The Breakdown
Victoria's Secret · Fashion Show: fan movement
Victoria's Secret tried to make its fashion show something fans do, not just watch
A brand mid-turnaround can't just repeat its old formula. Victoria's Secret's answer was to open up its biggest annual show: a public Angel search, ticket drops, and its first-ever post-show TikTok Live.
The TL;DR (too long; didn't read)
- Under chief marketing and customer officer Elizabeth Preis, Victoria's Secret's 18 October Fashion Show in Los Angeles added ticket drops, a nationwide search for a new Angel, an 'Angels Among Us' episodic series, and the brand's first-ever post-show TikTok Live.
- Preis described the aim as making the show 'much more participatory as a night of fun and friendship', rather than a one-way broadcast.
- The show streamed globally on YouTube and the brand's social channels. No viewership, engagement or sales figures have been reported yet; this was the second show staged under Preis, who joined in May 2025.
01
From watching a show to feeling part of it
A nationwide Angel search and ticket drops give the audience small ways to participate before the show even airs, rather than just tuning in on the night.
That shift matters most for a brand trying to rebuild relevance: a passive audience can lose interest quietly, but one that feels involved has a reason to keep paying attention.
02
Extending the moment instead of letting it end
A first-ever post-show TikTok Live stretches the event past its broadcast window, giving fans a more casual, real-time way to keep engaging once the formal show has finished.
Pairing a big produced moment (the show itself) with an unscripted, lower-production one (the live) covers two different appetites: the polished spectacle and the behind-the-scenes hangout.
03
A turnaround story still being written
This was only the second show under Preis, so the more participatory format is still early in proving itself, not an established fix.
The reporting here covers the format change itself; it doesn't include numbers on whether viewers actually watched more, engaged more, or felt differently about the brand afterwards.
Read the original reporting
- Amid Turnaround, Victoria’s Secret Turns Its Fashion Show Into a Fan Movement ↗
Adweek · 18 Oct 2026
The theory bit
The academic ideas that explain what's going on, with the full reference for your assignments.
Spreadable media & participatory culture
Content travels when audiences can reshape and share it for their own purposes. Fans are participants, not just receivers.
Here: Letting fans search for a new Angel and join a live chat turns them from passive viewers into participants who help shape the moment, which is the core idea behind spreadable, participatory media.
Jenkins, H., Ford, S. & Green, J. (2013). Spreadable Media. NYU Press.
Uses & gratifications
Audiences actively choose media to satisfy needs: entertainment, information, identity, social connection. Media that meets a real need earns attention rather than interrupting.
Here: The post-show TikTok Live caters to a social-connection and entertainment need that a polished, one-way broadcast can't satisfy on its own.
Katz, E., Blumler, J. G. & Gurevitch, M. (1973). Uses and Gratifications Research. Public Opinion Quarterly, 37(4).
Over to you
No right answers here. These are to get you thinking. Jot your ideas down or chat them through.
- 1
Why might giving fans a way to participate (like an Angel search) matter more for a brand mid-turnaround than for one already popular?
Need a nudge?
Think about what a disengaged audience costs a brand trying to win attention back.
- 2
What does the post-show TikTok Live offer that the main broadcast show doesn't?
Need a nudge?
Compare a polished, scripted moment with an unscripted, real-time one.
- 3
Why is it too early to call this format change a success?
Need a nudge?
Separate 'the idea sounds engaging' from 'it's been measured and proven to work'.
Optional · about 10 minutes
Your mini task
In 60–120 words: pick an annual event or show run by a brand of your choice, and design one way to make the audience active participants before it airs, and one way to extend engagement after it ends. Name both, and briefly explain what need each one meets for the audience.