In this article we’ll take a look at some of what’s happening Beauty + Intimates, where new competition is changing the conversation and altering the pecking order of brand leadership.
Some of the changes are uprooting fundamental assumptions and semiotics that have long governed the identity, promise and behavior of leading brands.
In the case of Beauty and Intimates, we see sexual objectification and impossible standards giving way to the power of practicality, self-love and identity.
In Beauty some of the shifts are coming from surprisingly mainstream players, like CVS, with more real life portrayals of women and products. Their marketing campaign, "Beauty in Real Life” will only feature women in everyday activities, and will no longer include any image-alterations to women’s faces or bodies or sexualized staging. Moreover, CVS campaigns for all CVS private label brands, will only feature women using and applying those products as they do in real life. The move reflects arise in consumer interest for authenticity and rejection of stereotypes.
While this idea was planted nearly 15 years ago with the Dove “Real Beauty” campaign, it seems change is only now getting going with potential for large ripple effect.
It also reflects a move to replace traditional demographics with micro-demographics that open the way for brands which can appeal to individual communities more effectively.
Given CVS $42.9 million US media spend in 2018, and fact that it might extend this initiative to the 500+ (non CVS) beauty brands it carries, the impact could be huge.
---
This move reflects arise in consumer interest for authenticity and rejection of stereotypes. As more new players get in the action, they threaten to unseat what seemed like unassailable leaders in other Beauty/Image related categories, such as Victoria’s Secret.
What are they doing differently? They're not designing around preconceived notions of beauty. And they are not designing "for someone else” (a male gaze). They are designing "for you" (the wearer) with an inclusive apporach that embraces all the diverse forms that could take
Brands like ThirdLove, Aerie (by American Eagle) and Savage X Fenty are actually creating new category language, services, and products that celebrate different types of women, different types of beauty, different types of bodies, ages, and life stages. In doing so they are creating a template for doing for you vs. doing for others.
They’re introducing undergarment collections and sizes for day-to-day activities, not just bedroom seduction. Products that fit you rather than make you fit a mold. They prioritize fit, use, and comfort to you- the wearer- over pleasing appearance for others. They innovate across materials and tech to create custom sizes, new fitting tools and online fitting services. In short, there are now brands in the market who deliver an experience designed around a Woman who confidently decides what fits her life and makes her feel good.
As Michelle Cordeiro Grant, CEO of Lively says, her company focuses on how "women feel in products when they look at themselves”, rather than how they want to be seen”.
A look at the new...
And women are responding. Since its launch in 2012, ThirdLove has had consistent sales increases. In contrast, Victoria’sSecret, has had three straight years of significant declines in sales. In Nov. 14, 2018, The Post reported a 60% drop in income for sales in 2018 vs. 2015 and a .38 cent drop in L Brand shares (owners of VS). Investment outside core product into across sportswear, pajamas and makeup has caused analyst to question management. Insistence on primping “barely legal” sex kitten tropes and catering to an increasingly dated male fantasy and gaze are causing the public to question the brand.
For many, the latter actually is eroding its brand equity and contributing to the sentiment that VS and L Brands are of touch with social shifts. The tone-deafness to the Third Love "shift” was apparent at the Victoria’s Secret annual fashion show.
A look at th old...
It not only doubled down on its current positioning, but tried to pass off the hyper-sexualization of its wing clad “angels” as feminist empowerment. As Ella Alexander points out in her article in Bazaar, it’s insincere to conflate the two.
“Naked selfies may be empowering for some but they are not advancing gender parity or the feminist cause.”
The emptiness of the moment was compounded by Ed Razek’s (CMO at L Brand) remarks in his interview with Vogue in which he said Victoria’s Secret would not work with transsexuals or plus models because “it’s a trend” and “it doesn’t sell.”
By contrast, Heidi Zek, CEO of ThirdLove, did have her ear to the ground. She seized the day with an open page letter in the NYT demanding an apology from Razek. In one fell swoop, she put VS and the world on notice, and deftly positioned her company as the new role model. Here are some excerpts:
“How, in 2018, can the CMO of any public company — let alone one that claims to be for women — make such shocking, derogatory statements?” ….
“You market to men and sell a male fantasy to women… "Your show may be a ‘fantasy’, but we live in reality.
Our reality is that women wear bras in real life as they go to work, breastfeed their children, play sports, care for ailing parents, and serve their country….“
Haven’t we moved beyond outdated ideas of femininity and gender roles?” she added. “It’s time to stop telling women what makes them sexy — let us decide. We’re done with pretending certain sizes don’t exist or aren’t important enough to serve.
And please stop insisting that inclusivity is a trend.”
Victoria’s Secret is still the marketshare leader by leaps and bounds according to EuroMonitor. But brands like VS need to pay more attention as many existing and future customers are drawn to brands with a more inclusive, modern message.
We only need to look at the thousands of women who thanked Heidi Zek on Instragram and vowed to jump ship and/or “gave a fist bump” by making an immediate ThirdLove purchase.
As the tables turn, The VS's of the world need to think about this shift and to see it for more than a passing trend, more than a minor shift in category preferences.
It’s part of a larger shift in macro culture where ideas like 'Success', 'Beauty', 'Truth', 'Aspiration', 'Woman', 'Man', 'Identity', 'Self' and 'Self-Love' and more all are being redefined.
As brands like ThirdLove perfect their ability to improve the choice, they will edge into VS’ share. For instance, when Third Live announced 24 new sizes, including half sizes, it sold $1 million in the first 5 days and 1.3 million women signed a waiting list!
Till recently, the VS brand was synonymous with irresistible and this was something people were willing to pay for. Today, that image of desirability is also being associated with one-dimensionality, exclusivity, excess, superficiality, and chauvinism. When that happens, not only do customers look elsewhere, they look more closely at products and price and they cease to see themselves in you.
Against that backdrop, it’s important for all brands to take note and assess what to hold dear in their brand and what to evolve, who their audience truly is and how to identify with their values.
