret
Pink
Collection
is
the
number
one
sleepwear
collection
in
the

world.
This
website
is
a
Victoria's
Secret
website
solely
designated
to
the
Pink

collection.
This
website
was
useful
in
getting
current
information
on
one
of
the

company's
biggest
selling
products
world‐wide.




"Wikipedia".
06‐01‐2010

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victorias_Secret_Fashion_Show>.



I
used
this
Wikipedia
source
to
give
me
more
information
about
the
Victoria’s
Secret

Fashion
Show.

I
did
not
know
anything
about
it
before.

This
was
very
helpful
and

gave
me
a
lot
of
useable
information.

I
found
out
a
lot
about
the
history
of
the

fashion
show.

It
had
a
chart
on
the
page
about
when
each
show
was,
how
it
was

aired,
where
it
was
held,
how
many
viewers,
what
famous
people
were
there,
and

what
models
the
show
featured.


"Who2".
June
1,
2010
<http://www.who2.com/victoriassecret.html>.



This
is
a
website
that
tells
you
the
who’s
who.

It
has
bibliographies
on
my
many

famous
people.

I
used
this
website
to
find
out
what
models
have
been
involved
with

Victoria’s
Secret.




53

Victoria’s Secret

Appendices: Procedural
Documentation

54

Original
Proposal




 

April
28,
2010



To:
Writing
Team
Members




From:
Sophia
Grimm




Subject:
Create
a
Wider
Buyer
Demographic
&
Use
Average
Size
Women
as
Models




Background



Founded
in
the
early
1970’s,
Victoria's
Secret
was
established
in
San
Francisco
by

Roy
Raymond.
The
company
has
since
become
a
leading
specialty
retailer
of
lingerie

and
women’s
clothing.
There
are
currently
over
1,000
operating
stores
across
the

United
States.
These
stores
carry
bra
sizes
running
from
a
32AA
to
a
40DDD.
The

company’s
marketing
campaigns
include
the
Victoria's
Secret
Catalog
and
Victoria's

Secret
Fashion
Show.
The
average
company
model
in
these
advertisements
is
a
size

2,
often
around
5’11’’
and
117
pounds,
unlike
the
average
American
women
who
is
a

size
14,
about
5’4”
and
140
pounds
(The
Average
American
Woman).






Problem



There
is
no
doubt
that
the
current
social
standards
for
beauty
has
put
emphasis
on

the
desirability
of
thinness
at
a
level
that
cannot
be
attained
in
a
healthy
manner

(Cash
&
Pruzinsky
91).

Contemporary
society
has
increasingly
put
more
emphasis

on
beauty
and
creating
the
ideal
body.

You
cannot
go
anywhere
these
days
without

seeing
an
advertisement
for
the
latest
fashion
statement
or
beauty
product.
These

advertisements
create
ideals
that
people
habitually
internalize
both
consciously
and

subconsciously.

When
internalization
occurs
so
does
automatic
comparison.

According
to
Dr.
Rita
Freedman,
a
psychologist
in
Scarsdale,
New
York,
“Distorted

views
of
the
body
are
due
in
part
to
an
insidious
contrast
effect,
in
which
people

compare
themselves
with
the
models
in
advertisements."
(Goleman
C13).

This

comparison
can
be
detrimental
to
one’s
personal
growth
and
happiness,
especially

for
adolescents.




As
one
of
America’s
leading
manufacturer
of
lingerie
and
women’s
apparel,

Victoria’s
Secret
often
advertises
products
to
women
as
sexy,
fun,
and
empowering.

However,
the
company
is
presenting
a
body
size
that
is
for
most
women

unattainable.
It
is
also
currently
discriminates
against
more
voluptuous
women.

There
is
a
sizeable
portion
of
women
that
struggle
to
find
clothing,
especially
sexy

bras.
Most
women
who
have
a
bra
size
over
40DDD
are
often
confronted
with
three


55

options,
a
Full
Coverage
Bra
in:
white,
nude,
or
black.
Victoria’s
Secret
only
carries

sizes
ranging
for
32AA‐40DDD.
These
sizes
do
fit
a
substantial
portion
of
women.

Nevertheless,
with
America’s
current
obesity
epidemic
the
company
is
neglecting

women
that
do
not
fit
in
the
typical
sizing
range
that
has
been
established
by
the

fashion
industry.
“Department
stores
typically
offer
tiny
sections
with
only
20
or
so

brands
that
fit
sizes
14
and
up
‐‐
compared
with
the
900‐plus
brands
they
carry
in

their
regular
women's
wear
departments
(Vesilind).”



