Marketing Insights Podcast

September 27, 2023

Transcript: 

Shanita Akintonde:

Hi, this is Shanita Akintonde, professor, author, career coach, and marketing she-ro. I invite you to join me for this very special edition of my Marketing Insights podcast series entitled Bottoms Up Brands. Bottoms up, bottoms up. Throw your hands up, tell security we're about to turn this podcast up.

Hi there, marketing maestros. As we fall forward, welcome to another special edition of my Marketing Insights podcast series entitled Bottoms Up Brands, where we will take a peek underneath brands that delve into the world of men's and women's undergarments. We will examine why the comfort style and a touch of whimsy, and in some cases flimsy, ooh, combine into the perfect potion for pain-free frolicking. From sleek briefs to elegant lingerie, we are going to celebrate the delightful realm of intimate apparel. So fasten your undies and button-down your briefs as we explore bottoms up, bottoms up, throw your hands up into spaces where quality meets fashion in the world of the most personal garments.

In this special edition of my Marketing Insights podcast, Bottoms Up Brands, I am going to share fun facts from four brands, one of which is so nice, it made the list twice. Ready for some fun? Alrighty, then. Let's delve into number one: Calvin Klein's Men's Flex Fit Briefs. This brand's claim to fame is its audience of men who seek to be sleek and chic via Calvin Klein's Flex Fit Briefs. Say that they're crafted from high quality, breathable fabrics, these briefs provide a seamless fit, according to them, that moves with your body. The reason Flex Fit thinks y'all should shout? It's their superior elasticity and support, which means the Calvin Klein Flex Fit Briefs ensure all day comfort without compromising style. Perfect for active lifestyles or simply those who appreciate a snug fit. These briefs sound like they're too legit. Too legit to quit. Hey, hey! Too legit. Flex, flex fit. All right. You can tell I miss you all, right? At the end of the day, what they say they're about is making buyers feel their best from the inside out.

Peekaboo! We're on to number two, Hanes Men's Cozy Comfort Boxer Shorts. They tell that these boxer briefs experience the ultimate coziness when you wear them. Hanes Men's Cozy Comfort Boxer Shorts are made from plush, breathable fabrics, and their boxer shorts wrap their buyers in a gentle embrace that lasts for hours. Cozy Comfort purports a product that is crafted for relaxation or casual lounging. They offer a loose fit and relaxed waistband according to their website, which promotes optimal freedom of movement. Hama! That means that whether the wearer is unwinding at home or catching up on a favorite podcast, like my very own Marketing Insights, Hanes Cozy Comfort Boxer Shorts provide purchasers a perfect balance of comfort and style.

Wait, wait, what do you see? It's me, and we're on to number three. Still tracking Bottoms Up Brands on this special edition of my Marketing Insights podcast series, Calvin Klein's Women's Essential Elegance Undergarments. Ladies! Ladies, discover the refined charm of Calvin Klein's Women's Essential Elegance Undergarments. With a focus on comfort and a touch of sophistication, these underwear feature soft fabrics and minimalistic designs. They offer a seamless fit and are available in a range of classic colors, ensuring a versatile edition to your wardrobe. Calvin Klein... And by the way, y'all, this is what they're saying their brand is all about. I'm just sharing with you. I am... repeating. Calvin Klein's Essential Elegance position themselves as a brand that provides the perfect foundation for any outfit and touts their ability to provide comfort and confidence throughout the day. And if you notice, marketing maestros, as I'm sure your astute ears are, the word comfort, comfort, comfort keeps coming up. We'll unpack that a little bit. In a later moment.

Hold the phone and answer the door. We made it to the final Bottoms Up Brand, and that's at number four, Victoria's Secret. Shh. It's a secret. Victoria's Secret Elegant Lace Bralet. What they tell us is that they are going to indulge ladies in the elegance of Victoria's Secret Elegant Lace Bralet. This is a delicately crafted item with luxurious lace and fine detailing. This bralet combines beauty with functionality. Again, this is according to them, y'all. With adjustable straps and a soft supportive underband, it offers a flattering and comfortable fit for everyday wear. The Victoria's Secret Elegant Lace Bralet exudes sophistication and confidence, making the wearer feel beautiful from the moment they slip it on.

Now, I know what you're saying, marking maestros. "What gives with these Bottom Up brands? You've been telling us all these things like you yourself are giving the commercial, but we know that as marketing maestros, we are looking underneath the brands to determine what is the selling factor, the W-I-I-F-M for consumers." I'll tell you what. Let me tell you what gives: a lot. And the way I'm going to do that now is for us together to take a more explicit look underneath the Victoria's Secret brand in particular. I'll use this one to model the other three brands that I discuss so that you can see how, from a marketing perspective, we can position these Bottoms Up Brands in ways that will hopefully appeal to a certain demographic.

