Victoria's Secret Fashion Show
Shocking, isn’t it? Well, whether it is or isn’t true, it doesn’t much matter because it got you to read this sentence. Why? It is bold. It is controversial, audacious to the extreme, unafraid of the consequence and most of all… raw. It makes a guttural connection with wonder-bread moms that fall slack jawed in disgust and boys from 14 to 54 that are still reading past this sentence to see if there is a story to the headline. This kind of emotional connection that compels you to action is the power of maverick marketing.
What is maverick marketing?
Maverick marketing is the shock and awe campaign in your toolkit. It is the power to never allow one single consumer to ignore you. It is the power to never allow one single consumer to feel apathetic towards you as a marketer or the products you are selling. It is the singular power that only emotions as strong as love, hate, lust and sympathy can evoke.
A Profile in Maverick Marketing: Victoria’s Secret Fashion Shows
By 1999, Victoria’s Secret was already the #1 lingerie retailer in the world with gross revenues over $3 billion. However, it sought to build its image with a fairly conservative, middle-class shopper and distance itself from the connotations of sleaziness that lingerie might carry. Savvy marketers devised a plan. They used “sex” to un-sell “sex.” They used controversy to combat sleaze. They turned provocative into adorable and in so doing, won over middle market moms. How did they achieve this monumental feat? They announced that their already infamous Fashion Show would be broadcast on network television. The ads were provocative, overtly sexy, and controversial and dropped strategically on a Super Bowl spot, Times Square and popular fashion magazines. These ads were designed to be incendiary; they were designed to stir every PTA mom to outrage and every red blooded male to triple check that their VCR really was set to record. People just couldn’t help themselves; they simply had to tune in. In its first year, this show garnered more than 1.5 million viewers. In the hour long show, those 1.5 million viewers were shown just how adorable 10 Super Models in lingerie and Angel Wings can truly be. Not to saw that some people still did not walk away with a tawdry taste in their mouth, however the numbers speak for themselves. By 2007, Victoria’s Secret’s bottom line boasted nearly $6 billion in revenues and its annual fashion show claimed more than 7.4 million viewers.
*For a financial snapshot of Victoria’s Secret Stores and Direct Sales, please visit Hoovers
Conclusion:
Victoria’s Secret pulled off maverick marketing boldly. They had a brand that could confidently support controversy, maverick marketers with the conviction to withstand controversy and most importantly, the foresight to take the road less traveled.
Are you a maverick marketer? Do you have the vision to see something new, to implement it to perfection and the skin tick enough to withstand the backlash and the business?
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