Victoria's Secret Brings Flash to AOL

The angels are coming to America Online (Nasdaq: AOL). The Victoria's Secret Angels, that is.

Victoria's Secret parent company, Intimate Brands, Inc. (NYSE: IBI), announced today that Victoria's Secret will become an anchor tenant in the lingerie department of the apparel commerce centers in the new Shop@AOL, Shop@AOL.com, Shop@CompuServe, and Shop@Netscape shopping areas.

Victoria's Secret, which greatly enhanced its Web presence with a Super Bowl commercial and a fashion show that was broadcast online, will offer lingerie, beauty products and gift items for sale via AOL.

Victoria's Secret's AOL presence will also feature interviews and photos of the Victoria's Secret Angels, including Tyra Banks and Stephanie Seymour, who both appeared in the Super Bowl commercial.

"Our goal is to bring our members the best possible online shopping experience with brands they know and trust," said Myer Berlow, America Online's senior vice president for interactive marketing.

AOL Promotes Victoria's Secret Via E-mail

Victoria's Secret announced its new deal to AOL's nearly one million e-mail registrants. The new shopping area will also be featured across all of AOL's shopping destinations.

Earlier this month, Victoria's Secret received AdWeek IQ's Interactive Marketing Award for its Webcast fashion show. The question, really, is what took Victoria's Secret so long to get online. After all, the company didn't launch victoriassecret.com until December of last year, long after images of supermodels like Victoria's Secret models Heidi Klum, Banks and Seymour were among the most sought-after photos online.

The company obviously made up for lost time on Super Bowl Sunday and now clearly looks like the dominant player for lingerie purchases online. Potential customers who would normally be a little embarrassed to walk into a Victoria's Secret store at their local mall can now browse to their heart's content. Also, customers who get Victoria's Secret now-legendary catalogs in their mailboxes can now make a purchase minutes after they see what they like.

For customers who still prefer the traditional experience, however, Victoria's Secret operates more than 850 brick-and-mortar stores. In addition to Victoria's Secret, Intimate Brands also owns the shopping-mall mainstay Bath & Body Works, which has more than 1,100 stores.