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Corporate Communications

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Conditions Communications Strategy: Victoria’s Secret
Jasmine Rhodes
Southern New Hampshire University

Conditions Communication Strategy: Victoria’s Secret In December of 2011, Bloomberg News published an article that brought up allegations against Victoria’s Secret regarding one of their overseas suppliers. The news report stated that child labor laws were being violated by their cotton manufacturer in Burkina Faso, which is an undeveloped country located in West Africa (Simpson, 2011). This cotton is used in a small portion of VS panty styles, and the brand chose this supplier because they were certified as a Fairtrade, organic rain-fed, and pesticide free cotton. They also chose this supplier because this country struggled with poverty, and wanted the opportunity to create “life-changing opportunities for some of the world’s poorest women (lbrands.com).” According to the US Labor Department, Burkina Faso has had multiple reports of child labor instances, including forced child labor or forced labor among their women (Levs, 2011). After hearing these allegations, it was necessary for VS to take action immediately in addressing this matter, and they responded with an investigations of the UNPCB, the government of Burkina Faso, and Fairtrade International (lbrands.com). Their quick action was needed in order to show that they took the matters seriously and to prevent tarnishing the brand image. In times of crisis, there is a need for strategic corporate communication, to address the key stakeholders of the organization. Victoria’s Secret has important stakeholders that are in their involved in their day to day operations, both internally and externally, so it is important to tailor their communication to meet their target audiences. When the child labor allegations surfaced, Tammy Roberts Myers, who is the VP of External Communication released statements for the organization to the public, stating how the behavior was “contrary to the company’s values and the code of labor and sourcing standards they require their suppliers to meet (Levs, 2011).” This conditions communication strategy will specifically address the employees as their internal stakeholders, and the customers as their external stakeholders.
Communication Need The stakeholder management issues that need to be addressed would need to be handled in a persuasive and informational manner, because their brand is already well established, and the customers are already well versed on their product offerings. Because of the allegations being brought against the company, the company needs to address the situation and explain why they are in business with that supplier. The values which are stated on the company website needs to be addressed as well, since this issue is contradictory to their company standards. The allegations were stated by a well-known, reputable source, which caused the need for the communications which will be addressed. It is important for the statements to be formal, which means that they were well thought out before hand, in order to show that they are very serious and sincere in this matter.
Internal Communication One very important stakeholder for the VS brand is their employees, as they are the face of the brand on daily basis. When crisis arises within the organizations, it is important to address the employees, because they are in charge upholding the company policies and adhering to company policy as well. The child labor allegations can be found as offensive to their employees as well, so this communication needs to be informational, while addressing the issue, and making the employees feel that they are handling this matter with care. Memorandums, or memos, are used as a formal means of communication to employees. They can be used to share news, address problems, make requests, or just to provide feedback, and typically addressed to a specific audience. Memos are used frequently in office settings to communicate with employees directly, therefore, this would be an effective form of communication for this strategy. The memo would read as such:
Memorandum
To: All Employees and Management Team Members
From: The VP of Internal Communications
Date: January 17, 2012
Subject: Addressing the Recent Allegations I am sure that you are all aware of the recent allegations that have surfaced in the media regarding one of our cotton manufacturers. It has been brought to our attention that they have been involved in possible child labor violations at their cotton farm located in Burkina Faso. As you know, we pursue excellence and cherish the opportunity to change lives in our organization, and this behavior goes against all of our principles. Our policies and standards strictly prohibit the use of child labor, and after hearing this news, we are taking strong courses of action to investigate these allegations to the fullest extent. Here at Limited Brands, we want our employees to feel a sense of pride working for us, because of the quality and prestige that we offer to our customers. We want you to feel that you are working not only a safe and inclusive environment, but also one which operates ethically, with high morals and passionate values. We will be investigating this matter thoroughly, and we hope that your spirits will remain high as well go into our new Body by Victoria launch next week! Remember that we always want to provide that excellent customer experience to our guests.
External Communication For Victoria’s Secret, the customer is the center of the operation, as they are the driving force for the business. Their products are designed to meet the needs of the women who wear their products, and their website states that “everything we do must begin and end with an insatiable drive to anticipate and fulfill our customer’s desires (lbrands.com).” If customers are made aware of the issues that a company is experiencing, this can lead to the possible loss of loyal customers and new ones as well. For a company as large as VS, it is beneficial for them to have a VP of External Communications, as they can be in charge of crisis management. In reference to the allegations facing the company, an emailed statement of intent would be highly effective, and it must be done in a timely manner. Emails are often very formal, and can be used to convey a variety of messages to specific and broad audiences. Because the company wants to address the matter in a broad, yet discreet manner, a well prosed email could be released as a statement to address their customer base, while also reaching the ear of their investors and the non-shopping public. The email could be drafted in this manner:
Dear Valued VS Customers, Victoria’s Secret is a brand which works hard to provide our customers with high quality products that are made with the best materials and the best technology available, to give you excellent comfort. We strive to operate as ethically as possible, and as you may have heard, there have been some recent allegations regarding one of our cotton manufacturers and their possible use of child labor. As a company, we are very concerned, and even though only a small portion of our panty styles utilize this cotton, we are still highly against this type of labor. Our company standards expressly prohibit child labor, and as we speak, we are currently investigating the Burkina Faso cotton farm, as well as the Fairtrade International organization which certified this location. Women are the cornerstone of our business, and the reason that we created ties with this facilities was because they are home to some of the world’s poorest women. We saw this as an opportunity to create life-changing jobs for those women, and we can assure you that we were unaware of these conditions before signing the agreement. We are immediately taking action to investigate these allegations, and we will be sure to be transparent with any findings that we discover in this process. We do value your patronage to our business!
Best Regards~
VP of External Communication
Four Limited Parkway East
Reynoldsburg, OH 43068 www.lbrands.com Summary When situations arise that have the potential to damage the brand image and deter customers from shopping the brand, there comes a need for internal and external communications to formally address the problem and educate the audience on the fine details of the problem. The communication must also be tailored to the target audience, as different audiences have different needs and point of views of the situations. There are many forms of communication which can be utilized, such as memos, emails, letters, or advertisements, and it is beneficial to choose the tool which would address the situation properly, in a formal and informational manner.

References
Burkina Faso. (2012). Retrieved March 29, 2016, from https://www.lb.com/media/our- responses/burkina-faso
Levs, J. (2011, December 15). Report alleges Victoria's Secret linked to child labor. Retrieved March 29, 2016, from http://www.cnn.com/2011/12/15/world/africa/victorias-secret-child-labor/
Simpson, C. (2011, December 15). Victoria's Secret Revealed in Child Picking Burkina Faso Cotton. Retrieved March 29, 2016, from http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2011-12-15/victoria-s-secret-revealed-in-child-picking-burkina-faso-cotton
Values. (2016). Retrieved March 29, 2016, from https://www.lb.com/our-company/values

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