The Road to Stardom: Start as a Slam Dunk Master

Chapter 498 Lin Dong must lose!

The only difference between LED lights and phosphorescent rubber is the way of thinking.

It’s easy to copy…

For a big brand like Nike, it is actually very easy to deal with the new products of such small-scale rivals.

The marketing department has researchers who pay attention to new products at all times. Once a new model appears on the market, Nike can produce it in less than three days, lay out the production line in ten days, and fully launch it in half a month! Then, with the help of public opinion and Nike's own reputation, and using massive sales channels, the original version will be turned into pirated copies in minutes, leaving no room for the original to survive. This is why small workshops are unable to compete with such big brands, and it is also why Nike has always The reason why Adidas is regarded as the most troublesome rival is because facing a sports goods dealer of the size of Adidas, they can have overwhelming advance publicity and massive distribution channels, making it impossible for you to copycat.

But the problem now is that Under Armor's phosphorescent rubber shoes have already made a name for themselves, and they have been fierce since they appeared. With the influence of the SuperSonics and Lin Dong, they have become popular all over the United States overnight.

Under such circumstances, if Nike still uses its previous methods of dealing with small workshops and replaces genuine products with copycat products, it will obviously not work.

Consumers across the United States know that you are just a counterfeiter, and they have already labeled you as "shameless" and "disrespectful of intellectual property rights." If you stand at the bottom of moral public opinion, you will never win the favor of consumers.

I'm so careless...

Phil Knight was so angry that his teeth itched with hatred.

A small workshop managed to promote a top brand, and with the help of a good product and Lin Dong's influence and popularity, it actually caught itself off guard.

Then we have to take the second path, and we have to make some upgrades and changes on the basis of imitation.

He used phosphorescent rubber, so Nike had to find an alternative material. He designed a high top, so Nike had to design something else to differentiate it from Under Armor's fluorescent shoes. Although the selling points are actually the same, But the materials and styles are different, coupled with Nike's own sales advantages and quality assurance in the minds of consumers... Phil Knight feels that he is at least 70-80% sure of winning this battle.

A small workshop that has been destroyed by itself now wants to turn around?

That is impossible. No business tycoon will ever allow an enemy to make a comeback on his own track. That is much more terrifying than facing a new enemy.

Phil Knight could vaguely feel that this was no longer just a grudge against Lin Dong, but that the menacing Under Armor had given him a sense of threat.

Under Armor must be defeated!

Nike's R\u0026D department works all night and overtime.

Under Armor started promoting it on December 12th and started releasing it on the 20th. By January 6th, Nike finally found the right direction.

Phosphorescent rubber cannot be used, so use phosphorescent powder.

Both materials have their own advantages and disadvantages. Compared with the former's overall brightness, the phosphor powder is not inferior to the other in brightness, but it adds a sense of starry sky. The visual effect is actually slightly better than that of phosphorescent rubber. a little.

But the only trouble is that phosphor is actually a radioactive substance. To put it simply, it is harmful to the human body.

Of course, this kind of radioactivity can be handled, but the process of fusing materials has become much more complicated, which also makes the cost of this pair of fluorescent shoes not cheap.

If this is an ordinary workshop, making quick money, then naturally you don't have to worry about such small problems. A pair of shoes can only be worn for a year, and the radioactivity will not cause your feet to rot or cause any major diseases. At most, it will be some allergies. question.

But since Under Armor wants to bring down Under Armor, it naturally cannot leave any clues. Phil Knight still has no intention of saving money here. After all, Under Armor's current flash shoes are priced at $799 on the official website. His fluorescent shoes No matter how high the cost of pink shoes is, selling them for 499 is still very profitable, and by the way, you can beat Under Armor for a lower price.

So, when the NBA game was in full swing, on January 11, Nike’s official website had already posted an advertisement for the new fluorescent shoes.

James 1st generation!

In fact, according to Phil Knight's original intention, the exclusive sneaker series for LeBron will not be launched until next year, preferably after defeating the SuperSonics.