Despite
the
current
demographic
that
Victoria’s
Secret
caters
to,
there
are
a
large

number
of
women
that
are
not
able
to
buy
the
company’s
clothing
products,
for
a

simple
reason,
there
is
nothing
in
their
size.
Nearly
34
percent
of
Americans
over

the
age
of
20
are
obese,
this
percentage
has
more
than
double
within
30
years

(Belluck).




Table
1.
Prevalence
of
Obesity
and
Overweight
for
Adults
Aged
20
Years
or
Older
(Flegal)




All
women
deserve
to
feel
confident
and
sexy,
not
just
the
ones
that
happen
to
fit
the

body
type
dictated
by
the
fashion
industry.
In
order
to
make
women
feel
more

confident
and
sexy,
Victoria’s
Secret
needs
to
start
manufacturing
bras
that
will
fit

larger
women
and
also
market
their
merchandise
with
models
that
represent
the

size
of
average
women.






Feasibility




As
a
company
the
main
concern
is
increasing
profit
and
consumer
satisfaction.
It
has

been
obvious
for
years
that
these
things
are
intertwined.
And
Victoria’s
Secret
has

made
it
a
point
to
manufacture
nothing
but
high
quality
products.
However,
it
is

time
to
take
it
to
the
next
level.
Empower
the
women,
inform
them
that
they
can
be

sexy
and
strong
women
no
mater
what
size
they
are.
This
starts
by
finding
new

ways
to
advertise
the
merchandise,
perhaps
by
including
every
day
women
in


56

commercials,
similar
to
Doves’
marketing
strategy.
The
second
thing
that
needs
to

happen
is
to
produce
products
that
fit
larger
women.
This
enforces
the
idea
that
all

women
can
feel
beautiful,
no
mater
what
size
they
are
and
also
increases
the

number
of
women
that
are
able
to
buy
Victoria’s
Secret
Bras.



I
believe
that
we
can
find
an
effective
marketing
strategy
that
will
increase
women’s

self‐esteem
and
create
a
positive
self‐image,
within
the
next
5
weeks.
We
will
also

create
a
plan
to
design
and
distribute
larger
bra
sizes
to
all
operating
Victoria’s

Secret
stores
in
the
United
States.
It
will
require
hard
work
and
extensive
research,

but
with
this
team
of
experts,
it
is
completely
feasible.






Topics
to
Investigate



In
our
upcoming
report
we
intend
to
discuss
the
effect
models
have
on
a
women’s

body
image.

The
report
will
also
include
information
about
why
increasing
bra
sizes

is
necessary
for
expanding
the
consumer
market.
We
will
be
asking
the
fallowing

questions.


• Do the current body sizes of advertising models cause women to see themselves
more negatively?
• How can we create advertisements that show off the quality and desirability of the
company’s products, while still showing women that being skinny is not a
prerequisite for being sexy and beautiful?
• How much more will it cost to manufacture bigger bra sizes?
• How many bras bigger than a 40DDD should each store have in stock or should
they only be sold online?
• Have any major competitors increased their range of bra sizes to include bras over
a 40DDD?

Audiences


There
are
several
audiences
that
have
a
substantial
investment
in
this
project.
Our

primary
audience
is
Mark
Weikel
the
Chief
Operating
Officer
(COO)
of
Victoria’s

Secret.
He
took
on
his
position
as
COO
in
2003
and
has
since
helped
to
integrate

Victoria's
Secret
Beauty,
Victoria's
Secret
Direct,
Pink,
Intimissimi
and
emerging

concepts
together
to
form
a
megabrand
(Victoria's
Secret
Appoints
New
Executives).




You
are
our
initial
audience.
As
our
initial
audience
you
are
concerned
that
we
will

be
able
to
complete
this
report
by
the
given
due
date.

You
also
want
to
see
it
done
in

a
rational,
timely,
well‐written,
and
comprehensive
manner.




The
secondary
audience
of
this
proposal
includes
the
employees
of
Victoria’s

Secret’s:
Marketing
Executive
Jill
Beraud,
Telecommunications
Executive
Wendy
E.


57

Burden,
and
Plant
Manager
William
Mcraith.
This
report
is
also
of
interest
to
union

members
and
investors.






