Victoria’s Secret Pink: Keeping the Brand Hip

Case 6 Victoria’s Secret Pink: Keeping the Brand Hip As consumers, we pay attention to what is hip and trendy in the marketplace as it relates to fashion. Advertising plays a large role in the fashion decisions made by adults and pre-adults alike. For instance, advertisers for Victoria Secret have done a brilliant job of creating an association with the Victoria Secret brand and the visual image of lingerie that immediately comes to mind. They do this by using famous super models to market their signature bras, panties and sleepwear. This association is then projected back on the consumer, who begins to believe that they can be just a seductive as the Victoria Secret supermodels if they purchase this lingerie. A dilemma that may arise from this is that sometimes ethical boundary lines may become blurred or even crossed when advertisers try to establish a target audience. In an effort to generate profits, companies may be putting themselves at risk by targeting audiences that are too young for their sexually charged merchandise. . Analyze the buyer decision process of a typical Pink customer. The typical Pink customer is a young and fashionable woman that enjoys comfortable clothing. For women who may think that the Victoria Secret line is too racy or sexy for them, the Pink line offers a casual alternative that allows young women to feel cute and playful. The Pink brand is typically associated with and is characterized as an â€Å"approach† product, which is a product that provides a consumer a form of enj oyment. A typical Pink consumer uses personal influences to make purchase decisions. For example, this line of clothing is basically geared toward college coeds, who are usually seen sporting â€Å"loungewear† in daily life. Pink consumers are able to take their personal sense of style to the next level by wearing clothing that better suits their personalities. In this line, loungewear has been redefined by the use of bright colors, stripes and polka-dots; the line reflects personalities that are more fun. Likewise, lifestyle and social class play a large role in buyer decision. Pink customers are fortunate enough to be able to afford to spend their disposable income on fashion forward brands such as these. Lastly, â€Å"age and life stage† impacts buyer decision. The intended target audiences for the Pink brand are women between the ages of 18 through 30 , which includes the later part of Generation X and most of Generation Y. This subculture perceives themselves as young and will dress accordingly and make a fashion statement with the popular Pink brand. The women in this target group who are interested in being fashionable will look to societal requirements of them when making fashion decisions. If they know their age group is being targeted by the Pink advertisers and they think that Pink is hip and stylish, they will likely be influenced to buy it. Consumers wearing modern clothing products tend to feel better about themselves and perceive themselves as conforming to modern times. 2. Apply the concept of aspirational groups to Victoria Secret’s Pink line. Should marketers have boundaries with regard to this concept? Victoria Secret has positioned the Pink line in a way that it will target young consumers through their entry-level product so that they continue to be loyal customers and purchase the Victoria Secret brand as they age. Marketers have an ethical and social responsibility to ensure that they are not marketing to a young target age group if the product poses an inherent health risk or is sexually charged. Such is the case with the tobacco companies. Their advertisements were indirectly gaining the attention of minors. I believe that Victoria Secret is not exploiting younger age groups with their Pink line. Even if tweens are interested in the product, there is little cause for concern since the line is intended to be cute and playful, rather than sexy. Unfortunately, because of age compression, children are doing away with childlike images at a much earlier age. The need to grow up is very visible when it comes to fashion. For this reason, marketers need to be diligent in making sure that they target and advertise to the appropriate age group. In this day and age we place blame on the fashion industry and manufactures for the skimpy clothing products that are introduced to the market place and essentially to our children. Although there is some truth to this, we must not minimize the essential role that parents need to play in ensuring that the boundaries for their children are met. 3. Explain how both the positive and negative consumer attitudes toward a brand like Pink develop? How might someone’s attitude toward Pink change? From a positive side, consumers can relate more to the Pink product line as the clothing is characterized as â€Å"loungewear† which is comfortable and easy to wear. The consumers are presented with new Pink products every three to four weeks. This in turn keeps customers satisfied with being able to have the latest and greatest attire. Positive consumer attitudes are formed by customer satisfaction with the product. If the customers’ expectations are exceeded, then they are said to have a positive outcome. Positive customer experience will lead to customers being loyal and making repeat purchases. Satisfied customers will in turn be advocates and refer their friends to the Pink line. Negative consumer attitudes are formed when there is dissatisfaction with the product purchased. These customers will most likely never purchase the product again due to their initial poor experience. A customer’s attitude towards Pink may change due to some misunderstanding. For example a loyal customer may change their opinion of the company not due to the product, but because of poor customer service. This in turn can persuade the customer to purchase from somewhere else. As a business, you need to create and maintain strong customer relationships. It is easier to keep current customers than to attract new ones. 4. What role does Pink appear to be playing in the self-concept of tweens, teens, and young adults? Pink appears to be having a positive influence on the self-concept of young adults. It is not always necessary to look sexy in order to feel good about yourself. Young adult women can look good and feel comfortable at the same time with the Pink line of clothing. Let’s face it, not all women love the way they look naked; the Pink brand allows them to feel as though they are wearing something young, hip and attractive without having to compete with the supermodels that wear the Victoria Secret line. The tweens and teens are being influenced by external forces such as the media, and by their social groups into wearing the Pink Label. Tweens and teens want to conform to societal expectations and will take any step necessary to accomplish this such as wearing adult clothing in order to fit in and be part of the hip, trendy crowd. Some parents may think that the Pink clothing line may be slightly risky or too provocative for this age group. Though selling to this age group may be a positive economic benefit for Pink, it may tarnish Pink’s corporate social image. Parents do not want to see their children dressing beyond their years. Bad publicity may cause customers to boycott the Pink brand and possibly the Victoria Secret’s products as well. 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