Rebirth of the Industrial Tycoon - Vol 2 Chapter 495
Chapter 495 The birth of a popular superstar!
Kobe’s first signature sneakers are on the market.
A certain Los Angeles sports journal, the sneaker evaluation section soon appeared such a comment:
“Will I pay for the signature sneakers of a high school rookie player? Of course not! Unless I am a fool! I think you are not fools either.
Although the style of this shoe looks very trendy, but the price is as high as 135 US dollars, the producer of the sneaker is really crazy for money!
Kobe Bryant is just a rookie with the thirteenth overall pick. He has just radicalized the Lakers’ rotation. Do you think he is a ‘penny’ Hardaway? ”
The media specifically mentioned Hardaway because in 1996, Nike sold the signature sneaker “NIKEAirPenny” for Hardaway, which sold for $135.
Later generations of shoe speculators have speculated the price of sneakers, but in fact, in the US market, the first year price of star signature shoes is not high.
The signature sneakers of outside players are relatively easy to sell. The price is generally between 110 US dollars and 130 US dollars. For example, Payton’s signature sneakers are sold for 110 US dollars when they are listed. A few years later, LeBron James’s first signature sneakers are sold. The price is 130 dollars.
Sneakers of inside players are not easy to sell, and the price will even drop below $100. The price of Garnett’s first signature sneaker is only $95.
In 1996, a signature sneaker dared to sell for $135. It was basically sold at the price of a superstar. With Kobe’s popularity and influence, it was obviously not worth such an expensive price. It is normal to be sprayed by the media.
And the sales results of sneakers, as James Bond said, are very bleak.
Many customers come to buy this shoe, not because they are Kobe’s signature boots, but because they feel that the design of this sneaker is very fashionable.
Obviously, for a player who is still struggling to enter the rotation, almost no fans are willing to pay for him.
In a month, Kobe’s first signature boots only sold more than a thousand pairs, which is lower than ordinary sneakers, and there is no star effect at all.
Some media in Los Angeles have opened a mocking mode again.
But this time, it is not Kobe that mocks Kobe, but Leap!
Signed players for a big price, and sold signature sneakers, but the sales were bleak. This should be ridiculed.
Some sports commentators have already rated Kobe’s signature sneakers as the most failed endorsement in NBA history!
……
Just after the lover in 1997, Americans’ eyes gathered on the annual NBA All-Star Weekend.
Friday’s rookie challenge is probably the most watched in recent years.
Because 1996 is the draft year.
The rookies of previous years in the NBA, by the time of the All-Star Game, the rookies have just adapted to the rhythm of the NBA game, barely able to have a stable debut time in the rotation lineup.
However, the golden generation of rookies in 1996 is different. Iverson has become the boss of the 76ers. People such as Marbury, Ray Allen, Raheem, Walker and others have also become the team’s stable scoring. Point, there is no problem with mixing up the starting lineup.
In 1996, all rookies participated in the Rookie Challenge, which was divided into East and West teams. It was only in 2000 that it was changed to the rookie team vs. the second-year team.
On the West side, Marbury did not play due to injury, and only Nash, Fisher and Kobe were left on the back line, so everyone felt that the Rookie Challenge would become Iverson’s personal show.
However, what everyone did not expect was that it was Kobe who really showed up!
In the Rookie Challenge, Kobe scored a game-high 31 points, and also picked up 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 1 block. In the face of Iverson, Kobe was not inferior, but opposed to the opponent. Mark it up.
Shooting, breaking through, dunking, Kobe showed a variety of offensive methods.
Although the West lost to the East 91-96 and the rookie game MVP was also picked by Iverson, this game allowed the nation to get to know Kobe, a young guy.
After all, it was not the Internet age. Ordinary people rely on TV and newspapers for information. The limited space of TV and newspapers will definitely be reserved for star players. News reports about ordinary players will only appear in local media.
Rookie players like Kobe, who can barely enter the rotation, are out of Los Angeles, and few people know about it.
The NBA All-Star Weekend is broadcast live across the United States, and you can perform well in the Rookie Challenge, which is equivalent to showing yourself in front of a national audience.
And only then did the fans know that among this year’s rookies, there is a young guy named Kobe, who has very good personal abilities, and he can compete with the top pick Iverson.
But this is just the beginning. The real highlight of Kobe was in the dunk contest the next day.
……
In the second round of the dunk contest, Kobe was the first to appear.
The 31 players in the Rookie Challenge yesterday made Kobe full of confidence. In the first round of the dunk contest, he did not even take off his training uniform.
However, he only completed two dunks in the first round of three dunks. The second dunk failed. Fortunately, the opponent also made frequent mistakes, allowing Kobe to enter the second round smoothly.
In the second round, Kobe finally took off his training suit.
Originally, the audience thought that there must be some special weapons hidden in the training uniform, but it was just a simple Lakers uniform, which was somewhat disappointing to the audience.
In last year’s slam dunk contest, Brent Barry also used a training suit for the first round of dunks, and then took off his jacket in the second round of dunks, revealing a T-shirt with the words “White people can fly” inside. .
