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Before we get to this week’s spotlight brand (shhh, it’s a secret), I have a very exciting announcement for you.
Do you like getting updates on the signature stories, trends, and moments in the creator economy? Do you like knowing which brands and creators are winning, and why? Do you enjoy this newsletter, but sometimes wish that it wasn’t so, y’know, wordy and graphy and all that? Have you ever wished that maybe instead it could be, like, something that washes over you in waves of sound—ideally in an engaging live format?
If you answered yes to any of the above questions, then oh boy, have I got great news!
I’m thrilled to introduce How to Build Brands and Influence People: Live! We’ll be taking the HBBIP you know and tolerate to the next level with a new monthly LinkedIn/YouTube Live series. Each session will feature yours truly (with special guests) diving into trends in the creator economy, spotlighting standout brand campaigns, and answering audience questions—all live, all the time.
Our inaugural edition will come to you at 11 AM Eastern on September 10, just in time to celebrate HBBIP’s 100th issue! In both the live and analogue editions of the newsletter, we’ll be taking a look not only at HBBIPs of yore, but also the trends shaping the future of creator marketing.
We’ll have more details soon, but for now, get hype, mark your calendar, and register here.
Oh, and here are some more things to do for now: sit back, relax, and enjoy the 99th edition of HBBIP, featuring a comeback story from a brand beloved the whole world over.
Victoria’s Secret is a fixture in the worlds of lingerie, malls, catalogues, fashion shows, and more. But how about in the world of creator marketing?
Diving into the data, I saw a pretty clear growth story. No need to do a lot of digging for this one. Here’s why:
We’ve seen brands grow awareness metrics like impressions, engagements, and EMV without increasing their creator count. We’ve even seen brands grow those metrics with declining creator counts. But I don’t think we’ve ever seen a brand add this many creators and fail to see a corresponding boost in other categories.
That sudden spike in creators resulted in a corresponding jump in Victoria’s Secret’s post count:
That’s pretty significant progress, but the brand’s improvement in 2024 becomes even more apparent when we begin looking at those other metrics I mentioned earlier.
Let’s start with EMV:
Victoria's Secret EMV (Global): 2020 - 2024
A solid YoY 2x-ing is nothing to scoff at. But can we go even further?
Indeed we can. That’s nearly a 3x increase in impressions, meaning that whatever Victoria’s Secret got up to in 2024 drew a lot of eyes. But the most dramatic growth amid all these metrics came with engagements:
Ladies and gentlemen, in case it wasn’t clear from our previous 98 editions, this is the kind of exponential growth that gets brands featured in HBBIP.
Alright, so something happened in 2024. But what? To answer that question, I decided to take the long view, and investigate five years’ worth of monthly EMV totals. Was this a steady rise that jumped up a notch? An amplification of a longstanding seasonal pattern? Was this success sustained throughout the year, or localized around a single event? Or was it just a bolt from the blue?
Alright then. Bolt from the blue it is.
If you’re at all familiar with Victoria’s Secret, or if you followed social media in October 2024, then you might already know what the brand did. In fact, I even hinted at it earlier in this newsletter. That’s right: after a several-year hiatus, the famed Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show returned to the runway.
As with any Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, a healthy dose of content stemmed from media outlets, celebrities, and the show’s featured supermodels, an illustrious list that included Adriana Lima, Barbara Palvin, and both Bella and Gigi Hadid (it would have been awkward to invite just one). But given that this was the brand’s first Fashion Show with the creator economy in full swing, I expected creators to play a bigger role than ever before—and boy, did they (and Victoria’s Secret) deliver.
Among the individuals who drove the most buzz for Victoria’s Secret in October 2024 were:
I could go on listing people, but I think you get the point. By including these creators (and many others) in promotions and events surrounding the Fashion Show, then letting those creators do what they do best, Victoria’s Secret successfully adapted an established media property to a new era, further amplifying its impressive reach.
When it came to driving EMV, the creators I mentioned ran neck-and-neck with the ‘bigger names’ Victoria’s Secret employed for the show, which is no small feat, given that the show was opened by none other than Blackpink’s Lisa. While celebrities and supermodels might claim large followings, creators proved their place at the table by posting more frequently—and, of course, boasting some pretty passionate followings of their own.
Consider where Victoria’s Secret’s awareness metrics were coming from in October 2024:
Both impressions, as seen here…
And engagements, as seen here, were fueled by TikTok, underscoring creators’ crucial role in drumming up hype. But don’t sleep on X’s ability to fuel real-time conversation around the zeitgeist, with both media outlets and creators favoring the platform throughout the Fashion Show.
As Victoria’s Secret turns to its next chapter—and 2025’s Fashion Show—there are clearly big shoes to fill. So far, the brand’s H1 2025’s numbers proved in-line with H1 2024, but it’s going to take a monster finish to live up to last year’s extravaganza. However, having cracked the code with creators, I’m confident in Victoria’s Secret’s ability to find run(a)way success once again.
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