Khue Ngo Blog #3

My Take on Current Events: Pinterest is entering the money-making business 

I assume we all read the news about Pinterest introducing promoted pins. When searching for a certain key word, or just randomly browsing categories, you might find pins that will show products on sale. But apparently, they have not limited their commercial activities to just that.

The other day, I received an e-mail from Pinterest saying that a skirt that I pinned months ago is now on sale and 43% off.

(sorry, the e-mail is in German but I think you get the gist…)

So not only are they promoting pins now, they also send you actual advertising. Are they moving too fast? Yes, at least for my taste. I consider Pinterest as a platform to collect and share the things you are interested in, not an online shop - even though they only direct you to other websites to make the purchase. However, I felt negatively surprised by that e-mail as I do not need yet another website informing me about special sales. 

My TTIY Observations

This week, I took a look at the American Eagle in-store advertisements.

They are promoting their special sales with big signs in the windows saying 60 % off. Instead of using their typical font, they wrote the “60 %” off in the style of the subway line icons. I think that this way people automatically pay more attention to it as it is catching the eye, and riding the subway is probably something the target audience (girls 15-25) is doing regularly. Two of the e-mails I received this week were in line with the in-store advertisement and showed the same sign (but promoting a different sale).

I also took a closer look at the AE blog this week. The blog is in the style of the American Eagle website. It is kept white and clean with big pictures of people wearing AE apparel. However, they use another logo as their key visual: Instead of the American Eagle logo, they display “Live your life” in big handwriting-style letters in the top left corner of the blog. The “V” in “live” is replaced by the Eagle. These three words are the hashtag they promote in their e-mails as mentioned last week.

There have been four blog entries this week. They also mostly consist of very little text and large pictures of people wearing AE clothes. These are more amateur-like than on the actual website, though. It seems like the pictures are taken with a regular digital camera or even with a phone by the bloggers themselves.

The topics range from a special Aerie Ribbon Build event, to Fitness Friday, to a special feature about an AE Blazer.

It is not obvious who is blogging. You do not know if it is one person or an entire team. I will start reading the blog regularly in order to find out more about the author and to see if there is a certain pattern in the choice of topics that might reveal a communications strategy.

My Recap

I have to say that I was very positively surprised by our visit at McCann.

As an agency with 19,000 employees, I expected it to be very impersonal and anonymous. However, the atmosphere encountered there really appealed to me.  In particular, I liked the fact that each team sits together at one “desk island”. This is something that I find more attractive than the cubicle style that we saw at TargetCast last week. That is why I was really surprised: McCann as such a huge company offered something more personal than the comparatively small company.

I was really impressed by their work and liked it very much. During the entire course of my undergraduate studies I actually wanted to go into the advertising field. However, when I was looking for internships, the offer for the PR internship was more interesting, which is why I ended up in Public Relations.

Now, it would be really interesting for me to “go back” into advertising in order to see if it fits me as well or even better than PR.

Many of the things about client relations that Grant mentioned are well-known to me, as I have personally encountered such situations during the past three years. I guess there is not a big difference between advertising or PR clients. The workload and required flexibility in terms of office hours sounded very familiar as well.

From the descriptions of the different roles in an advertising agency, I could imagine that the Account Executive position would suit my skills very well. I like organizing, coordinating and bringing everything together. However, I am also very intrigued by the Planner position. I am definitely not creative enough to work in the creative department, but I really enjoy participating in the development of ideas. The process described in our last readings about the creative brief very well depicted a task that I would enjoy: Developing a guide for the creative team that includes the clients wishes and deliver a first creative direction.

Tanya Dentham: Blog #3

Visiting McCann was like walking down memory lane. I was eager to visit this company because I wanted to see the difference between an ad agency in the United States compared to the multinational agency back in Thailand. I honestly think that the only difference that I was able to pick out is that McCann is definitely more international. For the most part, it probably has to do with the difference of culture in Thailand and the US. Even though Grey has a presence globally, it is localized because of the employees and the market that they have to work with. The general structure and work processes however, were very similar - where there is a lot of pressure for the agency to work with different client needs. It is very prevalent in almost all agencies and often is the cause of disagreement between parties involved.

