In a conversation presented by Amazon Ads, Amy Hyland, head of fashion, fitness and luxury Ads at Amazon Ads and Elizabeth Preis, chief marketing and customer officer at Victoria’s Secret, sat down with Amanda Smith, chief executive officer of Fairchild Media Group, to provide a behind-the-curtain look into this year’s Victoria’s Secret show.

A return to the runway show format last year helped set the stage for this year’s show to be even bigger — most notably, with the addition of Adam Selman as the executive creative director.

“We had 50 women as talent walking the show — we had Angel Reese from Chicago Sky and Suni Lee, Olympic gymnast,” said Pries. “We had a broader range of talent than we had in the past. We also had a broader range of musical talent, which was exciting because it added to the entertainment factor — this is all about entertainment. It’s entertainment that connected with millions of people and women around the world at one time.”

Hyland explained that last year, the partnership was new to Amazon, which allowed the company to continue to grow for the second year. Victoria’s Secret also leaned into the show being a two-way conversation, with their staff replying to comments and engagement on the brand’s social accounts.

“The need to engage audiences through entertainment is more important than ever before — and that’s where Amazon is leaning in,” explained Hyland.

Hyland also shared that the e-commerce giant helped build and support touch points for consumers pre, during and post the event. For Victoria’s Secret’s show, this translated into Amazon Live’s livestream at the pink carpet, get-ready parties a week before, a dedicated homepage for the brand, a creators’ event that generated 54 million engagements and more.

Moreover, Amazon can identify the audience and knows exactly who leaned into different aspects of the show to remarket and home in on them. More and more, the touch points for consumers are focused on entertainment — and when it comes to fashion, the percentage is between 70 and 80 percent.

While storytelling from Selman’s direction was the launching point for the brand — Preis said the community aspect was the most vital part of the brand’s success story. It’s not necessarily a purchase funnel as much as an emotional funnel, which is how the brand is looking to reach its audience.

The major focus for Victoria’s Secret this year was to impact people everywhere, whether they were watching at home, attending the show or participating in the watch parties. Hyland shared that her niece hosted a watch party at UNC at her sorority — “everyone’s making it their own and making a community event around it.”

“We both learned that it’s not just an event. It’s a cultural moment,” said Pries. “People want to be part of this cultural experience — whether it’s live or in the moment or follow before and afterward. We had a watch party in New York City where 5,000 people came out and attended — which was way more than we ever expected.”