China's sports market valued at more than 200 billion Li Ning to create a leading brand

According to sports business data, by 2010, the value of the Chinese sports market could increase to 240 billion yuan. Many foreign businessmen believe that this land of China has a large population, so long as everyone buys a commodity they can earn a lot of money. Western sports brands such as Nike, Adidas and others have embraced the same dream, and arose from a shareholder "sports gold rush". Under the "national coalition" economic invasion of various countries, the "dark battle" between local brands and foreign brands will inevitably determine the trend and trend of industrial development. In the face of external pressure, Li Ning, the national brand, has not been intimidated. Instead, it has taken the initiative to “go global” strategy. However, Li Ning did not occupy the market with a low-price dumping strategy, but instead used “brand internationalization”. The "strategy of strategy" cuts in and makes everybody look good. Not long ago, when celebrating the 15th anniversary of its founding, Li Ning established the company as "building a world-leading sports brand company" as a new company vision. Li Ning company is really ready?

Fifteen years of work in progress

Fifteen years ago, Li Ning announced the retirement of the crown with more than 100 gold medals and the “Prince of Gymnastics” with the lofty ideal of “letting every Chinese athlete wear a national brand sportswear on the podium” in Sanshui, Guangdong. Founded Li Ning Sports Products Co., Ltd., and began to build the Chinese people's own sports brand - "Li Ning" card.

In the early days of its establishment, Li Ning was faced with numerous difficulties. Li Ning, with its great enthusiasm for the Chinese sports industry and advanced corporate management methods, quickly made Li Ning a China's first sports brand. After 15 years of meticulous construction, Li Ning has built a sales system of nearly 2,800 franchised stores across the country; successively set up product R&D centers in Guangdong and Hong Kong and took independent R&D roads; and moved its headquarters to Beijing, attracting a large number of talents. The future development lays a good foundation. On June 28, 2004, Li Ning Company was successfully listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange's main board. Since then, it has entered the capital market and began to create conditions for its further development. This year, Li Ning's sales reached 1.878 billion yuan, which played a new movement for the national sports brand.

Looking at the development history of Li Ning Company for 15 years, we have seen an international company that has grown and gradually matured, whether it is from the recognition, reputation, product design, marketing methods, etc. of the Li Ning brand. Form their own unique image and mode of operation. After 15 years of experience, Li Ning has become the first brand in China's sportswear industry, and the 15 years of precipitation paved the way for Li Ning to become an international brand and provide specialized products.

Professionalization enhances core competitiveness

Mr. Li Ning's request for "Li Ning" brand products had such an expression: "I am a world champion and wear professional sports products. Therefore, Li Ning must also produce professional sports products!"

In the mid-1990s, Nike, Adidas and Reebok were the three major global suppliers of sporting goods that entered the Chinese market one after another, and put Asian, especially China, as the operating focus, with the professional attributes of their products and the advantages of sports resources of foreign brands in China. The sporting goods market has been “producing troubles,” and has recently carved out nearly 30% of the Chinese sports goods market.

In the case of foreign brands attacking the city, Li Ning saw the crisis. The company’s executives clearly realized that as a sporting goods company, the quality of the products is far from enough, and the specialized attributes of the products must be strengthened. The company's core competitiveness. In order to achieve this, we must treat the quality of products and research and development at the same level.

In 1998, Li Ning took the lead to establish China's first design and development center for sportswear and shoes in Foshan, Guangdong. In 2004, the Hong Kong Design and Research Center, Li Ning Sports Technology Development (Hong Kong) Co., Ltd. was established to take full responsibility for the design of Li Ning brand apparel products. Afterwards, a special research room was established in collaboration with the Chinese University of Hong Kong to focus on research on the movement data of the Chinese people's feet, thereby further enhancing the quality of the products. The recently listed Li Ning “Jintie” series of professional football shoes is the best research and development strength of Li Ning. According to corroborating evidence, the shoe covers of professional soccer shoes are researchers collecting 200,000 Chinese feet data and developing millions of data from them. The technological content must not be underestimated. In February 2005, Li Ning formed a market partner with the United States NBA to jointly develop a professional basketball equipment market. In April 2005, Li Ning cooperated with Swarovski to inlay crystals in Li Ning women's tennis apparel, which greatly increased the sense of fashion of the products.