The discussion led by Grant was very interactive and fast-paced. But I do understand that we were working with limited time. Nevertheless, I felt like I was able to gain some insights as to how McCann was operated. The scope of work at McCann was as expected. I knew that agencies, especially big ones like McCann served a very diverse group of clients - from services to consumer products. Each of them having their own specific needs. In my view, the opportunities of serving such a diverse roster of clients is that the agency will have developed expertise in so many areas, as well as the ability to adapt to the differences very quickly. Having said that, the agency is faced with challenges to be very responsive to the evolving industry and changes in the target audiences' behavior without forgetting that a single minded message will always be more effective.

Although I was familiar with the way things ran in an agency, it is always good to learn from someone in different roles. As a Strategic Planner at Grey, my main role was strategy and brand planning. I was able to oversee local and international brands but had no direct contact with the client. While I had the opportunity to collaborate with the Account and Creative teams, it was only to make sure that the understanding of the clients' needs were mutual. I was interested to learn about how the Account team worked - especially when Grant told me that he worked on Verizon which meant that his account was B2B. I'm interested in this aspect because during my time at Columbia, I would like to learn the necessary skills in order to possibly go back home and further improve my father's company - dealing with B2B only. Moreover, Grant's presentation was a good reminder that an agency should have a clear brief that outlines the information given by the client regarding the objective. This is important because the outcome of the work must always link back to the objective.

I particularly enjoyed the discussion about Truth Central. I was interested in how they conducted the different studies and the methods of research that was put into the process. It made me realize that people have so many ways of accessing information nowadays and enjoy a wider variety of resources. Even though I never really enjoyed working with numbers, I was intrigued by the fact that Truth Central had their own way of meshing numbers with the creativity aspects as well. Not only is this concept new to me (as I am usually familiar with firms focusing on only one area rather than both), but it pushed to find out more when I apply for my internship this summer.

The overall working environment of McCann was very pleasant. The look was very clean and minimal, yet still presents that creative vibe. Every agency has their own style and I agree that the working environment is a big selling factor. I know that I will definitely take this into consideration before deciding where to work in the future.

After my previous experiences in the advertising industry, I think that I have had my fair share of what it has to offer. Although, it was a super challenging job to juggle between the needs of different clients and to be on top of everything, I still wanted to seek for something else. This visit to McCann made me certain of that decision. As of right now, I am certain that I want to work on the client side, with a focus on branding and strategy, but I am always open to other things as well. I think that our company visits will help me narrow down my choices for my internship this summer. I am excited to see what else is out there!

Current Events

I was reading an article on adweek.com and CNN.com about the most valuable brands. It so happens that after 14 years, Apple has "ousted" Coca-Cola as the world's most valuable brand, per Interbrand. Coca-Cola fell from first to third place and Google takes the second slot.

Apple's brand is worth $98.3 billion (nearly 30% increase in the last year)
Google's brand is worth $93.2
Coke's brand is wroth $79.2

It is clear that Apple's performance has been outstanding culturally and for the products itself. I guess the recent success is to have sold a total of 9 million units of the iPhone 5S during the first weekend of its launch. It is impressive to see how excellent products, a solid leadership team and a clear vision can bring the company to where it is today.

TTIY Project Update

I have to honestly say that the updates from Bath & Body Works have been very slim. I just received a welcome email from them regarding their Fragrance Insider updates. This allows me to receive exclusive event invites, special offers and the latest news.

As we are transitioning into fall, Bath & Body Works have come out with their fall line of handsoaps, candles and body products. They focus on the orange color and the pumpkin fragrances.

Social Media updates: I find that the Bath & Body Works social media channels are quite limited in their communications. Besides the consistent updates about the new products that have come out, they have not really been utilizing these channels well. While they are responsive to customer reviews and comments, they have not been initiating any activities on their social media platform. I think that channels like Facebook, Youtube and Twitter would be a good start for them to engage and interact with customers. I'm interested to see what they have planned for the upcoming events like Halloween and Thanksgiving!

As for my personal consumption of Bath & Body Works' products, I have been enjoying their candles and lotions. Although, as I've mentioned, I feel like it would be nice for Bath & Body Works to come out with new communications to interact with customers. I would like to see how the brand can go beyond their limits, besides offering promotions to customers and releasing new products seasonally.

My next step is to find a Bath & Body Works' store and chatting with their representatives. It would also be interesting to see the communications done within the store as well.

