Brand Crisis and Rebranding: Victoria’s Secret (Essay Sample)

Brand crisis and rebranding: Victoria’s Secret
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Introduction
Companies doing business internationally are finding themselves in an increasingly competitive landscape as more and more markets develop and become globalized. Maintaining competition with an eye toward long-term development necessitates the implementation of an effective branding plan. Companies in this position may need to rethink their brand for a variety of reasons. The first effect of a merger or acquisition is a shift in the company's ownership. Strategy shifts are common outcomes of the three processes of diversification, internationalization, and localization. The need for initiatives to reposition or strengthen market positioning and handle reputation concerns may also arise as a result of changes in the competitive landscape (Beise-Zee, 2022). Lastly, the external environment might shift due to developments in law or regulation, a global crisis, or revolutionary new technology. As a result of these primary factors, businesses are increasingly adopting rebranding strategies in an effort to reinvent themselves or their brand identities.
The Victoria's Secret brand was founded in the United States and manufactures and sells lingerie, sleepwear, and cosmetics for women. The vast majority of its customers have been women over the last 40 years. Markets are broken down according to lifestyle, personality, and psychographics, with the end goal of appealing to middle-class women (Deepthi Gabriela & Choudhury, 2020). Victoria's Secret, like Sephora, sells a wide variety of items, including cosmetics, athletic wear, and clothes. The organization caters to a wide range of women based on factors including age, lifestyle, and personal taste. The corporation has had to rebrand itself in recent years in order to preserve its reputation.
Nevertheless, in 2014, American lingerie retailer Victoria's Secret faced backlash when it released an ad campaign with the tagline "The Perfect 'Body" (Selensky & Carels, 2019). The phrase promoted the company's "Body" lingerie collection, and it was superimposed over a picture of a Victoria's Secret supermodel. They were the ultra-thin supermodels who promoted the idea that a small, faultless physique was ideal. These are body types that the vast majority of women just cannot healthily pursue. Many felt this encouraged unhealthy eating habits and eating disorders among women and was harmful to their sense of self-worth. Customers voiced their disapproval online, and a petition signed by more than 30,000 individuals demanded that the corporation retract and apologize for the insensitive commercial (Deepthi Gabriela, & Choudhury, 2020). In response, Victoria's Secret rebranded under the slogan "A Body for Every Body," although keeping the same overall look and feel. Many were nonetheless supportive of the corporation for making the adjustment, saying it was a good move. This paper analyzes