After fifteen years of exploration and accumulation, "Li Ning" brand products have evolved from a single sportswear to sportswear, sports shoes, sports equipment and many other varieties. Iron series of professional football shoes, FreeJumper series of professional basketball shoes, RunFree series of professional running shoes and other products market is hot, is the best encouragement for Li Ning's specialization. Today, Li Ning's goal is to become the world's leading sports brand company, providing professional sports products for more young people and people involved in sports worldwide.

Based on the local to create a global leading brand

"Promoting sports in China and letting movements change our lives" is the original intention of the establishment of Li Ning. "Li Ning" never gives up any efforts to achieve this mission.

From August 1990, in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau on the roof of the century, Li Ning, as a representative of athletes, was dressed in white Li Ning brand sportswear and solemnly took over the Asian Games torch fire from Tibetan girl Dawa Yangzong. Li Ning is a Chinese sports player. The development of the business puts a lot of manpower, material resources and financial resources.

Based on the corporate culture “from sports to sports”, from 1990 to the present, Li Ning has continuously supported and sponsored the national team of Chinese gymnastics, shooting, ping-pong and diving. Since 1992, Li Ning has sponsored the China Olympic delegation and became the first Chinese sports brand to sponsor the China Olympic delegation. At the 27th Sydney Olympic Games in 2000, the Chinese delegation won a total of 28 gold medals, including 16 from the national team sponsored by Li Ning.

In the Sydney Olympics, the “Dragon Wear” and “Butterfly Shoes” specially designed and produced by the Li Ning Company for the Chinese delegation were rated as “Best Prize Equipment” by national reporters. It was also hailed by the Chinese as the Chinese National Team in the Olympic Games. The "The 29th Gold Medal" won. In August 2004, Li Ning sponsored the Chinese Olympic delegation for the fourth time to participate in the 28th Sydney Olympics held in Athens. The “Splendid China” award winning and “Aurora” winning shoes were on the podium of the Olympic Games. The long history and culture of China and the unique cultural heritage of Athens are reflected in each other, and they are perfectly integrated. They have been well received by the media and the audience. As a result, the international recognition and product specialization of the “Li-Ning” brand have been greatly improved, which has provided the basis for Li Ning’s further development.

At the end of 2004, Li Ning adjusted the international market strategy to: first create an international brand, and then open up the international market. This practice is different from the previous low-cost dumping of Chinese companies in the market. This is a consideration based on brand value. It can quickly increase the value-added of the brand, and intangible assets are unprecedentedly enlarged.

As early as 4 years ago, Li Ning Company began to work hard on branding. In 2001, Li Ning’s first overseas brand image store opened in Santander, Spain. In the same year, Li Ning signed contracts with famous Italian and French designers to assist Li Ning in designing its products. Since then, Li Ning’s product design has gradually embarked on a path of specialization and internationalization.

However, due to the products with professional attributes, the “Fighting” international market, the fundraising is still a bit thin, but also need to have a perfect marketing means to cooperate with them, in 2002 World Women's Basketball Championship, Li Ning company began to sponsor the Spanish women's basketball The team provided them with a new one-piece match suit. In this World Championships, the girls of the Spanish Women's Basketball Team won the fifth place in the Li Ning brand professional team uniforms.

In 2004, Li Ning signed a contract with the Spanish Basketball Association and became the designated sports equipment sponsor for the 2004-2008 Spanish Men and Women Basketball team. At the Athens Olympics, Li Ning’s professional basketball apparel worn by Spanish athletes performed particularly well. Not long ago, the 2008 Olympic Team of the Spanish Men's Basketball Team visited China at the invitation of Li Ning Company, marking Li Ning's successful use of international sports resources and further enhancing the international recognition of Li Ning. All this shows Li Ning's mature and stable strategy in the internationalization strategy and its clever use of strategy.

Fifteen years of accumulation to create everything possible

Li Ning spent fifteen days trying to find a way to develop a Chinese-style brand. Although this road is full of “thorns”, like many Chinese national brands, some of them will be self-destructing, some will This long and difficult road continues. Li Ning apparently belongs to the latter. In Li Ning’s latest corporate vision, it is clearly stated that: “Li Ning” brand should be established as the world’s leading sports brand by 2018. Entered the ranks of the top five global sports goods in the year. Li Ning's efforts in the past ten years or more have resulted in Li Ning’s recognition and reputation, product quality, design and development, and marketing methods. A one-step development has found the right direction. The new fifteen years are about to begin. We look forward to Li Ning's new glory.