Catherine's post #3

I was really excited to visit McCann because one of my friends just got a job at this company. Unfortunately, she was in the other building and didn’t know much about the company to share any insight. She could not explain why but she had a gut feeling that I would like the company. She was right. I really liked McCann’s office. I remember thinking that TargetCast’s office was stifling due to the lack of colors despite how new and clean it was. McCann’s open layout and the bright and modern furniture was such a draw to me. I think an environment like that inspires creativity and keeps the staff happy. I can definitely see myself working in an open and collaborative environment like McCann.

I expected some of the scope of work but I didn’t realize that so many different teams came together for each project. I thought that having so different groups working on one project makes having a clear and precise message between the client and agency more difficult. However, the breakdown of teams and structure of projects seem to alleviate that problem. I was also impressed by the diverse roster of clients McCann has. This fact gives rise to both pros and cons. Without a focus on particular industries, the challenge would be to learn about their clients’ industries and target audience very quickly and be able to switch between thinking hats. The pro is that they will not be caught in a bubble and only think about one specific industry or audience. They may be inspired by other projects and find surprising connections.

            Some people don’t consider “truth” and “advertising” to be in the same realm, at least not directly, so I was surprised by how much pride McCann takes in delivering the truth. I particularly loved the work by Truth Central, which seemed like the research and inspiration headquarters of McCann. In spite of that, I gravitated towards the Account Management position as it allows for dabbles in all aspects of the work but not too deep into any particular area. The fact that advertising is a service industry was clearly reinforced at McCann. I think that is an honest truth and also why McCann is so successful.

Victoria’s Secret shoot in Paris

Once again, Victoria’s Secret sent their angels across the globe to Paris for a photo shoot for their Holiday Collection at the historic Louvre museum. These photos seemed to have been sent to the press, or the press could have been allowed access to the photo shoot. This act is undoubtedly for more publicity that leads to their fashion show, which features their holiday collection. Lingerie clad models with giant wings on their backs at an iconic museum are bound to garner a ton of attention.

Social Media and TV

The article linked shows that watching television and using social media are not mutually exclusive. That was contrary to what I believed in until I read the statistics and argument. In fact, social media is now used to amplify TV advertising as conversations about TV shows and ads then to last on social media long after air-time. Social media seems to also make TV-watching more interactive as people can tweet or communicate with each other during commercial breaks and still catch some of the advertisement rather than go channel surfing and miss related ads.

Given how much we multitask on a daily basis, the argument makes sense. For someone who does not watch regular TV but streams most shows on the channel specific websites or external websites, I can see how important social media is to reaching consumers like me. I often hear the buzz on the latest TV shows or ads via social media. I don’t follow a TV schedule so I get my reviews about shows via social media, especially from close friends. I then choose to watch shows and advertisements that stick in my head the most. Social media definitely helps to spread the word about what is on TV, especially for those who don’t have time to watch many different channels or for many hours.

Wei Yun Lim Entry #3

The visit to McCann was extremely exciting. Grant was extremely friendly and approachable, and I was really amazed at how honest he and Kesha were. Kesha, especially, was really honest in regards to how difficult it would be for an international student to obtain entry-level work in the communications field in America. In a way I already knew that it was going to be hard, but at least she was blunt. What really surprised me about McCann, however, was the Truth Central initiative. Initially, I had thought of the Truth Central as something that they were using to promote certain values and to restore their reputation. While, as Professor Jarmon pointed out, it certainly is, it certainly surprised me that this notion of 'truth' underpinned all the advertisements that McCann put out. As Ariel pointed out, McCann had a surprisingly anthropological approach to truth. The research that goes into it was definitely fascinating, and I know where I'm applying for an internship this summer. Another surprise was the fact that the average time from the receiving of the briefing to the putting out of the advertisement was only six-eight weeks. With all the magic, glitz and glamour that comes with advertising, I would have thought that it would take far longer than that.

It seems like such a vibrant, energetic environment to work in. Though something that was mentioned in class really stood out to me: the vibrant environment is also a good way to lure clients, and to make them think that creative people must work in this environment. Just because an environment looks a certain way does not mean that the culture will definitely be easygoing and casual. In fact, in advertising, I am quite sure that none of it is easygoing and casual at all. I enjoy fast-paced though: it keeps me from getting bored.

Speaking of fast-paced, the class is definitely progressing that way. Because of how much there is to pack in, we have a lot of work and a lot of discussion. The issue of online advertising constantly comes up, especially with regards to online vs. traditional. What kind of ads strike you is definitely something to think about, and when people are most vulnerable to advertising is certainly a question. It was interesting how different people in the class once again had different reactions to being targeted for advertising.

