episode 28 of the dsmsports podcast w/ heather zeller of a glam slam

Best Of...Heather Zeller on theDigital and Social Media Sports

Podcast

Heather Zeller, founder and writer of AglamSlam.com, the leading source for topics covering fashion and sports, was the featured guest on episode 27 of the DSMSports Podcast.

What follows are some snippets from the interview. Hear the full episode on www.DSMSports.net or download it on from iTunes Store podcasts

Enjoy...

@njh287DSMSports.net


PodcastHeather's career path:

Attended University of Wisconsin and studied Communication Arts and got exposed to major sports brand there where college sports fans wore all sorts of school gear, but lacking in fashions and fits for females; developed an interest in fashion and sports

Background in public relations, first with consumer brands and then into fashion and beauty (after doing internships in the space in college), but always had a strong interest in the sports world → Digital boom and blogs began and Heather built her personal brand



Podcast

“If you look at the offerings now, there's such a wide array for men and for women in fashion and beauty and footwear...

A lot of retailers have taken notice that they want be able to wear these clothes on game day, but they want to be able to transition them to their normal wardrobe, too.”



PodcastWhile working in PR, she got more deeply involved in

digital for the brands and decided to seize upon her idea of merging the fashion and sports world

“I'd done the the research...There are plenty of fashion-centric sites and plenty of sports-centric sites, but nothing that merged the two. I decided I was going to carve out that niche because there was a conversation to be had about the two genres, but no one was talking about it...I just sort of taught myself (blogging) along the way.”

(kept freelancing while also developing her site, AGlamSlam.com)


Best Of...Sam Laird on theDigital and Social Media Sports

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“[Teams] and brands don't really have a choice anymore. It's just amazing you can converse with fans in ways that were never ever possible.”



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“Initially, I was fearful there would not be enough content to sustain the site, but it was actually quite the opposite...I thought it would appeal more to the fashion side...but I found out, it's more the opposite and it was more the sports fans sports professionals that picked up on it very quickly.”



Podcast- She did a 'soft launch' of her site right around the US Open

→ “For a long time (at the US Open), athletes & fashion have been integrated...”

- Later did a more hard launch of her site, having more full content, and leveraging her PR skills for a full-on blitz and got more content sent to her for product launches, etc.

“I was very lucky because I still had a lot of friends that worked in public relations across the board that could pitch me...(and get exposure to brands)...Later on, I was able to interview some great athletes, and once you get one, it's (easier) to get others...It was a really unique way for brands to present themselves.”



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“When I first would explain to someone what the site is...people had to get used to the concept (of the fashion and sports overlap) because the content grew over time...It took some time to grow.”



Podcast“Pro athletes have essentially become fashion

icons and they're embracing the fashion world more enthusiastically than ever before and vice-versa...

“Athletes have begun to recognize the importance of building their brand beyond the field or court and fashion is one of the truest forms of expression, so it makes sense athletes would take that route...”



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“(Athletes) can reach a whole new audience in the fashion realm.

People that may not have an interest in sports, but admire their style and still want to know what (the pro sports stars) are wearing...and, for fashion brands, it lets them reach a whole new audience of sports fans...This relationship is mutually beneficial.”



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“Look at Fashion Week now. There are as many athletes as models (in the crowd)...That pro athlete area is one I'd seen (initially) that has grown tremendously. Whether good or bad, readers want to talk about what athletes are wearing.”



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“The NFL finally recognized that women make up a huge portion of their fan base and they need a find a way to speak to them. Fashion has always been a good way to do so...The female fan spectrum is enormous (in terms of priorities and appeal)...”



Podcast“On the fan apparel side, it's a matter of –

'These women are here, they're huge fans, and they make purchase decisions. We need to take advantage of that.'

“The amount of new merchandise that becomes available each year is incredible...it's a great way to introduce new fans to the games.” (cites Victoria's Secret “Pink” as NFL apparel appealing to women)



Podcast“There have always been athletes here and there

that had clothing lines, but that area has skyrocketed, as well, with...(additional products)...“It's another way for them to build up their brand while they're at their peak popularity, so this brand can continue after they're done playing the sport.”