Methods




We
will
employ
the
EBSCO
database
and
use
other
online
research
information.
The

fallowing
sources
include
information
from
Newspapers,
Journal
of
the
American

Medical
Association,
and
other
helpful
resources.
Here
are
some
articles
and

information
that
are
pertinent
to
the
project.




Cash,
Thomas
F.,
and
Pruzinsky,
Thomas
.
Body
Image
A
Handbook
of

Theory,
Research,
and
Clinical
Practice.
New
York:
The
Guilford,
2002.




Belluck,
Pam.
"American
Obesity
Rates
Have
Hit
Plateau,
C.D.C.
Data

Suggest
‐
NYTimes.com."
The
New
York
Times
­
Breaking
News,
World

News
&
Multimedia.
13
Jan.
2010.
Web.
26
Apr.
2010.

<http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/14/health/14obese.html>.



Flegal,
Katherine
M.,
Margaret
D.
Carroll,
Cynthia
L.
Ogden,
and
Lester
R.

Curtin.
"Prevalence
and
Trends
in
Obesity
Among
US
Adults,
1999‐
2008."
JAMA:
The
Journal
of
the
American
Medical
Association
(2010):

235‐41.
Web.
26
Apr.
2010.
<http://jama.ama‐
assn.org/cgi/content/full/303/3/235?ijkey=ijKHq6YbJn3Oo&keytyp
e=ref&siteid=amajnls>.



Goleman,
Daniel.
"When
Ugliness
Is
Only
in
Patient's
Eye,
Body
Image
Can

Reflect
Mental
Disorder."
The
New
York
Times
2
Oct.
1991:
C13.




"The
Average
American
Woman
‐
Dieting
and
Weight
Statistics."
Weight

Loss
through
Fitness
Affordable
Weight
Management
Program
and

Community.
Web.
28
Apr.
2010.
<http://www.inch‐
aweigh.com/dietstats.htm>.



Vesilind,
Emili.
"Fashion's
Invisible
Woman
‐
Los
Angeles
Times."
Featured

Articles
From
The
Los
Angeles
Times.
1
Mar.
2009.
Web.
26
Apr.
2010.

<http://articles.latimes.com/2009/mar/01/image/ig‐size1>.



"Victoria's
Secret
Appoints
New
Executives
|
Company
Activities
&

Management
Board
&
Management
Changes
from
AllBusiness.com."

Business
Resources,
Advice
and
Forms
for
Large
and
Small
Businesses.

Display
and
Design
Ideas,
30
Jan.
2007.
Web.
28
Apr.
2010.

<http://www.allbusiness.com/retail‐trade/miscellaneous‐
retail/4442170‐1.html>.






58

 

Qualifications
and
Recourses



These
are
the
strengths
that
my
team
will
bring
to
this
project.




• Dominique Sabedra is our project manager. This is just one of many projects she
has taken on over the past few years. She has become a strong leader and knows
how to bring out the best in her co-workers. From my previous experience
working with Ms. Sabedra, I know that she leads by example and will assist
others without hesitation.

• Jeremy Currie is determined and open-minded. He is willing to learn and work

hard to find the information that we need to complete this project. His ability to
write in a clear and concise manner, gives him an edge of professionalism that is
hard to match.

• Rosalyn Mayo is currently working for KBVR, the Oregon State University
student run television network. This gives her an insight into the media that is
often not know to those outside of the media production industry. I believe that
her knowledge will be invaluable in our investigation between the correlation of
models in the media to the average women’s’ view of self-worth. She will also be
able to give us a realistic approach to producing a new advertising campaign.


• Our resident sales expert Kirsti Clapsadle has worked with several companies to
improve sales and build customer satisfaction. She also has experience
manufacturing business paraphernalia. Along with this, her ability to
communicate with others in a calm and personable way makes her the perfect
interviewer for this project.


• My personal expertise is in building a positive image for companies as well as in
people. I have put together several marketing campaigns that have helped improve
customer’s overall opinion of companies. These campaigns include community
outreach programs, commercial marketing, and print advertising. My ability to
help improve an individual’s self image comes from mentoring and working with
young teen-agers for the past four years. I have seen first hand how the unrealistic
desire to be a size zero has been brought on in large by the media’s influence. I
believe that with this experience I will be able to identify the types of advertising
campaigns that will build Victoria’s Secret’s image and help create a more
realistic perception of beauty.


• Connie Chan’s organizational prowess is going to be very useful. Specifically,
when it comes to completing this project with an efficient and structured system.
She is very persistent and makes sure people complete their assignments in their
given time frame. Then she takes the information and makes it available to the
entire group. She is an excellent scribe and documents all of the team the

59

 meetings. Ms. Chan will be crucial to making sure this project in completed in a
timely manner.



