Sizzle Clip - Victoria's Secret
Victoria's Secret CMO Elizabeth Preis explains how the brand thinks beyond awareness and relevance to focus on "resonance," or making customers feel a lasting emotional connection. The conversation highlights how the brand's frequent touchpoints throughout a woman's day create opportunities to test and reinforce that emotional bond.
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Key takeaways
Victoria's Secret frames brand health in three layers: awareness, relevance, and resonance, with resonance being the deepest measure of strength.
The brand aims to be part of a woman's entire day, using constant testing and listening to gauge if its emotional connection is holding.
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For a brand as globally recognized as Victoria's Secret, the challenge is not getting noticed. It is staying meaningful. In a recent conversation, a Victoria's Secret executive broke down how the company thinks about its place in the market, moving well beyond traditional awareness metrics to ask a more demanding question: does the brand actually resonate with the women it serves?
The discussion framed brand health as a three-layer problem. Awareness answers whether people know you exist. Relevance answers whether you are meeting their needs at the right moment. But the executive pointed to a third, deeper layer as the real measure of brand strength.
If the awareness is do they know me? The relevance is am I giving them what they need and when they need it. Then the resonance is am I letting them feel what they wanna feel about me? — Elizabeth Preis, CMO at Victoria's Secret
From awareness to resonance: a shift in brand strategy
The old model of brand building, as described in the conversation, was relatively straightforward: drive awareness, deliver a product that meets expectations, and sustain the business. That formula no longer holds on its own. Consumers today expect brands to meet them with the right message, the right product, and the right emotional register, often simultaneously. For large legacy brands, recalibrating to that expectation requires disciplined listening and a willingness to continuously test and iterate rather than rely on historical equity.
Testing for longevity, not just reach
The conversation also touched on how a brand chasing resonance actually validates that it is landing. The answer, according to the executive, lies in a persistent cycle of testing, learning, and listening. For Victoria's Secret, that process is shaped by the scale of its touchpoints with customers. As the executive put it, the brand has an opportunity to be part of a woman's life throughout the entire day.
We have the opportunity to be a part of every woman's day, all day, every day. They can literally wake up with us. They can go to bed with us. That is a powerful opportunity. — Victoria's Secret Executive
That kind of reach creates both an advantage and a responsibility. When a brand occupies that many moments in a customer's daily routine, every product decision, every piece of communication, and every channel interaction becomes a data point on whether the emotional connection is holding. For brand leaders across industries, the Victoria's Secret framework offers a practical lens: stop measuring success at awareness and start asking whether customers feel something durable when they engage with your brand.
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About the author
Industry-recognized influencer, leader, and storyteller in Retail. Lead Retail Industry Contributor at MarketScale. Principal at MG2 Design. Host of "Retail Refined" Podcast. As a global brand and retail experience disruptor, Melissa possess strong proficiency in consumer insights, experiential design, retail technology integration, and brand innovation. During her career, she have created powerful visual narratives through physical spaces, imprinting complex concepts and ideas to consumers in genuine, tactile, and persuasive manners. She have also served as a consumer engagement trendsetter, “pop-up” industry pioneer, and entrepreneur. Melissa founded and launched a consumer experiential design firm that achieved a successful exit, driving initial client wins, monetization, and exponential revenue growth. "Melissa brings both her industry knowledge and an approachable and educational point of view to her interviewing skills. With an authentic style, she facilitates an engaging dialogue, one where listeners can walk away from with tangible insights and thought provokers!" -Jeffrey Roseman, Vice Chairman of Retail at Newmark "What sets Melissa apart is her ability to cut through the noise and provide actionable insights. Whether you’re a store owner looking to revamp your space or a tech enthusiast curious about the next big thing in retail, you’ll find tangible ideas to build on. From seasoned designers to pioneering tech gurus - ensuring that listeners are always engaged with diverse and forward-thinking perspectives. Retail Refined doesn’t just skim the surface; it dives deep into topics that matter. If staying ahead of the retail curve is important to you, start here." -Nate Frazier, Chief Operating Officer of GNC
