Ahead of the pack
When Anta Sports Products was launched 15 years ago, its chairman and chief executive, Ding Shizhong, had one overriding ambition - to develop a home-grown sportswear brand to rival global sportswear companies.
These days, with more than 5,600 retail outlets spread across the mainland and a host of high-profile sponsorship and endorsement agreements, the company is making positive steps towards realising the chairman's ambition.
Paul Ling Shing-ping, the company's chief financial officer, said the company was one of the leading branded sportswear enterprises on the mainland. Anta Sports designs, develops, manufactures and markets sportswear, including sports footwear, apparel and accessories.
'Anta places great emphasis on branding by integrating the resources from sports leagues' sponsorships, placement of advertisements, interaction with consumers through [the] internet and endorsement of elite athletes, with the company's products to enhance product differentiation,' Mr Ling said.
He said using mass-market, mid-range market strategies, Anta differentiated itself from brands that were more expensive, but still delivered quality, style and value-for money. The company had established an extensive distribution network and nationwide retail outlets under the management of the distributors.
He said Anta would further increase its spending on brand promotion, and research and development to enhance its brand impact. The company would also continue to expand its production capacity and strengthen its supply chain infrastructure to respond efficiently to changes in customer demands. 'Look at some of the world's leading brands such as Coca-Cola and McDonald's. They appeal to the mass market and, even during these challenging times, they still manage to stay ahead of their competitors,' Mr Ling said.
Driving the company's success is a highly effective brand strategy, including targeted sponsorship in sports such as basketball, marathon table tennis and volleyball. In January, Anta signed an endorsement contract with Serbian Jelena Jankovic, one of the world's top women's tennis players.
Mr Ling said the endorsement would help strengthen the group's sponsorship resources and its exposure in the international market. The tennis player's dedicated sportswear line, the 'Jelena Jankovic' series, will be launched in the second half of this year.
'Well-developed brands develop consumer loyalty as consumers identify with reasonably priced, high-quality products that provide excellent performance,' Mr Ling said. 'With strong branding, distributors feel confident about selling your products. You also build a loyal following. We want to see Chinese national and international athletes wearing Anta products with pride.'
The company is also looking to endorse athletes in developing top-tier sports and to co-operate with sports associations. Mr Ling said the company viewed its sponsorship of sporting activities as an extension of its corporate social responsibility endeavours, which Anta took seriously.
Anta also supports education activities, with a focus on providing quality teaching environments.