But now that the fire is burning on my brows, I have no choice but to put it on the shelf and use it first.

The James generation uses the latest fluorescent rubber material independently developed by Nike. Its main feature is that it looks shinier than phosphorescent rubber and is more reliable than Under Armor's brand!

Nike's production line has been put into production and has passed market quality inspection. It is expected to be officially launched on January 20th, with the price being only 499! And Nike officially promised that this will also be the official price of this shoe after it is finally fully launched, and will not turn around and sell it for 799 like Under Armor.

Phil Knight sipped his red wine in the office and admired the enthusiasm of many Nike loyal fans on the Internet, and felt a sense of comfort in his heart.

New materials + price war, how will Under Armor respond?

After working hard for more than half a month, I can finally have a good sleep.

Unexpectedly, as soon as I got up the next day, I saw the secretary's urgent report.

——Under Armor launches new flash shoes, the dragon model is still 799, the main one is exclusive to Lin Dong, while the regular model is priced at 199...

Phil Knight wanted to laugh when he saw Nike's price war. Was he planning to go the extreme high-end and extreme low-end route and avoid market overlap with Nike?

Frankly speaking, Plank deserves to be the one who can create Under Armor from scratch. This trick is really simple and effective.

The cost of fluorescent shoes is indeed too high relatively speaking. It is not a simple matter to deal with the radioactivity problem of fluorescent powder with current technology. If Under Armor sells it for 299, Nike can just buy it, but for 199... this is not only If you don’t make any profit, you still have to lose money.

Although Nike doesn't mind and has enough confidence to fight such a price war when it comes to extreme situations, that is obviously not the best way.

Fortunately, I had already expected it, so I easily rolled out the second card, the public opinion card.

The first generation of James was jointly created by three famous designers, Eric Avar, Hatfield, and Aaron Cooper. It has a technological and fashionable appearance, and Nike has studied ergonomic design for decades. How do you compare Under Armor to it?

The dragon model you sell for 799 is purely to sell Lin Dong’s fame and the freshness of phosphorescent rubber; the ordinary model you sell for 199 is completely on the low-end route.

In a word, if a consumer buys the dragon model for 799, he or she is paying an IQ tax; while if a consumer buys the ordinary model for 199, he or she has no taste or knowledge about shoes, or is even a poor person who does not deserve to wear good shoes.

I thought that Zang's move could take down Under Armor in a matter of minutes.

Unexpectedly, turning around, when the national media was ridiculing Under Armour, Plank just used a light word to push Phil Knight to the ground and rub him for ten thousand years.

The first generation designer of Under Armor's Dragon model is Professor Johns Knapp...

Who is Johns Knapp? A lifelong honorary professor at Hopkins University, he is now an absolutely authoritative figure in the study of ergonomics in the United States. Two of the designers mentioned by Nike are his students!

Do you dare to say that the shoes he designed are not as good as those of your designers? Do you dare to say that it has no technological content?

Of course, it was all slander, and it did not damage Under Armor's reputation at all. On the contrary, it helped Under Armor create a wave of advertising.

At this moment, Nike was suspended in the air.

It can't be compared with the designer, but it ruins the advantage of brighter fluorescent powder, and even becomes the target of ridicule by fans because of being slapped in the face.

The most uncomfortable thing is the price of Nike, 499... Those who are willing to spend money don't mind spending an extra 300 yuan to buy the most popular genuine Lin Dong model, but those who are reluctant to spend money... I will buy a pair of hot models for 199, Isn’t it more fragrant than your 499?

And what's even more terrible is that, even though it is an ordinary model, it seems to have a very simple design, but it reveals an indescribable sense of perfection, ease and comfort.

What are these coconut shoes called? Once they were released, they became a trend instantly. The official website sells them for 199. However, due to their production capacity, the supply exceeds the demand. The price on the black market has been speculated to about 1,000 US dollars... This damn coconut! It actually feels even hotter than the Dragon model!

