M&P Ep. 176: Jessica Klodnicki, CEO of KT Tape
The following is a summary of a Meat and Potatoes Podcast with KT Tape CEO, Jessica Klodnicki. To listen to the full podcast, follow the links provided below.
During the Beijing Olympics in 2008, one of the most searched questions on Google was "Why is Kerri Walsh Jennings wearing tape?" While the tape was unfamiliar to many people at the time, Kinesiology Tape (KT) has become a staple for famous athletes including Tiger Woods, Maame Biney, Sara Hughes, Meb Keflezighi, and Sofia Kenin to name a few. Originally, the tape was distributed to clinicians and doctors; however, KT Tape, a Utah-based company, simplified the process by bringing the product to (practically) every shelf.
What is KT Tape?
KT Tape is an elastic sports tape that is designed to mimic the elasticity of skin and provide drug-free pain relief and support to muscles, tendons, and ligaments. The tape slightly lifts the skin to increase blood flow and reduce pain and can be applied directly on knees, elbows, wrists, hamstrings, rotator cuffs, Achilles tendons, and so much more. KT tape can be applied anytime before, during, or after a workout.
"We want KT Tape to be used throughout the process: before, during, and after a workout. We want to help you prepare quicker, perform better, and recover faster." - Jessica Klodnicki, CEO of KT Tape
Who is Jessica Klodnicki?
Jessica Klodnicki started as KT Tape's CEO four months ago. Previously, Klodnicki was a general manager at Bell Bike Helmets and Chief Marketing Officer at Skullcandy, both companies that altered their strategies because of Klodnicki. One strategy that Klodnicki used was to bring the brands back to their origins. For example, Skullcandy recently saw a spike in sales because of its new strategy of going back to the basics: making headphones that have a wide variety of colors to better reflect the wearer's personality.
Why is KT Tape Rebranding?
Ever since its founding in 2008, KT Tape has received a lot of recognition thanks to the professional athletes who wear the tape on camera; however, consumers started to believe the product can only be used by professional or extreme sport athletes. Now, KT Tape is wanting to expand its product line by dropping "tape" from its company name and marketing to everyone from youth sports athletes to post-surgery patients.