Work
Schedule





The
fallowing
schedule
has
been
designed
to
ensure
the
completion
of
the
project
by

June
4,
2010



Activity

 
























Responsibility




 




Total­time




Completion
Date

Gathering
Information













Sophia,
Rosalyn
 




24
hours

 
 May
4

Team
Meeting

 
 


All
 
 
 




3
hours

 
 May
9

Progress
Report

 
 


Kirsti,
Jeremy














3.5
hours

 
 May
10

Expense
Account

 
 


All
 
 
 




2
hours

 
 May
10


Analyzing
Information

 


All

 
 
 




11
hours

 
 May
12

Organize
Information

 


Rosalyn,
Connie











4
hours

 
 May
13

Team
Meeting

 
 


All

 
 
 




4
hours

 
 May
14

Plan
the
Draft/visuals

 


Sophia,
Dominique






8
hours

 
 May
15

Draft
the
Report/visuals

 


Kirsti,
Rosalyn












16
hours

 
 May
21


Planning
Revisions

 
 


All

 
 
 




7
hours
 
 May
23

Revising
Drafts/Visuals

 


Jeremy,
Connie

 




11
hours

 
 May
25

Editing

 
 
 


Dominique

 




 




8
hours

 
 May
27

Proofreading


 



 


All

 
 
 




4
hours

 
 May
28

Total
Hours:
105.5






Projected
Cost




Expense

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Cost

• Printing: 25 cents per page, estimate 100 pages $25.00
• Binding: Black Plastic Binding Combs $10.00
• Research phone calls $2.00
• Travel at 37-cents/mile; 81 miles $29.97
• Labor Cost; at $10 per hour $3,300.00


Total
$3,366.97





Call
to
Action




This
project
will
provide
the
company
with
information
that
will
be
prevalent
to

increasing
revenue
and
creating
a
new
consumer
market.
We
will
be
determining

how
sales
will
be
affected
by
increasing
bra
sizes
and
creating
a
marketing

campaign
that
displays
women
as
beautiful
and
sexy
at
any
size.
If
the
information
is

positive,
it
will
allow
Victoria’s
Secret
to
take
a
marketing
path
that
many
companies


60

have
not
pursued.
Intern,
this
gives
our
company
an
upper
hand
over
competing

marketers.



Agendas/Progress Reports

April 30th, 2010

Chapter 1: Background
• To inform reader of history dates, etc.
Chapter 2: Current Market
• Today’s Victoria’s Secret, demographic
Chapter 3: Success
• ?
Chapter 4: Failures/Problems
• What needs to change, what we propose
Chapter 5: The Plan-What
• What will change
Chapter 6: The Plan-How
• How we plan to change
Chapter 7: Potential Benefits
• Possible gain in revenue

May 12, 2010

• Send out survey

-at least 50 surveys
-try to survey all ages

• Commercials & Advertisements

-Slow motion, bigger boobs, very skinny
-Sex appeal
-Very rarely show full body
-“…very important for a woman to feel sexy”
-campaign for I love my Body “body for everyone”
-be sexy, be young

• Victoria Secret Competitors

-Playtex had full coverage; most are in beige and white
o Go up to a 46 G
o Older looking models
-Hanes; most are beige, white and black
o Go up to 40 DD

61

 -Dove
o Does not display the typical size 0 model
o Campaigns for bigger sizes

• History
-Founded in early 1970’s
-Established in San Francisco
-Over 1,000 operating stores across the US
-Catalogs and fashion shows
-Roy Raymond
*How did Limited Inc end up with Victoria’s Secret?
-Tell everyone who Victoria is!

• Contacting Victoria’s Secret

-How much does manufacturing a bra cost on average?
-What is the biggest size your company makes?
-Are some bra sizes offered only on special order? If so, where would I order
them at?

• Victoria’s Secret
-2008-2009 they lost sales
-over the past 3 years they have only grown .1%
-$537 million net sales/year

Team Member Descriptions:

• Connie
-Business Strategies of other companies
o Include;
-Different styles and sizes of bras
-Models
-Stores that products are sold at
-Other websites
-Sales
• Rosalyn
-Current and Potential Marketing Strategies

• Sophia
-History
-Body Image in the Media

62

 • Jeremy
-Today’s Society
o Has Victoria Secret catered to larger sizes i.e. obesity epidemic

• Dom & Kirsti

-Communication with the Store
o What sizes are there currently?
o Feasibility
o How much do bras cost?