Nike's fluorescent shoes only became popular for a few days, and then sales quickly declined. It was completely unable to compete with Under Armor in this market.

Price reduction?

It is impossible to reduce prices, otherwise even the last few customers in the middle may have to betray you and have to find another way out.

Nike's design department is working overtime again, planning to launch an upgraded version of the James generation.

We spare no effort in design and ignore costs, and we also capture the aesthetics that is now biased by Under Armor in the United States and move towards simplicity. However, the simplicity of the appearance does not mean that the interior is simple. All the high technologies that should be included are provided. To add more, the production lines have to be fully upgraded, but the price is still 499.

This is a real investment. The main focus is to strangle Under Armour in this market with super high cost performance and never allow it to make a comeback.

It’s possible to invest a lot of money and grab some time.

It was mid-February, before the All-Star Game, and I finally worked overtime to get the new shoes out.

Although LeBron is still in Japan and has not returned, this does not prevent Philnut from flying to Japan with his sneakers and TV team to film a special series to record LeBron's daily training interviews and interviews with famous training teachers. The interview is dedicated to a program, and at the same time, we use this wave of operations to launch new sneakers.

But he had just finished recording the show when the All-Star Game started.

When Lin Dong appeared on the court wearing his brand-new pair of coconut shoes, and led the Western Conference All-Stars to defeat the Eastern Conference, and beat the Eastern Conference by more than 30 points without mercy...

After fans across the United States accepted the simple style of the first-generation coconut shoes, and received excellent feedback on their lightness and comfort after wearing them, the reputation has already risen, and this style has become more and more popular.

So much so that the appearance of this more simple second-generation coconut shoe, Dragon Style No. 2, on Lin Dong’s feet has already tightened the hearts of fans across the United States. They have even stopped using phosphorescent rubber, and this time they have completely put their selling points aside. In terms of design and style.

Phil Knight got it.

Flash shoes are just a transitional product for Under Armour.

Use Lin Dong's fame and phosphorescent rubber to first make American fans accept it, then transition to the ordinary model with phosphorescent rubber and simple coconut design, and then transition to the current ergonomic model with pure coconut design...

Under Armor is taking every step to make a quick buck.

Professor Nepp can only provide Under Armour with technical support on ergonomics, but trendy things like phosphorescent rubber and coconut-shaped design are definitely not made by Professor Nepp.

Any one of these ideas would be enough to set a trend and feed a company for many years, but Under Armor is now throwing them out one after another like free cabbage!

It seems that Plank has not only been running his small workshop honestly in the past two years, but has been preparing to attack Nike!

The opponent came prepared. Nike has been completely led by the opponent. Phil Knight can even feel that Under Armor's trump card is far more than that.

After all, if you are Plank, facing a powerful opponent like Nike, and dare to continue to launch new models at the current speed, there is only one reason, and that is that the opponent still has more designs in his hands!

To chase? Going to compete with Under Armour for design?

Frankly speaking, Phil Knight feels that this battle is really difficult to fight. After all, the enemy is in the dark and we are in the clear. You have no idea how many cards Under Armor has in hand, but it has been led by others.

This aspect is unbeatable. If things continue like this, Under Armor will really be able to take a big bite out of Nike in less than half a year. Moreover, I heard that SoftBank has invested in them again, and Under Armor is frantically expanding their business. With the current momentum of the production line, Under Armor will be able to return to the scale it was when they were launched in less than half a year! It even threatens Nike’s position!

Then you can only...

Boom!

Phil Knight punched the desk hard, forcing himself to calm down his inner anger.

Going back to the source, all the problems still lie with Lin Dong.

Without Lin Dong's brand influence and publicity, no matter how good Under Armor's products are, such a small workshop would not be qualified to compete with Nike.

Therefore, as long as Lin Dong is defeated, Under Armor can be killed!

It’s almost time for this year’s playoffs.

If you lose, you must let Lin Dong lose!

Thinking of this, Phil Knight's eyes became crazily bloodshot.

at all costs!