This is the case. Yesterday we detailed the preparations for the “Tmall China Day†at New York Fashion Week and the starting lineup of the show. The most eye-catching brand is the sports brand Li Ning. The Baidu Index, which reflects the popularity of search, was held on February 8. At noon reached the highest point. Although Feng Li, the general manager of Li Ning, told us that the trip to the United States was "albeit natural", it has obviously yielded a very good exposure.
Founded in 1990, Li Ning is China's first domestic sports brand that brings together celebrity effects, design, and brand awareness. Until 9 years later, Anta, born in Jinjiang, Fujian Province, signed Kong Linghui as the spokesperson for the image, and used the phrase “I choose I like it†as the slogan, which refreshed the awareness of other sportswear manufacturers in Jinjiang about branding.
Li Ning’s last high light moment has been nearly 10 years ago. In 2008 Beijing Olympics, “Neckluck Prince†Li Ning ignited the Olympic Torch by flying over the nest, and it seemed to ignite Li Ning’s sales – in 2009, Li Ning’s sales in China surpassed Adidas for the first time and put it in the second year. The turnover reached 9.478 billion and reached its peak.
Subsequently, Li Ning underwent a series of failed transformations, including positioning himself as "post-90s Li Ning," recalling that at the time the bus station was full of advertisements for Li Ning. Soon the market gave the reaction that consumers did not pay for the goods - after the non-90s consumers felt excluded by Li Ning, and after the 90th consumers were not touched by Li Ning's propaganda. Li Ning's situation turned awry, with a total of nearly 2 billion in 2012.
One of the spokespersons of the year was Lin Dan.
Looking back at the "90s Li Ning" transition, it is really too early to be introduced. After 90, there has been no outbreak of purchasing power like today. The main consumer groups are still 80s and 70s.
In recent years, local apparel brands have become more brand-conscious and have begun to have a mature approach to how to shape their images. For example, many Chinese local apparel brands want to organize a fashion show. From the venue to the model lineup, even the invited celebrity guests will not be inferior to international big names.
First of all, something worthy of recognition. In the past, advertisements for local clothing brands have caused a lot of ridicule because of soil and non-influence, but now they finally want to reshape their image and engage in a more effective dialogue with a new generation of consumers. But what followed was a discussion of plagiarism - after Li Ning's show at New York Fashion Week, the items on the show were also put under light.
The pair of white socks shoes (top) at the foot of the model and Balenciaga's hot sock shoes (bottom) "bumped his face."
Another pair of Li Ning shoes (top) is highly similar to Adidas's eqt solution 1998 and Yeezy 700 (bottom).
In fact, not only Li Ning, Balenciaga has been more than a local Chinese clothing brand has been to the show field "inspiration" in the last two years, each time will be recognized by the people who are familiar with the fashion brand. But if we do not talk about law and ethics, the reason why this “reference†can be used repeatedly is because it is a shortcut to quickly catch up with the trend, reshape the brand image, and attract young people's attention.
Most Chinese consumers do not care about copying, and buy a popular red design on a magazine at a price of one tenth, and few young people can resist it. What's more, consumers may not even know the international brand that originally designed the design. The trend is a small circle of preferences. If you don’t believe it, you might as well ask the undergraduates, general corporates, or young teachers in your school whether you know which trend-setting designs have been launched by Balenciaga, Off-White, or Vetements?
One thing that many consumers may not know is that the clothes displayed on the show by the clothing brand are sometimes used just to create an image and will not actually be put into mass production, and will eventually appear in stores that you and I are familiar with. The excitement and discussion are all temporary. It will eventually be able to reproduce Li Ning’s return to the peak. One or two shows are not enough to accomplish.
In 2015, founder Li Ning returned to the company's frontline and gradually pulled the company out of the mud of losses. In the first half of 2017, the profit was 189 million, up 67% year-on-year. However, Anta has been catching up. Adidas and Nike are still the industry leaders. Li Ning's advancement is bound to not be smooth.