________________________________________________________________________

May
24th,
2010

Reviewed
all
group
members
outlines





June 2nd, 2010

***Attention Wonderful Group 4 ***

-We are meeting on Saturday @ 4pm in the Library (bring $2 for pizza if you want
some) and Sunday @ 12 in the Library (brings snacks if your
heart desires  )

 Please bring completed individual portions of your proposal so we can read

through everything & start putting it together on Saturday…
 Sunday will be dedicated to combining proposal and emailing it to John

THANKS FOR ALL EVERYONE’S HARD WORK! …YOU GUYS ARE GREAT 

• Sophie: Table of Contents, Title Page

• Rosalyn: Bibliography
• Dom: Letter of Transmittal, Procedural documentation, PowerPoint
• Jeremy: Final budgets, Executive Summary
• Connie: Original Survey, Charts/Graphs
• Kirsti: Introduction, combining of proposals



 Outline format, similar to the proposal (refer to Sophie’s …she will email it to
everyone)


 ‐Subsections
for
categories


63


 ‐Single‐spaced


 ‐Minimum
of
4
pages
per
person


 ‐Charts
and
images
do
not
count
for
text


 ‐12
pt,
Times
New
Roman

 Please send annotated bibliographies to Rosalyn by tonight, as she has to put it
together for the proposal.
 Sophie needs your chapter titles and sub-categories tonight, tomorrow at the very
latest…so she can put together the table of contents
 Jeremy needs everyone’s hours and what they worked on by tomorrow at the
latest…to calculate final budgets (refer to the original budget Sophie sent out in
her proposal)
 Connie needs all charts/graphs/pictures by tomorrow at the latest.

Final Budget:
 Hourly wages ($15/hr)
 Printing, binding prices (if we were to print out proposal)
 Include how much it would cost to send to Victoria’s Secret
Executive Summary:
 This is a short summary of the entire document, (someone should be able
to read this and know what the proposal contains)
Original Survey:
• Survey questions
• Analysis of results
• How many people? Age span…etc.



Charts and Graphs:
• Make sure to have titles and explanations of how each relate to proposal

64

Victoria’s Secret

Appendices:
Original Survey’s
&
Interview Questions

65

Survey

In order to understand the needs and wants of Victoria Secret consumers, a survey was
conducted, directed towards the public women. The survey was created from
SurveyMonkey and distributed to women via facebook. The group forwarded the survey
randomly to a variety of women of different age, size, and ethnicity. Some of the survey
takers would then pass on the survey to other women. Below are the questions asked in
the survey and the answer choices that these women chose from.

1. How old are you?

Age
How old are you? Age

2. Please choose your bra size:

Please choose your bra size: 32-36

38-42
44-48
50-54
56-60
Larger than 60
AA
A
B
C
D
DD
DDD
E
F
G

66

 Larger than G
If larger than 60 and/or G, please state size

3. How difficult or easy is it for you to find bras in your size?

How difficult or easy is it for you to find bras in your size? Very easy
Somewhat easy
Neither easy nor difficult
Somewhat difficult
Very difficult

Additional Comments

4. Are these bras comfortable, attractive (do they come in different styles
and colors), and do they fit correctly?

Are these bras comfortable, attractive (do they come in different styles and colors),
and do they fit correctly? Yes, they are comfortable.
Yes, they are attractive.
Yes, they fit correctly.
None
What would you say is attractive about your bra, if anything?

5. Where do you shop for your bras?

Where do you shop for your bras? Target

Wal*Mart
Ross
Sears
ShopKo
Victoria's Secret
TJ Maxx

67

Other (please specify)

6. What brands of bras do you own/have you owned?

What brands of bras do you own/have you owned? Playtex

Victoria's Secret
Adonna
Champion
Liz & Co.
MaidenForm
Bare Necessities
Dove
Flirtitude
Lilyette
Other (please specify)

7. Have you ever shopped at Victoria's Secret?

Have you ever shopped at Victoria's Secret? Yes, only once.

Yes, a few times.
Yes, all the time.
No, never.

8. Do you find it easy, or difficult to find bras that you like at Victoria's
Secret?

Do you find it easy, or difficult to find bras that you like at Victoria's Secret? Very
easy
Somewhat easy
Neither easy nor difficult
Somewhat difficult
Very difficult
What do you find easy/difficult? (Finding sizes, styles, colors... etc.)