As for my research on the TTIY project, the new Kindle Fire has been released! I'm extremely excited (and, as I have probably mentioned every post, extremely tempted.) It's called the Amazon Kindle Fire HDX, and it was unveiled around the same time as its competitor, Nexus 7. It is being said that it was done deliberately in order to foster competition and raise sales. With all the talk about Kindle versus Nexus, both brands are likely to feature in the media more often, resulting in more exposure than if the Kindle was released alone.

The Kindle Fire is supposedly lighter, faster, and it comes with 24/7 tech support, which I am extremely excited about. Though I have yet to use tech support for my Kindle, I would love to be able to have it fixed at three in the morning. They are also touting it as the 'best college tablet', which I find interesting as critics have previously said that the Kindle is not suitable for college students. However, 80% off textbooks with Amazon Prime? Talk about marketing genius: they are selling their Prime to students, who already obtain it at a discount, as well as making the new HDX more appealing. I don't know about you, but I'm down. Then again, I am an Amazon die-hard.

One thing though: the Kindle Fire is now coming with advertisements. It will cost $15 to turn the advertisements off, and while I am now more receptive to the thought of advertising than I once was, I'm not sure how the casual user is going to feel about that.

Ariel Feldman Blog Post #3

Overall, I feel as if the class is progressing in a layered way. The synergy of information from class to class is really enhancing my experience and helping me to comprehend and retain general concepts; the way that the readings and visits interconnect - like when the discussion of paid ads on Google from TargetCast came up again today at McCann, for example - really reinforces what we've been learning and hones in on key points without belaboring the subject. Also, visiting different work environments is such a valuable tool to help gain clarity in what I am looking for and what I might not want in a future career.

Today at McCann, I really enjoyed listening to Grant and Arvind talk about the advertising industry. As an avid fan of Mad Men, it was fascinating to hear the modern perspective of such a gilded aspect of the communications industry. In many ways, advertisements are the background music of our lives, whether we are watching them on TV, seeing them in print or online, or even being thrown one in a taxi on TaxiTV. Meeting the people who actually create these campaigns that touch our lives was really inspiring and increased my appreciation for the work that goes into one single advertisement. On a personal level, I was surprised by the level of creativity in the office. I was caught off guard by the gorgeous furniture and eclectic work environment, and was very intrigued by the organic flow of the office. I really liked that there weren't any cubicles and that ideas seemed to bounce from one person to another. While I still see myself entering the PR field, it was interesting to see how a firm like McCann works, and I am now even more excited to see Cohn & Wolfe, because right now I am really set on in-house, and I want to see what a firm environment is like in the PR industry.  I am really hoping that the Cohn & Wolfe visit will give me some clarity in that arena, and I am definitely looking forward to that day!

As far as my Dove "Go Fresh" research - I have decided to pursue Dove's branding for women as a whole due to a dearth of research on the "Go Fresh" campaign. I am energized about this decision because I will get to look at other aspects of Dove's marketing towards women, such as the "Real Beauty" campaign, which is the most famous, as well as sensitive skin, deodorant, body washes, etc. I think that increasing the endeavor will provide me with a more robust picture of both Dove as a company and Dove's women's branding initiatives. I immediately thought of the latest Real Beauty ad, in which women describe themselves behind a curtain to an ex-police sketch drawer, and we see that women perceive themselves to be much less attractive than they actually are. I saw this video when I was still in college this past year and I remember about four of my friends emailed the same link to the video to me in the span of one week - the video went viral. Below is a link to a NY Times article about the video as well as a link within the article to the video. I highly suggest everyone watch it!

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/19/business/media/dove-ad-on-womens-self-image-creates-an-online-sensation.html?_r=0

Wangdi Entry #2

TargetCast Site Visit

The TargetCast session was definitely an eye-opener about Media Buying. I enjoyed the presentation by the two wonderful employees of the company, however I do not see myself going down that path. I could see myself at TargetCast doing something else because the work environment seems very welcoming and the employees seem to enjoy their work.  One of the presenters mentioned that there is a better opportunity to work closely with clients, especially high end clients so that was appealing to me. Starting off in an agency like TargetCast could be a good stepping stone for an introduction to the marketing industry because their agency itself is intimate. The company has grown but there still seems to be a sense of community, which would mean that entry level workers would have an advantage of learning a lot more from their superiors vs a big corporate firm.
The presentation felt like a review of what we have been learning so far in all our classes. It did not feel like I learned anything different, but it was fascinating to hear them speak about their experiences. It was especially great to hear them talk about the challenges of this ever evolving industry. It will definitely be beneficial to have an awareness of the changes they have personally had to deal with in this industry, as well as the challenges to come in the future.

