The abundance of Chinese brands that have become more prominent in the international market, doesn’t register in the U.S. at all. The biggest of the brands to make waves here is LiNing because of D-Wade’s signature relationship with the brand. Overall, outside of sneaker enthusiasts, the Chinese brands don’t exist. One of these brands, I will admit I hadn’t seen much about this company, just recaptured a share of the market recently… in China. According to a report by Russell Flannery of Forbes, the majority shareholders of the Chinese brand Xtep regained billionaire status after backlash against the Swoosh in the country.
Xtep has taken considerable measures to try and navigate the U.S. market. Their signature star, Jeremy Lin (whose shoes are shown throughout this post) is on a journey to land with an NBA team again. The talented Lin left a lucrative contract in China to play in the G League. That’s a considerable step backwards, but in his journey is the foundation of a potential story that will explode if Linsanity part 2 takes place. Xtep has decided to cover this return in conjunction with Lin via several social media channels. An array of images on Facebook are running:
But the obvious issues with the copy isn’t a factor in engagement. The Facebook page gets considerable interaction on running footwear posts, which is interesting. While I focused on basketball as an entrance to the U.S. consumer because of my inherent bias towards hoops, the real opportunity seems to be in running which has seen an increase since Covid has factored into lifestyle choices. But, running isn’t an attention grabber like hoops and if a Chinese brand can reignite interest in the Asian-American market by connecting their brand to the story of Jeremy Lin, the chances of being discovered happens much faster.
There is an inherent issue when translating the narrative of design and creating marketing materials though. Sometimes, it’s the small things that hinder the ability to E.N.D.E.A.R. the consumer to your brand. In the video above legendary designer Jeff HENDERSON (Note I used all caps when I said the man’s name?), delivers the type of content needed to engage the consumer who would be interested in this product. The company, however, gets his name wrong. It’s the small things that can hinder success. Attention to detail is required when any brand is attempting to steal share in the U.S. and what Xtep is doing is admirable, but they are making the same decisions every brand makes. Xtep has seeded the same YouTubers pairs of shoes. It’s the same path that Brandblack has taken and Saucony took a few years back when I discussed their Originators:
Xtep is in the unique position of having an amazing story coincide with the release of their first signature shoe. There is potential energy here, but J Lin’s resurgence is an untapped capacitor. Xtep decided to invest by doing what has already been done by other brands. This means that the likelihood of success is diminished. They are investing though and that means they want something to happen. J Lin, who made an amazing video when the shoe first arrived:
Hasn’t produced any content for his YouTube in over 5 months. This is understandable as he is in the midst of trying to fight through a G league season and make it back to an NBA squad, but both parties are making the mistake of thinking that basketball glory is the story that wins. Today’s market responds to the journey more than the championship. J Lin isn’t supposed to be here. He’s supposed to be a doctor, lawyer or engineer. That’s where the world places Asian people. Xtep has an entire life to brand. If they want to crack the code, that’s where it starts. Watch the video above. If it had been broken down into 3 minute segments, blended with the video of the discussion of the design that is the beginning of narrative. When it stops at 1:18 that was Part 1. There is potential here. At this moment J Lin is an important voice against hate. He is the only top 11 scorer in the G Leage to not be called up. Jeremy Lin can connect. It may not make Xtep a player, but it would be really nice to see everything come together.