Victoria’s Secret founder to help promote Ohio

Ohio’s governor wants to bring some attention to the state so he is turning to a famous native known for getting plenty of eyeballs to his products.

Gov. John Kasich said Wednesday the state has asked Les Wexner, founder of Columbus-based L Brands Inc., which owns Victoria’s Secret and Bath & Body Works, to help promote the state and its quality of life.

“I don’t know whether we’re going to have a Victoria’s Secret-type marketing plan for Ohio, but it isn’t a bad thought, is it?” Kasich said during a year-end review event with legislative and Ohio Chamber of Commerce leaders, according to a story on Ohio.com.

The details are still being worked out, but Wexner said he would “take a whack at it,” something that thrilled Kasich who called Wexner “a brilliant marketer.”

L Brands operates more than 2,600 stores in the U.S., and its brands are sold in about 800 company-operated and franchised locations worldwide.

Wexner is an Ohio native who is worth nearly $6 billion. He started L Brands as a single store in Columbus in 1963, just a few years after graduating from Ohio State University. The company now has more than 90,000 employees and more than $10 billion a year in annual revenue.

The hope is to bring attention to things in Ohio that are not apparently obvious, like the state’s low cost of living.

“It’s getting them here to understand what we have, and Les Wexner is going to help us,” Kasich said, according to Ohio.com.