As the General Manager of Anta US, I spent the first few months building a comprehensive 5 Year Business Plan and getting it approved by the Anta Group Board. Following that strategy I needed to secure a high-profile athlete to help Anta get global brand awareness. After six months of relentless effort and little sleep, I successfully signed Kyrie Irving, the world’s top-selling athlete. While this was a major milestone, it was only the beginning of the challenges ahead.
The first step in our process was to initiate the creative phase. With Kyrie Irving on board as Chief Creative Officer, we collectively tackled a comprehensive creative brief for both the Performance and Lifestyle product lines, which was then distributed to all design teams—footwear, apparel, and accessories.
Now that the product teams were off and creating full performance and lifestyle collections, we proceeded to China where we introduced Kyrie to the largest market in the world.
One of the biggest challenges was getting the global consumer to accept a Chinese brand as a leader in the performance and fashion space. Our strategy was to start at the top embracing sneaker influencers, athletes, and top accounts. Branding first. Here is a highlight reel of Anta’s global launch starting at Tier 0 boutiques in the US and spanning Anta expanding global presence. The US market authenticates a brand helping to secure sales globally, which is exceptional helpful in the China market where Anta owns close to 10,000 retail stores.
During Kyrie’s China tour we were able to show him Anta’s factories, retail stores, throw some events, and tour the Anta museum. Most importantly share the Anta culture and passion for him as a player and creative lead.