So the audience is also looking forward to it. There are also some stunts in Kobe’s jacket.
Although there were no small surprises in the jacket that disappointed the audience, Kobe’s performance did not disappoint the audience.
I saw Kobe accelerating near the 45-degree three-point line on the left, cut into the penalty area, and then took off, with the ball in his left hand, bypassing under the crotch, and a one-handed dunk after receiving the ball with his right hand.
A perfect crotch hand change for a windmill dunk! Suddenly, the audience screamed.
In the dunk contest of later generations, this kind of crouched windmill may not make people feel very amazing, but in 1997, such a slam dunk will definitely be full of colors.
Sure enough, the referee gave a high score of 49 points.
This slam dunk can be described as a very popular fan, it is also the champion of this dunk contest, so Kobe has become a player that everyone knows from obscurity.
At least when the name “Kobe Bryant” is mentioned, fans will think of the young man who changed hands in the dunk contest.
In front of the TV, James Bond looked at Kobe as he lifted the slam dunk contest trophy, looking dumbfounded.
The next second, he immediately picked up the phone on the table and dialed a number.
“Hey, this is James Bond, Kobe’s signature sneakers. I will have enough stocks as soon as I go to work tomorrow!”
……
The next day, the front pages of the major sports media in the United States were all news that Kobe won the slam dunk contest, and some pictures of the slam dunk were added.
Those Los Angeles media who are not optimistic about Kobe have been slapped in their faces.
But the media is also the most fickle. Three months ago they made Kobe’s words worthless, but now they seem to have forgotten what they said back then, one by one they all praised Kobe to the sky.
The slam dunk contest is obviously the most watched event on the second day of the All-Star Weekend, and some fans may even think that the dunk contest is the most watched event throughout the All-Star Weekend.
So the annual dunk contest champion is often the focus of the media.
Kobe has also circled a large number of fans. His signature sneakers are finally no longer a product that no one cares about.
Los Angeles, there was once again a long queue in front of the Feiyue flagship store, and the photo from the Kobe dunk contest, coupled with the photo of Kobe’s signature sneakers, has been made into a huge poster and hung in front of the store.
People passing by don’t need to ask, they know at a glance, Kobe’s signature sneakers are sold here.
James Bond stood in front of the store, looking at the people coming in and out with a smile on his face.
“Unexpectedly, I won the bet by the boss again!” Bond sighed lightly, then said to himself: “But the sales volume of 300,000 pairs is still a bit difficult. If you don’t lose, you can even make a profit! ”
Thanks to the popularity of Kobe, the sales of Kobe’s signature sneakers finally have a look.
But wanting to sell 300,000 pairs, the basis is an impossible task.
But Li Weidong was not in a hurry. He thought that even if the remaining two hundred thousand pairs of sneakers could not be sold, they could all be sealed up. After Kobe became popular, they would be regarded as out-of-print sneakers and released a limited number of two to three thousand pairs each year. You have to increase the price to get it.
With Kobe’s huge fan base, two hundred thousand pairs of signature sneakers are still very good to sell. If they don’t work, they can be taken back to China and sold to shoe speculators, which will definitely make a lot of money.
Kobe is a player who has popularity first and then strength.
In 1998, Kobe had not yet entered the starting lineup of the Lakers, but he was abruptly voted by the fans and won the All-Star starting lineup against Jordan.
That is to say, Kobe, who has entered the second year of the NBA, is already as popular as a superstar.
When selling signature sneakers, what you look at is not the data of the star manufacturers, but the popularity of the stars. As long as the popularity is high enough, the sneakers can be sold.
As long as Kobe’s popularity rises, there is no need to worry about no one buying sneakers.
In history, Adidas only decided to let Kobe endorse basketball shoes, also before and after the dunk contest.
It’s just that Adidas has never paid much attention to Kobe. At first, it just let Kobe endorse the tepid TOP10 series of Adidas.
Later, Adidas released a so-called KB8 basketball shoe, which is the pair that Kobe wore when he was selected for the first All-Star.
But this shoe is actually a redesign of the Adidas EQT series. It was not originally designed for Kobe. It is said that Adidas saw Kobe have a huge advantage in the All-Star vote, so it hurriedly pushed this shoe.
Strictly speaking, KB8 is not Kobe’s signature sneaker either.
In the eyes of sneaker collectors, this shoe also has the nickname “hard as a dog”, because this shoe is special from the upper to the sole.
Because this shoe has more defects, the sales volume at the time was relatively average.
Later Kobe became a superstar, Adidas improved the defects of the sneakers and reproduced the KB8 sneakers, but at that time Kobe had already switched to the Nike camp, so Adidas could not use the name “KB8” and could only change the name of the sneakers to “Crazy8” For sale.
As a result, because Kobe has many fans, the sales of this shoe are still very hot. Derrick Rose was wearing this re-enacted Crazy8 that season when he won the MVP award.