68

9. How do the Victoria's Secret models make you feel about yourself?

How do the Victoria's Secret models make you feel about yourself? Positive, I love
my body.
Positive, they give me something to work toward.
Positive, some other reason (please specify in "Other" box).
Negative, I can't ever look like that.
Negative, some other reason (please specify in "Other" box).
Neither positive nor negative.
Other (please specify)

10. I would be more or less likely to shop at Victoria's Secret if:

This would not

I would be more
I would be less likely change how often I
likely
shop there
I would be more
There were or less likely to shop at
This would not
larger bra sizes Victoria's Secret if: I would be less
change how often I
offered. There were larger bra likely
shop there
sizes offered. I would
be more likely

There were There were more

This would not
more styles in styles in larger bra I would be less
change how often I
larger bra sizes. sizes. I would be more likely
shop there
likely

They used plus They used plus This would not

I would be less
size models also. size models also. I change how often I
likely
would be more likely shop there
They had more They had more This would not
plus size I would be less
plus size workers. I change how often I
workers. likely
would be more likely shop there

69

Survey Results

A total of 100 women completed this survey and their results are as follows:

Age
of
Women
Surveyed


30


25

#
of
Women



20


15


10


5


0


Age


Bra
Size
Around
Middle

90

80

70

#
of
Women


60

50

40

30

20

10

0

32‐36
 38‐42
 44‐48

Size
Around
Middle






70

 Cup
Sizes

30


25

#
of
Women


20


15


10


5


0

AA
 A
 B
 C
 D
 DD
 DDD
 E
 F
 G
 Larger

Than

G

Cup
Size








How
Difiicult
or
Easy
is
it
for
You
to
Find

a
Bra
in
Your
Size?

Very
Difsicult

12%


Very
Easy

25%

Somewhat

Difsicult

25%

Somewhat
Easy

19%

Niether
Difsicult

nor
Easy

19%







71

 Where
Do
You
Shop
for
Bras?


TJ
Maxx

8%

Ross
 Target

11%
 25%

Sears

5%


Wal*Mart

Victoria's
Secret

8%

42%


ShopKo

1%







What
Brands
of
Bras
do
you
Own/Have

Owned

Lilyette

Adonna

Liz
&
Co.
1%
 4%

2%

Playtex
 Bar
Necessities

13%
 7%


MaidenForm

21%

Victoria's
Secret

Champion
 37%

11%


Dove

Flirtitude
1%

3%






72

 Have
You
Ever
Shopped
at
Victoria's

Secret

44


37


10
 9


Yes,
only
once
 Yes,
a
few
times
 Yes,
all
the
time
 No,
never









How
Does
Victoria's
Secret
Models
Make

You
Feel

42


21

19


7

5

2


Positive,
I
love
 Positive,
they
 Positive,
some
 Negative,
I
can't
 Negative,
some
Neither
positive


my
Body
 give
me
 other
reason
 ever
look
like
 other
reason
 or
negative

something
to
 that

work
toward













73

 I
Would
be
more
or
less
likely
to
shop
at

Victoria's
Secret
if:

70

60

50

40
 I
would
be
more
likely

30

20
 I
would
be
less
likely


10

This
would
not
change
how

0
 often
I
shopped
there

There
were
 There
were
 They
used
 They
had

larger
bra
 more
styles
in
 plus
size
 more
plus
size

sizes
offered
 larger
bra
 models
also
 workers

sizes




 


74

Victoria’s Secret

Appendices: Final Budget

75

 Budget

Employee Wages

Group Work Hours Income

(hrs.) Individual Work (hrs.) Worked ($15/hr.)
Chan, Connie 19 15 34 $510.00
Clapsadle, Kirsti 19 16 35 $525.00
Currie, Jeremy 19 17 36 $540.00
Grimm, Sophia 19 30 49 $735.00
Mayo, Rosayln 19 17 36 $540.00
Sabedra, Diminique 19 14 33 $495.00

Total
Wages $3,345.00

Printing/ Binding
Costs
Total
Estimated 100 pages X $0.25/page $25.00

Black Plastic Binding (1) X $10.00/binding $10.00

Total
Printing/Binding $35.00

Submital Charges
Free of cost,
Email Submital

Grand Total $3,380.00

76

Victoria’s Secret

Appendices: PowerPoint Slides

77

Power Point Slides

78

 


79

 


80

 


81

 


82

 


83

 

84

 


85