Recently, Chinese sports brand Li Ning opened its first U.S. store in Portland, right next door to Nike’s headquarters!

It’s estimated that the annual sales volume of Li Ning in 2009 will exceed its biggest rival Nike for the first time, making Li Ning the No.1 sports goods retailer brand in China. But it seems they will not stop there. To gain international recognition, Li Ning is now expanding its brand overseas, the Portland store being only one example.

In an attempt to test and become familiar with the U.S. market, Li Ning selected a series of sporting goods to meet the demands of the U.S. consumers, including badminton, basketball, and table tennis gear, as well as Kung Fu and Tai Chi-themed sportswear. The company seems to be taking things step by step and remaining fairly quiet in Portland up to this point.

There are many questions that come to mind about Li Ning in America. Will their brand name and logo be attractive and memorable for American consumers? How will they position their brand in a mature market like the US with many well established competitors? Will they focus their product offering on certain sports, such as tennis or badminton, or sell products for all sports in a large megastore? What kind of employees will they hire to build a Chinese brand in the US?

When encountered with these types of questions, it is always helpful to consider the four dimensions of a brand: market and consumers, products and services, communication and design, and culture and behavior. For example, perhaps Li Ning needs to conduct market research to understand the positioning of competitors and different customer segments in the US (market & consumers). They can then think about the products that are most appropriate and when to introduce them (products & services). Perhaps Li Ning would want to evaluate whether their name, logo, and communication materials are suitable for their target market in America. Furthermore, they must not forget to consider their internal brand— how the top management and employees in the United States understand the Li Ning brand (culture & behavior).

If these four dimensions are covered by Li Ning (or any brand for that matter), it ensures that all brand touch points have been considered. This can be an important first step to building a successful brand. Let’s wait and see how things shape up for Li Ning in Portland.