Can Li Ning surpass Nike? Become an international leader

Three minutes of attention to the world, can the company created by the main torchbearer Li Ning bid farewell to the existence of the gap, even beyond Nike's historic turning point?

Li Ning came.

He wore a blue and white Li Ning brand sweatshirt, and his body still had the symmetry and strongness of a gymnast. He completed training for 1 month in order to finish the torch of the main torch within three minutes of the eye-catching opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games. It was already 10 kilos thinner than before.

Within a few meters, you will feel that he is a hard, iron, silent and confident person.

In China, few athletes have names like Li Ning that can evoke the complex emotions of people who are so large but indescribable. It was the memory of the previous generation of Chinese people throughout the 1980s: the hard-earned victory in the impoverished life, and the pride that surprised the world for the first time.

The photographer wanted to take a few separate photos for him. Li Ning rejected it. “If I don’t shoot Zhang Zhiyong, you don’t want to convince me.” After the defeat of the Seoul Olympics in 1988, he chose to retire and stay invisible for a long time. outer. Even as the chairman of Li Ning Co., Ltd., which he subsequently created, he has refused to appear in the shot alone. He must wait until the arrival of Zhang Zhiyong, CEO of Li Ning. “Zhiyong is responsible, serious and responsible, and does not lack an international perspective.” Li Ning told Global Entrepreneurs. "We have been working together for 16 years."

Zhang Zhiyong appeared.

Under the arrangement of the photographer, he stood with Zhang Zhiyong and changed his position from time to time, but he could not laugh at all.

"I was always stiff in front of the camera and I was not used to the feeling of being photographed." Li Ning said. He patted Zhang Zhiyong's shoulder and said, "Chi Yong is better than me."

Zhang Zhiyong is 6 years younger than Li Ning. This may be a rare combination in Chinese companies. For a long time, Li Ning has had very little to intervene in corporate affairs, even if it is a major decision such as commercial mergers and acquisitions?? "I'm just a procedural role." Li Ning said. Zhang Zhiyong is the actual business decision maker of Li Ning Company. In the most recent 12 months, he initiated the acquisition of Hongshuangxi, a sports equipment manufacturer in China, and entered into an exclusive franchise right with Italian brand Lotto for 20 years in China.

People naturally ask, who is the protagonist of this company?

For Li Ning, the answer is not important. "I don't think I have a business feeling. Do you think I have it?" He asked the reporter. He consciously retreated to the background of the business and gave Zhang Zhiyong a great deal of trust, which made the common suspicion, fight and conspiracy story in the business world not happen in Li Ning Company. “Every successful global CEO knows what suits him. If the company's development does not match my ability, I will leave.” Zhang himself also maintained a clear sense of position.

In the recent five years, Li Ning, which is the most simple management mix for the Chinese business community, has also enjoyed the rapid growth brought about by the new round of consumer economic boom. Li Ning not only continued to maintain its position as the largest sporting goods manufacturer in China, but also achieved a compound annual growth rate of 35.9%. Last year, its business scale reached 4.35 billion yuan, far behind the domestic competitors such as Anta and Hongxing Erke. In the first half of this year, operating income increased by 60.3% year-on-year.

However, the painful reality for Li Ning Company for a long time is that in addition to the constant pursuit of Anta and Hongxing Erke, who are also good at local operations, there are still pressure from Nike and Adidas, who occupy a larger market share in the Chinese market. In an exclusive interview with Global Entrepreneur, Zhang Zhiyong first disclosed that in 2004, Li Ning had formulated a secret plan: to surpass Nike in the Chinese market for 15 years to regain the throne? Don't forget, positive Since 2003, Li Ning has maintained this leading position for 9 years and was snatched away by Nike.

When Li Ning rushed into the air and lighted the main torch of the Beijing Olympic Games in the eyes of the world, it undoubtedly gave Li Ning a great historical opportunity to realize this ambition: this scene not only evoked Chinese consumers to the gymnastic prince. The memory of the brilliant record reminiscent of the 18-year-old Chinese sports brand he created. In the readership survey on the Gemag.com.cn website, as many as 70.91% of voters considered it to be the biggest commercial benefit of the Olympic Games.

"Becoming an international leading brand does not depend on marketing once." Li Ning said. Although this may be a classic case that cannot be duplicated in the history of global business. But then, the story you will read may allow you to build confidence in the company: how it spares no effort to perfect every detail, how to break the conventional thorough management revolution, and how a company can be a person The extension of force.