Li Ningxin Advertising Hits The US Market

The Chinese sportswear company aims to establish brand awareness in the US market. Recently it launched a new advertisement for the Internet, including Rawlins, the actress known as HBO The Wire and Chappelle s Show, and the 40 year old virgin (The 40 Year Old).

In the near two - minute advertisement, two people who played the image of the US Customs officers were suspicious of a Chinese young man because he was moving into a product that they had never seen and never heard of: a waterproof basketball shoe named "F2".

Two customs officers raised a shoe and asked what it was.

The young man said, Lining.

"Lining" sounds like "in English".

This network farce has many other exciting dialogues. So far, it has been broadcast nearly 30 thousand times in YouTube (nearly 260 thousand times in Youku net).

It is made by Zambesi Ink, a Venice Beach advertising company in California. The company's customers include Glaceau of Coca-Cola (Coca-Cola) and the Losangeles Lakers (Los Angeles Lakers).

It has also worked with basketball superstar Kirby Brant (Kobe Bryant) to create advertisements for Nike shoes named after him (Nike).

Zambesi did not plan to win the Lining prize or the Cannes Effies with the advertisement of Cannes, but it was trying to create a lively personality for a brand still unknown to most American consumers.

Although the United States is still struggling to get rid of the impact of the recession, it is still the largest sportswear market in the world. It is Lining's important territory in the process of striving to become a global brand.

The Li Ning Co is headquartered in Beijing. Its name comes from the former Olympic gymnast Lining, founded by him 20 years ago.

In the first half of this year, Li Ning Co reported revenue of 4 billion 500 million yuan, or $671 million, an increase of 11% over the same period in 2009.

Sales outside China accounted for only about 1% of total revenue in the first half of this year.

Although the scale is still far smaller than the global sportswear giant Nike, Lining is already heading towards Nike's base camp.

In January this year, Li Ning Co opened an exhibition hall in Portland, Oregon, not far from Nike's headquarters in the city of port, Oregon.

Lining also sold shoes in the us through Foot Locker Inc.'s Champs Sports and Eastbay.

Although advertising has its star effect and high standard of production, Li Ning Co says there are no other related marketing activities.

Asked whether such a humorous and new style advertisement indicates that Li Ning Co is going to sponsor the Super Bowl contest for the first time, a spokesman for the company replied that we often study these opportunities.