TTYI Project

Virgin America has a great promotion going on for the fall. Customers can fly to Cabos, LA and Vegas for under #300! Wei Yun Lim (from our class) was kind enough to forward me a newsletter from Virgin America when she found out that I was going to follow this brand. A few minutes later, I went on to facebook as a next step to follow Virgin America, and found this link on their page.

In terms of publicity, Virgin American showed support to Virgin mobile USA's music event, FreeFest. They used their social media accounts to cross promote each other.

On the awards and honors front, Virgin America has been voted Best Premium Class by Conde Nast Traveler's Business Travel Poll for the sixth year!

Wangdi Entry #1

Expectations and Goals

My decision to move to New York was based on many reasons, especially because the city is the hub for Communications. I knew I wanted to pursue a career in the Communications and Media field, but it has become harder for me to decide which area I want to focus on. I believe the Evolving Industry course is the first step to gain exposure to the different facets of communication from buying media to managing social media to PR and so on. I look forward to gaining insight into this fascinating field while simultaneously listening to first-hand experiences from our on-site visits, as well as looking at case studies for our reading assignments. The blogging project will be an excellent way for me to analyze the messages from the brand over a period of time. I hope this will help me to understand how the brand I have chosen relates to it's customers and tries to relate to it's potential customers.

"The Target is You"

The brand I have chosen is Virgin America. It is the U.S based low-fare airline from the British Virgin Group founded by Sir Richard Branson. It was launched in August 2007 and has it's headquarters based in San Francisco, California. Virgin America offers high-quality for low prices and has not disappointed so far. The airline has brand new planes, offers attractive fares, and boasts great service and a variety of features not offered by other low-fare airlines. The custom-designed leather seats, the mood lighting, great music selection and touch screens on every seatback definitely makes the domestic flight feel luxurious. However, the airline only flies domestically between select states.

As an international traveler, my preferred airline is the Hong Kong based Cathay Pacific. The company is well known for it's quality service and comfortable airbuses for all classes; be it economy, business or first class. The reason I chose Virgin America is because not only are they affiliated with Cathay Pacific, but because Virgin America is my preferred airline for domestic flights in the U.S. Flying Virgin was a breath of fresh air after horrible experiences with Delta, United and American Airlines. I also know Virgin America will be a sensible and exciting brand to follow because of it is associated with the Virgin Group which has a wide variety of services and products offered:

Helen's post #2

Targetcast

I was really looking forward to visit American companies.

I enjoyed our visit at Targetcast. It was the first time I had the occasion to be confronted to a full service media agency. Indeed, there are no such big agencies delivering communications strategies and tactics to consumers in Geneva, or I may not know about such firms.

What intrigued me the most and what I admired was their ability to succeeded in building such a big company while starting from nothing, as the CEO explained to us. Targetcast is trying to give the best of strategy to its consumers, and giving them something that is beneficial for them. It looks like they achieved in persuading a lot of firms to use their services.

I felt like the working culture was very pleasant. People seemed to interact a lot with each other.  We could feel that during the presentation, and especially when we did the office tour.  Different departments were sectioned off, so that people were able to exchange ideas regarding their own working field. It was in my opinion a good procedure in order to be the more effective. When we arrived, we were confronted to people working together, but also interacting with each other. What I liked the most was the “creative section”, where employees where able to stick some of their creations on the wall, or even Art toys on their tables. In the middle of this section was standing a big Fatboy seat, which made the area even more peaceful and fun. I also loved the fact that people were dressed casually, which ads to the nice work atmosphere.

In general, I could see myself working in a company like Targetcast. I liked the fact that it was a big advertising agency and the message it was trying to seek: delivering costumers the best media strategy and planning they could have. I was also attracted to the way that the firm deals with big clients. It would be the kind of work I am searching for. I also appreciated the relaxed global mood in the office. The only thing that could discourage me is their work with numbers.

