Sportsheets, a manufacturer of bondage and fetish products has thirty long years under their belt…
How do they do it?
Sure, they’ve got great products, but it takes more than that these days to compete in a landscape filled with companies making personal intimacy products. As BDSM, fetish, and talking about sex in general becomes more accepted in the mainstream due to movies like Fifty Shades of Grey and reality shows like Open House: The Great Sex Experiment it’s companies that have a pulse on the needs and desires of their base, those who continually listen to the market, and those that have vision that succeed.
Meet Nathan Hammerle, marketing coordinator for Sportsheets to find out more about this business who has all the above in spades – garnering respect due to its track record, yet still being an innovator of products that are relevant in the marketplace.
Nathan Hammermele
What does Sportsheets owe their longevity to?
Over the last 30 years, Sportsheets has been synonymous with quality and innovation in the bondage and fetish categories.
Our commitment has always been to expand pleasure and provide people with products made to not only improve intimate moments, but to open the gates of sexual exploration and connection within relationships. This consumer focus mentality has helped shape us into a powerhouse in the industry where our customers can trust and rely on us to help guide them to their next exhilarating experience.
In doing this, we are always looking to improve and adapt to the ever-changing market.
Staying ahead of the curve and noticing new trends before they are explored is important to the growth and development of Sportsheets year after year, and we are always looking for new ways to impress our customers. Our commitment to building these connections is integral to our success as a company.
How does Sportsheets stay relevant and competitive in an oversaturated and tough market?
We are always looking ahead to what new opportunities are on the horizon.
We listen not only to our retail partners communicating the conversations they have with consumers, but we have opened up to direct conversations with the users of our products as well.
By developing this relationship with the end user, we allow ourselves to adapt in ways that have yet to have been considered. Through constant innovation, we continue to learn and find new ways to create exciting new products or enhance old favorites. Take our latest collection, Pivot, for example; positioning products are not new in the market, but by directly addressing requested features, we were able to develop items that meet the needs of many while including features with added benefits for even the slightest necessary alterations for comfort or functionality.
How important is social media to your brand and how do you use it?
Social media is of growing importance to us, and the landscape is always changing.
As we look to the future, we are looking at exciting new ways to connect with the users of our products through social media. While we are currently utilizing it in a minor capacity, we anticipate growing in the social media sector over time.
How about advertising? Mainstream media is often discriminatory toward adult – How do you approach them and get the word out to a larger base?
Similarly, to social media, mainstream media is always changing. We are fortunate to have been represented in popular media such as Netflix’s “How to Build a Sex Room” and “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” and have been able to share our expertise and products with the world.
By adopting a softer brand image, we have been successful in straddling the line between sexual censorship and erotic media. By addressing these products as enhancements to intimacy, it allows viewers of this media to develop their own mentalities of what is sexy and alluring, similar to luxury products and lingerie.
What are Sportsheets’ goals for the future?
We are very optimistic about our future and are proud of the strong connections we have built with our customers around the world over the last 30 years.
We look forward to taking that to the next level by expanding on those connections with the users of our products and strengthening our relationships with our retail partners. By focusing on these interactions, we can stay ahead of the curve in providing people the exciting new additions they crave in their intimate lives while staying committed to our innovative approach to quality bondage products. Pleasure is universal and should be accessible to everyone, and we intend to continue our mission of creating products made to create and enhance unforgettable moments for people everywhere.
Follow Sportsheets on their website at sportsheets.com, Instagram @sportsheets.