In fact, as far as sports brands are concerned, the signature sneakers of most of the stars cannot be repaid. Signing a star can cost tens of millions of dollars at all times. If there are more, it will cost hundreds of millions. If you rely on selling signature sneakers, how many pairs do you have to sell to pay back?
Except for a few top superstars, the signature sneakers of other stars are losing money.
Sports brand really fancy, is the influence of stars.
There are many examples of the rise of the entire brand because of a star.
The most well-known is that Nike signed Jordan.
At that time, Nike was facing the siege of several time-honored sports brands such as Converse, Reebok, and Adidas in the American market. After Nike signed Jordan desperately, it defeated each opponent in just a few years and became a sports brand. The overlord, this is also the most successful commercial endorsement in history.
In addition, for example, AND1 relied on Carter and once overwhelmed Adidas and rushed to the position of the second NBA sports brand; Anta relied on the “most conscientious spokesperson” Thompson to successfully enter the US market; Curry let The street brand Under Armour has become a “high-end brand.”
From this perspective, the signing of Kobe by Feiyue Sports is a profitable business. With Kobe’s influence, it is enough for Feiyue to occupy a place in the North American market.
Li Weidong also never thought that Feiyue could become a giant like Nike and Adidas, and that Feiyue could be brought into the ranks of first-tier brands. Li Weidong would be content!
……
The United States is holding the NBA All-Star Game, while Li Weidong is in Beijing, attending a meeting of the agricultural machinery system.
As the meeting progressed, and the figures were announced one by one, all those attending the meeting looked solemn.
In the 1990s, a large number of domestic enterprises were in trouble, especially in the mid-1990s, when the situation was the most serious.
And this difficult wave has also spread to the agricultural machinery industry.
The large state-owned agricultural machinery enterprises are better, they can survive by relying on orders from state-owned farms, while small and medium-sized agricultural machinery enterprises are really struggling. Many companies went bankrupt in the past year.
Small and medium-sized agricultural machinery enterprises, with weak technical foundation and relatively backward products, but there are many such enterprises, and they have produced a large number of low-end agricultural machinery.
The products are low-end, and the output is still large. The market can’t digest it at all. The result can be imagined.
In fact, not only the agricultural machinery industry, but other domestic machinery companies are also facing the same problem.
Small and medium-sized enterprises are unable to adapt to the competition in the market economy in terms of management, technology, hardware, etc., and the number of such small and medium-sized enterprises is very large, even if they want to save them, they cannot be saved.
As a result, the state has adopted a reform strategy of “grasping the big and letting go of the small”, hitting the power to do a good job in the national economy and people’s livelihood, and a few key enterprises that are not controlled by the state are indispensable.
At the same time, the state-owned enterprises in the rest of the general production field should be released, so that they can constantly recombine with the fluctuations of the market structure under the influence of market rules, so as to rationally flow resource elements, shorten the structural imbalance, and realize the survival of the fittest.
The production of agricultural machinery is related to the country’s agriculture, and it is also directly related to whether the people can fill their stomachs. The leading enterprises in this industry naturally belong to the national economy and the people’s livelihood, and they are going to be “catch the big”.
Other small and medium-sized agricultural machinery enterprises will survive the fittest under the influence of market laws.
Agricultural machinery is originally an industry that relies heavily on subsidies, and the more you are accustomed to subsidized industries, the more difficult it is to adapt to the competition under the market economy.
There is no doubt that if they enter the market competition, very few domestic small and medium agricultural machinery companies can survive.
This meeting roughly revealed such a meaning. For those high-quality agricultural machinery companies, the state will provide assistance, and the agricultural machinery research department will also provide technical support to help companies upgrade their technologies and industries, so that they can be in the accumulated market. Survive in the competition.
Those who are able to attend the conference are also domestic agricultural machinery industries with comparative advantages or potentials. Some are large-scale, some are rich in technical reserves, and some are good at a certain agricultural machinery field.
These companies have the opportunity to receive technical support from the agricultural machinery research department.
Simply put it is to split the pie. The country will take out a pie and distribute it to enterprises to help them survive.
It’s just that the country’s resources are limited. In the end, you can get a bowl of meat or a bowl of soup. It depends on the company’s own efforts. If you don’t work hard, you just want to eat the pies that fall from the sky, maybe you can’t even drink the soup.
So this meeting is more like a pre-war mobilization meeting, so that these potential companies will be taken care of, otherwise you will not be able to share the pie, and don’t blame others.
After the meeting, Li Weidong walked out of the meeting room and looked at his colleagues around him.
These are all competitors. The pie is so big. If others eat one bite more, wouldn’t you eat one bite less!
Thinking of this, Li Weidong’s eyes showed a wolfish breath: “Fukang Agricultural Machinery must adjust its strategic direction!”
The hemorrhoids recurred the day before yesterday, and my buttocks hurt when I was standing and sitting. I could only lie on my stomach. I am already a dead dog now! It is inevitable to sit for a long time in our profession. It is said that there are still a hundred monthly tickets, which will break 1,000. There is still the last day of this month. I also hope that you can help me and give me a monthly pass. Thank you for passing the customs!
(End of this chapter)