If Yonex loses CHN team, will they lose their market? I wonder will their price go down.....whadya think?
so ... li-ning is the new yonex -> yonex is the new victor -> victor is the new carlton -> carlton is the new babolat -> ...
well Yonex still have it's market & admires too..........for instance Adidas & Puma are 2 renowned sports giants in gwrmany, but Germany National Team ( Football) stick to Adidas all these years & not opt for Puma instead ?? & why in the past (before 2007 ) Germany Players unable to wear the boots sponsors by other company ???
i wouldn't worry about Yonex being taken over by Li-Ning. Yonex for the past couple of decades has been synonymous with badminton. it will take a long long time to shed that image. esp since Li-Ning doesn't, at this point, looks like a cheap alternative at all given the prices we have seen. LN will have to shed their price to at least competitive with Yonex before Yonex will start worrying.
agree.....perhaps LN should consider thier stuffs at a cheaper price & that will make Yonex sweat for good..........
LN does have a pricing problem. Although LN rackets may be so good that they do indeed warrant premium price, LN is just not a preimum badminton brand and it is hard for it to be. LN intends to be in the same league of Nike and Addidas. Those are mass markets brands that charge relatively high but not super high prices. How willing are you to pay Callaway price for Nike golf clubs? Yonex, being a premium brand in a niche market, is a different story. Therefore, I still question their decision to use LN brand for pricy badminton products instead of building up a premium line under a dedicated racket sports label (e.g. Kason, DHS or a brand new one) to compete with Yonex in that arena. For example, it is more effective to compete in the soccer market with their Lotto brand than with LN brand.
The key is if you want the public to know that you are a quality brand then you can not afford to sell at a low price from the start. A lot of marketing and other works will need to be done, but I am sure if the image of excellent quality(instead of being a cheap product) is what Li Ning is going after, then they have to develop a much better image and be different from the "usual China made" product.
With LN venture into the baddy business, Yonex has to be careful with its pricing at the same time Yonex has to maintain its technology edge. With 2 giants battling it out for market share, the fans win.
It will be a challenging time for Yonex. with not only LN but also Victor and even SOTX coming on strong, Yonex's market share will shrink and it has to scale back on its sponsorship of tournaments. Yonex has already made a move to secure its sponsorship to the most prestigious SS event (AE). It may start to drop its sponsorship to other events. It will be an interesting time to see how things are going to shake up. Hopefully, the new comers will step up so the fans can enjoy a full slate of high quality events.
most of badminton fans always use what the Pro Players use ... this is the key. just do sponsoring China National Team, then most of badminton fans in China (in the world) will follow to find out those racquets, and if the price is really high, so the FAKE will come as well. I got some info that actually Li Ning has approached the Indonesia badminton association last year, but the association has chosen YY as their sponsor in 2009 only. So it is just a matter of time before Li Ning becomes No. 1 in badminton, and I'm pretty sure of it ..... simply, if the No. 1 teams in the world use Li Ning, why not try it as well.
