VS Angel Taylor Hill Fronts 'Tease Rebel' Fragrance Campaign
Victoria's Secret Angel Taylor Hill stars in the brand's new fragrance 'Tease Rebel', a companion for its signature 'Tease' fragrance. Hill anchors the rebel message wearing branded hoodies, form-fitting jeans and leather jackets.
One wonders if the rebellious floral with notes of wild rose, two types of violets and white leather is the brand boost that VS needs right now. Reflecting yesterday on another quarter of weak sales for Victoria's Secret, the Wall Street Journal writes: "The brand is still struggling as young consumers now prefer more authentic marketing and garments that resemble crop tops, with simple sizing and lower prices."
Young consumers know that there is nothing rebellious about Victoria's Secret, a brand that takes a stand on nothing that runs against the mass-opinion current. And post Parkland students and #MeToo, VS is feeling very old-fashioned these days. Being a 'tease' is not a positive message for millions of American women -- and global, too -- sorting out the #MeToo movement. Young consumers want to own their sexuality and their bodies Rihanna style: sexy yes, but deeply close to her followers and supporters and a global activist to boot.
As a VS veteran, I love the brand but left over primarily marketing and positioning issues. Loop Capital analyst Laura Champine recently dubbed Victoria’s Secret the “Sears of Brassieres', a true gut punch insult to the world's biggest lingerie brand. LikeFast Company, I've written about the decline of VS for years. Their May 2018 comments about the brand's marketing ring tightly with my own around branding like Rebel Tease:
The lingerie brand still dominates the market, but it hasn’t altered its marketing, which focuses on being sexy for a male audience. The brand’s flagship event, a massive fashion show where supermodels don angel’s wings and diamond-studded bras, seems anachronistic in the current #MeToo moment.
AS VS sales continue to plummet, the Victoria's Secret brand needs to look beyond product categories and into its very soul. Headlines like Business Insider's RBC: Victoria's Secret is trading at 'negative value' from Aug. 21 are not good. Let's hope a new breed of modern women angels whisper some sweet nothings into the ear of VS marketing genius and primary stockholder Les Wexner.