Marketing undies

Undies--yes, undies for women and for men--are the new fashion statement. Not just as gifts for St Valentine's Day, but for everyday luxury as well as for comfort.

Now Marks & Spencer, traditionally a favourite store for undie purchases, is feeling a lot of competitive pressure from lingerie fashion retailers like Victoria's Secret and Agent Provocateur.

Victoria's Secret, based in the US, has made a major marketing investment in London. The 36-year-old company recently opened a splashy flagship store on New Bond Street. Its branded lingerie is a perfect fit for Pinterest social media marketing. The brand also has more than 22 million Facebook likes (surprise, surprise), more than 2 million Twitter followers, 61 million YouTube views, and 1.7 million Instagram followers.

Meanwhile, Agent Provocateur recently opened a large flagship Mayfair, London store, adding to its 60+ boutique and department-store locations worldwide. The retail chain is less than 20 years old yet it already has developed a unique advertising look that adds to the brand cachet. Its chief executive is an experienced manufacturer and has found ways to cut costs and boost profit margins without eroding quality or image. Agent Provocateur has 209,000 Facebook likes, 19,000 Twitter followers, and nearly 6 million YouTube views.

The next frontier is men's fashion underwear, exemplified by David Beckham's recent ad campaign for H&M.

Posh men's undies are being marketed by all the top retailers, including Selfridges and Harvey Nichols and House of Fraser, not to mention Mr Porter (Net-a-Porter's menswear site).

And the underwear marketing wars have only just begun.