- Talks about Dwyane Wade creating a line of neck wear → “When you align (Wade) with that, you're going to have a (big) crossover of (fans of Wade and fans of the brand).”



Podcast“The league began to recognize the large percentage of female fans watching and coming to games...the offerings for women all fell under the 'pink it and shrink it' mentality...that is what they thought women would want. They realized more and more there is a different way to cater to the female fan....

“Designs are feminine, they incorporate trends from the fashion world into their game time apparel.”

(reiterates value of apparel being fashionable enough to wear at the game and away from the games)



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“Women's apparel ads have actually been featured in top fashion magazines and that is something we've never seen before...they've tapped famous females that are fans of the NFL...and paired the team apparel with high-fashion pieces to show the versatility of the apparel and appeal to the fashion fan, too.”



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“Someone like Alyssa Milano was one of the first who understood how to merge these two worlds (of fashion and sport) together...She is a Dodgers fan and she noticed there was no apparel she wanted to wear...so that is where her (clothing) line grew...”



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PodcastOn the importance of the NBA Dress Code

reform:

“This overlap is most prevalent in the NBA and this started...with the idea that NBA players are so fashion-savvy. Stylists have become a big part of the NBA game...outfits are planned out...It has blown up since that dress code (reform). Dwyane Wade, for a long time, has been a trendsetter...starting the 'geek chic' trend.



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“I also point to the NBA Playoffs in 2012 when Russell Westbrook came out in the Lacoste (outfit) with fish hooks. That started the geek chic look. It was the time when every sports and fashion outlet was covering this 'post game runway' of what players were wearing...

“Brands and fans were interested in what they were wearing.”



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“A lot of (what players are wearing) comes from the stylist...A lot of players work with a stylist to prepare their wardrobe not just for the playoffs but for every single game...

“Plenty of brands send clothing to the athletes in hopes they'll (wear it)...Sometimes athletes have an allegiance or preference for certain clothing (to wear postgame).”



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“A lot of brands, in particular on Instagram...if an athlete or celebrity in an appearance (wears them), a brand will share a photo of an athlete of an ensemble they've created.”

(cites Lacoste sharing the Westbrook photo of him wearing the fish hooks shirt)



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“There are not many (others) that cover just exclusively the fashion-sports overlap...A lot of the sports sites and fashion sites have expanded their coverage to include the overlap...

“I think fans, in general, are more and more interested in the lifestyle (of athletes) outside the game.”



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“College fans are some of the most passionate and loyal. And whether they like it or hate it, they want their opinion to be known, for sure.”

- Heather talks about individual athlete sports often eliciting strong fan responses due to stronger emotional ties to individuals like those in golf and tennis



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(On an international topic)

“There are tons of soccer players that have their own clothing lines and have a vested interest in fashion...And many luxury outlets have partnerships with clubs to outfit the players.”



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“When uniforms are concerned, I appreciate the aesthetic design. So the idea of having an ad placed on that, covering up a portion of their on-court fashion is something I don't want to see...I think it is something that is inevitably going to happen. For most fans I hear from, I don't ever hear positive reviews for advertising on jerseys.”



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Shareable Stat:

90% of consumers would recommend a brand to others after interacting with them on social media. (Internet Advertising Bureau / IAB)

[hat tip to Jessica Smith @WarJessEagle]



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The sport with the most fashion-savvy players:

“There are a lot individual players that stand out as savvy, but, for a sport as a whole, I have to say the NBA...The NBA players do the best job of promoting their fashion, as well, through all their social media channels.”



PodcastThe most memorable or ridiculous outfit Heather

has seen:

“There are probably too many to count...(Besides Westbrook fish hooks outfit) Andrew Wiggins' NBA draft ensemble from this year...“Everybody was talking about that ensemble. A lot of people deemed it either the best or worst ever. It definitely proved these up-and-comers realize that fashion is (important) and are getting their start early.”



