Core Viewpoint - The 19% revenue decline in the 2024 financial report of Li-Ning Group highlights the significant challenges faced by Reebok in the Chinese market, marking a critical point in its journey [3]. Group 1: Historical Context and Brand Evolution - Reebok, once a dominant player in the fitness market with a revenue of $1.4 billion in 1987, has seen its sales plummet, now earning less than Nike's sales in the first hour of the Tmall 618 shopping festival [3]. - The brand's rise in the 1990s was fueled by successful products like the Freestyle aerobics shoe, which helped it achieve $2.7 billion in sales by 1991 [7]. - Reebok's decline began with strategic missteps, including a focus on products under $90, missing the trend of sneakers as status symbols [8]. Group 2: Acquisition and Strategic Errors - Adidas acquired Reebok for $3.8 billion in 2006, intending to leverage its basketball resources against Nike, but this move is now seen as a significant miscalculation [10]. - Post-acquisition, Reebok lost its exclusive NBA resources and faced challenges in brand positioning, leading to a 44% drop in sales in Q2 2020 and a market value reduction to $1 billion [11]. Group 3: Current Challenges and Business Model - After being sold to Authentic Brands Group (ABG), Reebok fell into a "light asset trap," where operational control was handed over to Li-Ning Group, limiting brand management and quality control [12]. - ABG's strategy of "centralized strategy, decentralized execution" has proven problematic, as the Chinese sports market has shifted towards precise segmentation, with competitors like Li-Ning and Anta investing heavily in localized operations [13]. - Reebok's reliance on shared resources from Li-Ning has resulted in longer product development cycles and insufficient marketing budgets compared to Nike [13]. Group 4: Future Outlook and Lessons - The narrative of Reebok serves as a cautionary tale for brands, emphasizing the difficulty of maintaining relevance without a robust core capability to adapt to changing consumer demands [15]. - Despite ABG's claims of growth opportunities in the Asia-Pacific market, the 19% revenue decline signals underlying issues that need addressing [18]. - Potential acquisition rumors by Anta could represent a last chance for Reebok to revitalize its brand, provided it avoids repeating past mistakes [18].
暴跌19%,曾击败耐克的“神鞋”天塌了!
商业洞察·2025-10-06 10:00