The La Senza “Sassy Sistas Tour” campaign, which kicks off this month, is the first major marketing activity by the label in Australia and will see two competition winners act as brand ambassadors. The ambassadors will follow a major – as yet unnamed – artist across the country in a branded Volkswagen, attending various store launches and high-profile events, and will also blog about the journey via the La Senza Facebook page.
La Senza product and marketing manager Rachel Underwood said the promotional activity is part of a larger strategy to draw attention to the brand as La Senza prepares to roll out an aggressive store expansion in Australia.
“La Senza currently has four stand-alone stores, all based in New South Wales, and the vision is that we will have 100 stores here within the next three years,” she said. “We will be opening 12 new stores around the country within the next three months and this is the initial batch of new stores. The campaign was created to tie in with these launches.”
The first two stores are set to open in Melbourne by April 23, with additional stores to launch in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth by June/July.
The chain is owned by retail powerhouse Specialty Fashion Group, which also operates Katies, Millers and Crossroads.
Underwood said La Senza is keen to revamp its brand image and has changed the new store layout to reflect this, including a switch in branding colours from white with maple wood to chocolate brown and pink. The label will also release a fresh bra range, titled “The Body Kiss”. The Body Kiss line will initially feature two styles and has already launched in Canada, but will drop into Australia stores this month.
“Essentially, what we've taken in is a new look for La Senza completely,” Underwood said. “The essence of the brand itself is fun, young, flirty, sassy and sexy – the product needs to replicate that, as does the store itself.
“So we've repositioned in terms of the product and the fit-out of the store, to really emulate the customer.”
Daniela Aroche