Victoria Secret: the Pink Line
Victoria Secret: The Pink Line
BUS 330
17 January 2011
1. According to Victoria Secret’s marketing department, their sub store, The Victoria Secret PINK Line, is for the casual college student and is used ideally as sleepwear. The clothes are very comfortable and relaxed. A non fashionable teen to young adult is Victoria Secret’s supposed target market. However, with tweens and teens becoming more mature at a younger age, they too are finding the brand to be a suitable replacement for kiddy style clothes.
Need recognition: This can come from internal stimuli (basic needs such as hunger, thirst, protection) or external stimuli. Considering that people do not purchase fashion brands based on such needs as, “I am cold/naked and need protective covering,” this first step is likely to be based on external stimuli. Note that the factors that influence a potential Pink customer’s recognition of need may also affect other phases of the buyer decision process. These include promotional information from the company itself, word-of-mouth information from friends/acquaintances, groups, lifestyle, status, and self-concept. Consumers are likely to filter some bit of information from one of these sources in recognizing that they need a clothing item that is fashionable, trendy, and hip.
Information search: Again, this can be internal or external. However, the nature of internal/external influences is different for this phase. Potential Pink customers could draw from either source. They draw from internal (i.e., experiential) sources (their own knowledge based on previous experience or exposure to product information) based on how familiar they are with the brand. For those very familiar with the brand, frequent purchasers, they may not gather information beyond internal information. However, many will draw from external sources, including friends and acquaintances or company advertising/point-of-purchase displays/sales people.
Evaluation of alternatives: Methods
BUS 330
17 January 2011
1. According to Victoria Secret’s marketing department, their sub store, The Victoria Secret PINK Line, is for the casual college student and is used ideally as sleepwear. The clothes are very comfortable and relaxed. A non fashionable teen to young adult is Victoria Secret’s supposed target market. However, with tweens and teens becoming more mature at a younger age, they too are finding the brand to be a suitable replacement for kiddy style clothes.
Need recognition: This can come from internal stimuli (basic needs such as hunger, thirst, protection) or external stimuli. Considering that people do not purchase fashion brands based on such needs as, “I am cold/naked and need protective covering,” this first step is likely to be based on external stimuli. Note that the factors that influence a potential Pink customer’s recognition of need may also affect other phases of the buyer decision process. These include promotional information from the company itself, word-of-mouth information from friends/acquaintances, groups, lifestyle, status, and self-concept. Consumers are likely to filter some bit of information from one of these sources in recognizing that they need a clothing item that is fashionable, trendy, and hip.
Information search: Again, this can be internal or external. However, the nature of internal/external influences is different for this phase. Potential Pink customers could draw from either source. They draw from internal (i.e., experiential) sources (their own knowledge based on previous experience or exposure to product information) based on how familiar they are with the brand. For those very familiar with the brand, frequent purchasers, they may not gather information beyond internal information. However, many will draw from external sources, including friends and acquaintances or company advertising/point-of-purchase displays/sales people.
Evaluation of alternatives: Methods
References: Kolter, Philip, & Armstrong, Gary. (2010). Principals of Marketing. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. Pearson Education, inc. www.VictoriasSecret.com www.VSpink.com