SATV+RBR Interview: Jennifer Collins, Manager/Sports Marketing at HOKA ONE ONE

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Jennifer Collins and Larry Eder, photo by The Shoe Addicts

When I first started in the business in 1981, the only women I knew in sports marketing was Jan Lester of Onitsuka Tiger then, and now ASICS America. The next generation of women professionals in sports marketing was exemplified by Jennifer Thomas, who spent tenures at both Reebok and adidas, and is now an executive in global running at adidas. Both Jan and Jennifer have done well in a business that is still pretty male dominated. They have done it by communicating well, staying focused and possessing finely tuned senses of who they are. Both Jan and Jennifer were also fine athletes: that love of sport and understanding keeps them at the top of their game.

In this newest generation of women sports marketers, Jennifer Collins of HOKA ONE ONE sat down with The Shoe Addicts and Larry Eder of RunBlogRun during a very busy week at the Boston Marathon. Jennifer is a marathoner with a PB of 3:09, and has a genuine love and respect of the athletes she manages. Jennifer Collins also understands social media and that the goal with social media is not quantity, but quality.

What I also find quite fascinating, is how Jennifer Collins encourages the brand development of the individual athletes, such as Leo Manzano, Sage Cannaday and Magdelana Lewy-Boulet. “When their brand is strong, so is HOKA ONE ONE.”

This is the first part of a several part series on Jennifer. Special thanks to Ms. Collins. Thanks to the Shoe Addicts, digital partners of the Running Network and parent company, Fortius Media Group, LLC.

Author

Larry Eder
Larry Eder has had a 52-year involvement in the sport of athletics. Larry has experienced the sport as an athlete, coach, magazine publisher, and now, journalist and blogger. His first article, on Don Bowden, America's first sub-4 minute miler, was published in RW in 1983. Larry has published several magazines on athletics, from American Athletics to the U.S. version of Spikes magazine. He currently manages the content and marketing development of the RunningNetwork, The Shoe Addicts, and RunBlogRun. Of RunBlogRun, his daily pilgrimage with the sport, Larry says: "I have to admit, I love traveling to far away meets, writing about the sport I love, and the athletes I respect, for my readers at runblogrun.com, the most of anything I have ever done, except, maybe running itself." Also does some updates for BBC Sports at key events, which he truly enjoys. Theme song: Greg Allman, " I'm no Angel."
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