It was 12:30 am. I was sat in front of the telly, fighting off sleep just to stay awake for the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.
Every year, I’m reminded of how this brand has taken something as simple as lingerie and turned it into a global media event, capturing the attention of millions and, one can only assume, sending sales soaring.
Though, the brand is on my red-cross list for many things it has failed to deliver and still has a long way to go before we can call it truly inclusive, cruelty-free and unlachted from the scandals that have surrounded it.
Even so year after year, it manages to create a spectacle that girls in their pink PJs, cosied up with their girlfriends, eagerly look forward to. There is something about it eminently that makes the girl in me scream with joy too.
What is it about Victoria’s Secret that keeps us coming back for more?
Today, I’m taking you off the catwalk to unpack the core strategies and marketing moves that, in my view, has made Victoria’s Secret into a global behemoth.
1. It’s a Celebration of Peak Womanhood
There’s no denying how much Victoria’s Secret celebrates womanhood. In a world where women are still fighting for their rights, often let down by promises that fail to materialise, spending a Sunday evening watching a show that so unapologetically champions sisterhood feels comforting in a way.
There is so much power in women coming together. In cheering for one another. In rejoicing in each woman’s femininity, whatever that may look like.
Seeing women of different colours, sizes and backgrounds bring their own stories to the catwalk feels incredibly uplifting – a glimmer of hope for us girls to recognise our own potential in theirs.
I cannot emphasise enough the joy I felt in my bones watching these Angels unapologetically own who they are.
For all its imperfections, this is the side of Victoria’s Secret I love: the sisterhood, the girlhood and the community of philogynists (someone who genuinely champions women) it brings together.
2. The Angels are Distinctly Themselves
What makes the Victoria’s Secret runway so different is that each Angel carries a story. There is something about the women walking down that runway that makes us feel connected to them in one way or another.
I heard Victoria’s Secret’s Chief Creative Officer, Adam Selman, say in the Angels Among Us series that he looks for a girl with a story. Someone who has something to tell the audience. How beautiful is that!
You don’t often see that on traditional high-fashion runways, where models are expected to maintain expressionless faces, lest the attention drift away from the clothes. And frankly, I don’t want to see those stoic faces anymore.
Part of what makes fashion so beautiful is that it gives us a sense of identity. Certain clothes simply come alive when worn and shown off by the person wearing them.
Perhaps that is the reason why these Angels look all the more godly. They’re unapologetically themselves in their outfits, waving, blowing kisses and smiling their teeth out.
There is something so wonderfully human about it. Yet, I still find myself wondering, “Are these women even real?” as they look all the more ethereal at the same time. Ironically, it is their very humanness that makes them seem so divine. I wish more brands had their models truly own themselves on the runway too.
In addition, during the pre-show livestream, I heard a make-up artist say something that stayed with me: rather than layering products on faces the same, we give each girl her own look; we enhance the features that make her, her. Wow.
What I love is that this individuality carries through everything, from the casting to the make-up to the way these women walk the runway. No two Angels are quite the same, and that’s precisely what makes each of them so captivating.
3. They’ve Created a World of Their Own
What comes to mind immediately when you think of Victoria’s Secret?
Wings? Pink? Glitter? Glamour? Joy? Cheerfulness?
From the ultimate sparkles and pink-clad glamour to the larger-than-life wings, Victoria’s Secret has created a world that feels distinctly its own. In my opinion, no brand truly embraces the colour pink quite like Victoria’s Secret, and they own it so well.
They’ve cultivated a culture so compelling that even those who don’t particularly have an affinity for the brand find themselves drawn to watching the show. Whether they buy from Victoria’s Secret or not, there is something about the fantasy it has created that draws people in, yearning for a peek into this world, even if only for an evening.
What makes this glorious fantasy world so powerful is how instantly recognisable it is. There is no confusion about its visual identity. Ask almost anyone what comes to mind when they think of Victoria’s Secret, and chances are you’ll hear the same handful of adjectives.
That, ladies and gentlemen, is marketing done so right.
4. They Know How to Capitalise on Content
a. Before the show
To build on the desire, Victoria’s Secret launched a 6-episode YouTube series, Angels Among Us, documenting the search for its newest Angel. During the pre-show livestream I caught on to the brand’s CEO Hillary Super mentioning that the idea came from the comments section. Now, that is brilliant. Not only did Victoria’s Secret pay attention to what its fans wanted to see, but it also acted on it. And it worked.
Millions of people were hooked even before the show began precicely because it gave the fans a glimpse into the more raw, authentic side of the brand – from the casting to the decisions made behind closed doors.
More importantly, it took viewers on a step-by-step journey, building anticipation with each episode for the grand finale – the runway show itself, where Solange Omon was crowned the newest Victoria’s Secret Angel, making her runway debut.
It was an ingenious marketing strategy that managed to go viral over socials and build great anticipation for the show!
b. Show Day
The brand kicks off with a red pink carpet pre-show livestream with a countdown on screen, further building on the eagerness. We are taken backstage, shown glimpses of the collection (including those magnificent wings), introduced to the Angels and treated to interviews with arriving guests.
It’s practically 360-degree coverage, leaving little room for our attention to wander elsewhere.
c. After the Show
Post the catwalk, our feeds are flooded with even more content. Take a look at their Instagram for example, and there’s something so attractive about the way everything is produced – the lighting, the shots, the cinematography, the sheer production quality.
Everything works so beautifully together that you can’t help but stop and watch. It’s the kind of visual storytelling that makes your eyes light up and draws you further into the brand’s world.
Perhaps that’s what I find most clever about their content strategy. They don’t treat the fashion show as a one-night event. They build anticipation weeks before it happens, capture our undivided attention on the night itself and keep the conversation going long after the Angels have left the runway.
5. They Sell Prestige More Than the Lingerie Itself
I was left agape when Kylie Jenner emerged from the shadows, marking her Victoria’s Secret runway debut in a $50 million Fantasy Bra. Making its grand return after 8 years, the piece was created in collaboration with luxury jeweller Jacob & Co., making it the most expensive Fantasy Bra in Victoria’s Secret history.
And then there’s the guest list, which is just as extravagant.
What I find particularly clever is how the brand brings together different kinds of star power: Hollywood A-listers, Musical Powerhouses and biggest digital personalities.
Hollywood icons like Nicole Kidman and Timothée Chalamet, alongside familiar faces like Vanessa Bryant and Dylan Sprouse, brought traditional star power to the front row. Meanwhile, digital personalities like Livvy Dunne and Anastasia Karanikolaou brought their own audiences on social media.
Add musical performances by Megan Thee Stallion, Tate McRae, and Megan Moroney and you begin to see the bigger picture.
What I find interesting is how each of these names brings a different audience and a different kind of influence. Some bring Hollywood prestige, others cultural relevance and social media attention.
It is these marketing strategies among others, that I believe when brought together, have made Victoria’s Secret appeal undeniably different from other brands.
It has evolved from a mere fashion show to an entertainment spectacle dotted with pristine collections exuberating a culture of femininity.
Have we bought into it?
P.S. One of the things I loved most was that the catwalk was full of mamas! Of the 60 models who walked the runway, a sweet 16 of them are mothers.
Barbara Palvin made her return to the runway just six weeks (!!) after giving birth to her first child, a baby girl named Sylvie. Elsa Hosk too, had welcomed her second daughter, Flora, just a few months earlier in July.
There’s something so beautiful about seeing these women embrace motherhood while continuing to shine in their careers.