Li Ning Company Limited and the Chinese National Badminton Team Join Together Chinese Badminton Advances into a New Era On Friday April 24, 2009, 7:00 am EDT BEIJING, April 24 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- On April 23, 2009 the Chinese National Badminton Team reached an agreement with Li Ning Company Limited, a leading Chinese sports brand. The badminton team became the 5th Chinese team to partner with Li Ning, along with the Chinese National Table Tennis Team, the Chinese National Gymnastics Team, the Chinese National Shooting Team and the Chinese National Diving Team. VIP guests at the signing included the director of the Table Tennis & Badminton Administration Center of the General Administration of Sports of China, Liu Fengyan, the athletic representatives of five generations in the badminton history of China: Tang Xianhua, Lin Shiquan, Li Yongbo, Zhang Ning, and Lin Dan, the chairman of the board from Li Ning Company Limited, Li Ning, and CEO of Li Ning Company Limited, Zhang Zhiyong. All attended the press conference to witness the signing of the agreement with the theme of "the glory of badminton," an historic milestone. The press conference also provided a rare opportunity for the badminton athletes to get together and speak their minds. Reviewing the glorious history of Chinese badminton, they talked about the future of the sport. Also, Liu Fengyan and Zhang Zhiyong discussed ways of promoting the development of badminton in China with the other influential guests attending the conference. At the end of the conference Mr. Li Ning presented a gold badminton bat as a special gift to the chief coach, Li Yongbo, and the athletes of the Chinese National Badminton Team, wishing them continued glory and their dream of grabbing all five medals at the next Olympic Games. According to the badminton personnel attending the conference, the partnership between the leading Chinese sports brand and the top badminton team in the world will undoubtedly give Chinese badminton a new breath of life. Liu Fengyan also highly praised the alliance between Li Ning and the China National Badminton Team. "The brand of Li Ning has been part of the development of all sports in China since its founding and has made remarkable contributions to the development of Chinese sports and I believe the 'win-win combination' between Li Ning Company Limited and the Chinese National Badminton Team will surely promote the flourishing development of badminton in China, as well as the whole world," said Liu. Li Yongbo also expressed his views about the cooperation between both parties. He was quoted as saying: "The development team from Li Ning Company Limited has built a thorough understanding of the leading trends of the development of badminton technology. From the close cooperation of both parties, the technical performance and application of the complete set of Li Ning outfits have obtained athletic recognition as such outfits can meet or exceed professional demands. Li Ning Company Limited is definitely capable of providing the professional, skilled, and customized service that we have awaited for many years! I believe the great all-round support provided by Li Ning Company Limited will undoubtedly help the Chinese National Badminton Team to achieve outstanding performance on the court." Mr. Li Ning said at the press conference that Li Ning Company Limited will perform its duties as a Chinese brand with its entry into the badminton market to enhance the popularity, participation in, and the influence of badminton throughout the world. Zhang Zhiyong expressed that Li Ning Company Limited will do its best to promote the popularity and development of badminton by utilizing its powerful commercial promotion platform and professional experience in integrated marketing and promotion in addition to supporting the Chinese National Badminton Team with top-notch equipment. "Li Ning Company Limited has confidence in its partnership with the Chinese National Badminton Team. We believe that Li Ning will become a leading brand in the badminton field through its persistent input and operations in badminton," said Zhang Zhiyong. A survey on the status of sports participation throughout China conducted by the General Administration of Sports of China shows that badminton has the largest participation in China next to the relaxed sporting event of "walking," with the number of fans in China reaching 250 million. According to the survey entitled "The Most Suitable Olympic Event for the Public," released by the Social Survey Center of China Youth Daily, badminton ranked first with a participation rate of 67.8%. Moreover, the report released by the International Olympic Committee shows that the TV news reports and the number of viewers for badminton events rapidly increased over the last three Olympic Games. A total Chinese audience of 800 million watched the badminton games during the Athens Olympic Games, and the audience reached a new record during the Beijing Olympic Games. The market size behind such figures is significant, and it shows that badminton is in a golden era of flourishing development. And the agreement entered into by Li Ning Company Limited and the Chinese National Badminton Team is an important link for its strategic commercial deployment. Li Ning Company Limited will form a regional business orientation with leading advantages throughout the world through badminton. Depending on the power of brand influence, solid product development strength, and professional sponsorship experience, Li Ning Company Limited will not only provide top-notch professional equipment and service support to the Chinese National Badminton Team and help them to reach a new level, but also promote the growth of the badminton market in China and assist Chinese badminton in it's international development. It is reported that the Chinese National Team will be completely equipped with Li Ning products for the first time in May for the upcoming Sudirman Cup in which the Chinese National Badminton Team will show up internationally for the first time after the signing of the agreement by both parties. For more information, please contact: Yuan Enqing LI-NING Brand, Li Ning Company Limited Add: No. 8 Xing Guang 5th Street, Opto-Mechatronics Industrial Park, Zhongguancun Science &Technology Area, Tongzhou District, Beijing, P.R. China 101111 Tel: +86-10-8080-0730 Email: enqing.yuan@li-ning.com.cn Tang Yeping Ruder Finn Public Relations (Beijing Office) Add: E101, East Lake Villas, 35 Dongzhimenwai Main Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing, 100027 Tel: +86-10-6462-7321 x677 Fax: +86-10-6462-7327 Email: tangg@ruderfinnasia.com