One of my “aha” moment was when the presentation showed us all the services that were available on TV. I am not used to watching it, except with video on demand. I never really asked myself if we could use the TV for additional services. One thing Targetcast made me learn is that we can even order food on TV!

TTIY project:

I went twice to American Apparel this week. The funny thing about it, is that I went there not because of my project, but to buy clothes. I am now really realizing I am the perfect target for them.

My sister connected me this week with one of her friends who worked in an American Apparel shop in New York. She was an employee there for only 2 weeks, because she did not wanted to stay. That is even if she was in need of money. Her manager was often telling her she was too fat, and she had to be in constant competition with other employees in order to make increase her salary (the more costumers say they were “helped” by you, the more you money you earn – reason why they always ask you the question while paying “did someone helped you today?”). 

This interaction confirmed my basic thoughts: working at American Apparel is psychologically and physically harsh. I hope getting now testimonies from employees who worked in American Apparel in America. 

Catherine's post #2

I was very excited to start visiting companies and being away from the stifling classroom. I was praying that the TargetCast presentation would not comprise of boring facts that I’ve already read on its website. The website seemed a little dull and wordy but impressive in terms of achievement and dedication nonetheless.

The way TargetCast uses data analysis to track behavior and segment the target audience for their clients was very intriguing. I like that there is some form of science and formula behind their media planning and buying decisions rather than just blind-shooting. Although I am not sure if I can see myself performing those tasks routinely, I would sure like to know more about the way the data analysis works.

It is no secret that our internet surfing behavior is tracked one way or another so we could be served advertisements that cater to our apparent needs or wants. However, I never realized the same could work for television. I rarely watch television and consider television broadcasting to be more traditional. I never realized or thought that it was possible for television advertisements on the same channel to vary between households until our visit. I was always under the impression that everyone watching the same channel would be exposed to the same commercials so I was pleasantly surprised.

I like that people at TargetCast were dressed in a relatively trendy fashion and were seated closely in open cubicles. Some people smiled at us while we were touring the company but most of them did not look too keen on us “invading” their workspace. I thought the stark white walls and minimal blue accents were too clean-cut and uninviting. The work place, although neat and spacious, may be stifling to creativity. Despite the lack of formal work attire requirements, the company seems strict and professional atmosphere rather than a warm and energetic. I don’t see myself working for a company like this but I certainly would not hate it if I were offered a job.

Digital marketing is "dead"

The link in the title is very thought provoking, especially after visiting TargetCast. Procter & Gamble's global brand building officer referred to digital marketing as "dead". He was quoted to say that we should "try and resist thinking about digital in terms of the tools, the platforms, the QR Codes and all of the technology coming next. We [Procter & Gamble] try and see it for what it is, which is a tool for engaging people with fresh, creative campaigns ... the era of digital marketing is over. It's almost dead. It's now just brand building. It's what we do." 

While I generally agree with the first part of what he said, I disagree that the era of digital marketing is dead.  Brand building is extremely important but digital media helps to spread the word quickly and widely. I am surprised that he would make such a bold statement while still reliant on digital media for its campaigns. Despite the success of the company, I'll take what he said with a pinch of salt. Brand building is important and effective but I don't see myself celebrating the death of digital marketing anytime soon.

Victoria’s Secret news and updates

The article linked highlights VS’ growth despite many lingerie start-ups desperately trying to steal its market share. I too wonder why no other brand has been able to surpass VS’ success and if it will happen. The various reasons for VS’ success and the changes it went through were enlightening. VS known for everything except the quality of its products, they are not poor but they are not exceptional either. These startups operate based on values opposite from VS, they are more creative and customer-friendly. It sure sounds like there could be a market for that so I am surprised none has taken off yet. It is sad that the bigger corporations that can afford to splurge on marketing tactics always seem to be winning the game.

News on the annual Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show airing in December has already popped up on the internet in anticipation for the show. It is not surprising that they chose the holiday season for their show to air in order to increase their appeal and sales in the gifting season. I have been reading about the show’s "awful casting calls" and the models’ strict diets in preparation for the show. While those aren’t the most positive of news, publicity is generated and people are reminded of the shows. In fact, the revelation of strict casting standards and grueling fitness and diet regimes makes us expect nothing short of perfection from the show. That’s a reminder that not everyone can be a VS angel but we can be one step closer if we wear the lingerie even if we can't look half as good...