#57 Li-Ning just does it
Have you ever heard of Li-Ning? You will. Li-Ning is a Chinese sportswear company with about 1 billion US$ in annual revenue and more than 7,000 stores in China. The company was founded in 1990 by Li-Ning, a Chinese gymnast who won three gold medals in the Summer Olympics of 1984. To Li-Ning, starting a sportswear company has been a matter of national pride. He recalls the moment when he stood on the podium in 1984. Looking down, he realized that he was wearing a foreign brand, something that he wanted to change once and forever. Today, his products are endorsed by non-Chinese athletes, such as Baron Davis of the LA Clippers. Not only does Li-Ning’s logo bear a striking similarity with the Nike Swoosh, Li-Ning now has also set up shop in Nike’s front yard. In February, Li-Ning opened its first American showroom in Portland’s Pearl District. To this blogger, that’s just a sign of the things to come. Many industries and companies will see increased Chinese competition in their home markets.
November 12, 2014 @ 10:55 am
On the example of Li-ning we can see, that the idea of just one man can take over the world. As already mentioned in the blog, li-nings sportswear company is very similar to Nike but it is on the Chinese market.
From there on they build their way around the world and now non-Chinese sportsmen can be seen in their advertisements and they have showroom in America.
So a regional brand took over and it is also claimed, that Chinese competition is coming in general.
According to Hofstede, China scores 20 in Individualism which means that it is a collectivistic culture. The Interest of the group is superior, therefore I think Li-ning was so successful. It might not have only been the quality and price but also the „WE“ feeling which made this brand so successful. They act in the interest of the group and so they buy it. They see each other as a big family and want to support their countrymen.
Also China is a masculine country, scoring 66 in masculinity which means that success and achievement are more important then caring for others. I also think the success of Li-Ning can be attributed to this dimension.
What motivates Chinese people is to be the best. They are success oriented. This is also the reason why these driven Chinese people take over whole markets. While years ago they just did plagiarism now they build up brands which are available nearly all over the world. They are so success driven, that they want to enter new markets. And they just do it.