PodcastThe brand[s] that do the best in the fashion/sports space and why:

“The NFL, with what they've done with the women's apparel campaign has been hugely successful. It's something with which a lot of other leagues have followed suit. They've really understood the right way to combine the two worlds.”

“Each year, there are additional components added to the campaign...it's this idea that it is a mutually beneficial relationship for a beauty brand, like Cover Girl, to associate themselves with the NFL because that is a whole other fan base that they may not otherwise have had access to (female football fans).”@njh287

DSMSports.net


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Which social media platform has been most effective for Heather now and in the past:

It has definitely been Twitter...The sharing factor (of content) is how I have built up my audience and have made contacts with not just sports business professionals, but athletes themselves...

“I've noticed Instagram picking up more and more (recently), but, for content, I want people to be reading it, not just looking at it...”



PodcastBest dressed male and female athletes:[Heather cites caveats]

Male: Victor Cruz → “With each year, he continues to surprise. He continues to take risks. And he continues to be at the forefront of fasghigon and sports.”

Female: “Maria Sharapova has always been my favorite...You have someone you see on court all the time aggressively playing tennis...and off the court, she manages to be so classic and feminine. She has a really versatile style.”



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Worst dressed male and female athletes:

Male: Tim Duncan → “Only because, at a time when the NBA is reallt embracing the fasgion world more than ever, he doesn't seem to have any interest in it.”

Female: “Sometimes I question the (on-court) style choices of Serena Williams a little bit...(Not her red carpet decisions).”



PodcastThe biggest fads/trends Heather has seen in her time

since founding AGlamSlam.com:

“One of the largest fads we saw was that 'geek chic' fad – bow ties, sweater vests, bright accessories...Now a lot of male athletes are sporting what they refer to as 'joggers.' They're almost like a more formal version of sweat pants.” (seen recently on Victor Cruz and Chandler Parsons)

[continues next slide]



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The biggest fads/trends Heather has seen in her time since founding AGlamSlam.com:

“Also, on the men's side, suits, in general, have gone from the oversized, baggy fit...to slimmer fits and European styles...And accessories, in themselves. Athletes are always looking for new ways to add flair to their ensembles.”

“The women's side (for trends) definitely varies a lot more.”



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The league with the best dressed fans:

I have to go back to the NFL. They have largest array of offerings and, each year, there seems to be more and more...But college fans have the most fun with their game day fashions, so I probably enjoy college fans more than anything else.”



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The most popular fashion item right now among fans (besides jerseys):

“Anything vintage-inspired – t-shirts, hats – any type of throwback...A lot of older fans appreciate that...and, for the younger crowd, they appreciate the vintage aspect of things more and more...That retro quality has dominated fan gear as of late.”



PodcastThe fashion item Heather predicts WILL be popular among

sports fans in the near future:

“I think footwear is becoming increasingly popular in the fan gear marketplace where there haven't been as many options and people just now are starting to realize it.”

(notes a new brand getting popular with college fans → SKICKS; also discusses Cuse Shoes, sports-branded footwear targeted to females)

“(Footwear) is a piece of fan gear that transitions really easily. You can pair the footwear with your everyday wardrobe.”



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Heather's Social Media All-Star To Follow:

Kristi Dosh → “One of my favorite sports business follows on Twitter.” @SportsBizMiss



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Where To Find Heather and AGlamSlam:

Find Heather on Twitter @HeatherZeller and

on Instagram @AGlamSlam



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Thanks so much to Heather Zeller for joining the Digital & Social Media Sports podcast!

For more info on the podcast, check out DSMSports.net and follow me @njh287


episode 28 of the dsmsports podcast w/ heather zeller of a glam slam

Sports

biggest fads trends heather

social media

fan base

njh287 dsmsports

heather zeller

geek chic

public relations

victor cruz