The first point I want to point out that all of these brands have shown us is attention to detail. That's number one. Did you notice how the copy in each one of these examples that I gave emphasized things like luxury? And in the case of Victoria's Secret, which I'm talking about now specifically, they talked about "luxurious lace and fine detailing." This is about setting high standards. In some of my previous podcasts like Selling the Sizzle and So You Want to Build a Brand, I talk about the idea of having the attraction or the pulling mechanism happen to pull consumers to you versus pushing the product out. I think Victoria's Secret has positioned themselves very well in this capacity.

In branding, every detail counts. Every detail matters, I should say. So from the product itself to the way it's being presented, all of those things relate to number one, which is attention to detail. That creates an image of quality and care that customers know then that they can trust your brand.

Number two, still talking about Victoria's Secret as my example here in Bottoms Up brands and what they do well: focused on functionality and comfort. I said earlier I was going to come back to this word comfort because you kept hearing that as I espouse what each brand touted to its demographic. So in this case, the mention of adjustable straps when you're talking about Victoria's Secret or a "soft supportive underband," is another way to highlight functionality, but it also ensures that the product is saying that we don't only just look good, but we have a practical purpose as well. So it's about delivering that ROI, the return on investment to the consumer, or in this case, the ROI being our eyeballs: We want it to look good and feel good.

Hala. Number three, emotion and experience. So the Victoria's Secret copy goes beyond the product's features to describe how it makes the consumer feel. You all know my 80/20 principle. If I don't explicitly state it in every podcast, it's in the undercurrent, and that is that 80% of purchasing decisions are made on what people feel about your product. Feel, not think. That's the other 20%. So when you look at this brand of Victoria's Secret and what they have on lock is this idea of making their consumers feel a certain way.

Now, in the case of these undergarments that I explained earlier in this podcast, they are quoted as saying "it exudes sophistication and confidence, making you feel beautiful." Let me pause for the cause. "Making you feel beautiful." Who doesn't want to feel beautiful, marketing maestros? I know I do. So this is about tapping into the emotional aspect of branding. A strong brand connects with its consumers on a personal and emotional level. It's not just about what the product does. As I said before, it's about how it makes you feel.

Number four, still tracking Bottoms Up Brands, what they do well in order to attract their consumers. In this case now, I'm looking specifically at the Bottom Up brand of Victoria's Secret. Consistency is key. Victoria's Secret is known for its consistent branding across its product lines. The word "elegant" in the product name for this particular product aligns with their brand image of sophistication because this is seeing branding also helps consumers recognize, and back to that word trust, trust, trust, trust your product.

Number five, and this is the final one, it's lifestyle association. The product isn't just about clothing; it's about a lifestyle... Let me say that again. Bottoms up, bottoms up. Throw your hands up, isn't just about the clothing. Nope. Oh, that didn't rhyme, did it? Sorry, I was trying to go with that free flow. Messed that up. But you get my point. The product isn't just about clothing. It's about a lifestyle. So for example, when you wear a bralet from Victoria's Secret, you're not just wearing lingerie, you're indulging. Brands often sell a lifestyle or an aspiration as much as they sell a product. So customers buy into the idea of what the brand represents and not just the brand itself. Wow. That's like a... brain explosion moment for me.

So in the world of branding, the Victoria's Secret Elegant Lace Bralet is a shining example of how a product can be more than just the sum of its parts. It's about crafting an image, connecting emotionally with consumers. I have to keep saying that because you all don't know how many boardrooms I'm in when I'm writing, whether it's one of my book contributions. I write for Forbes Magazine now. I have a podcast. Oops, this is the podcast. But whenever I talk about these things, I have to reiterate the idea of connecting emotionally more often than you might believe. People nod in agreement with me, but I don't know if they really understand it. But what I'm going to say to each and every one of you, marketing maestros, is that that is the recipe for building a brand that stands the test of time. And I know what I'm talking about. Trust and believe me.

Bottoms Up Brands, at the end of the day, embody a commitment to provide intimate apparel that embraces comfort, style, and quality. The products that I've outlined in this podcast, which include Calvin Klein's Men's Flex Fit Briefs, Hanes Men's Cozy Comfort Boxer Shorts, Calvin Klein's Women's Essential Elegance Underwear, and Victoria's Secret's Elegant Lace Bralet are all designed to enhance the customer's daily experience with undergarments that prioritize wellbeing and confidence.

In this special edition of my Marketing Insights podcast, Bottoms Up Brands, I shared highlights of all four of those bands. Excuse me. I mean brands that embody both comfort and style. You, my wonderful marketing maestros, by knowing what lies beneath, can pull to the surface the items that contribute to a person's overall sense of self-assurance and contentment, just like I seek to do for you in each and every one of my Marketing Insights podcasts, just like this one, bottoms up, bottoms up. Throw your hands up. Tell security we're going to turn this podcast up.

Thank you, marketing maestros. I am back. You'll hear another one from me very shortly. But until then, bye-bye.

Until next time, which will be our best time, this is Shanita Akintonde, professor, author, career coach and marketing she-ro signing off. If you enjoy listening to these podcasts, be sure to subscribe on Stitcher, iTunes, or Google Play, and like them wherever you hear them. Connect with me on LinkedIn at Professor Shanita Akintonde or follow me on Twitter @_shanitaspeaks.