Taufik Hidayat

**huangkwokhau** · 04-19-2009, 07:57 PM

Originally Posted by cooler

if u read my previous posts (somewhere), i never said TH couldn't get deals - deals like local and national level. Yonex is big in badminton but not really big in world scale. I'm talking about real international conglomerate biggies like nike, adidias, UPS, fedex, federal express, sony, coke, pepsi, Mcdonalds, etc. U can laugh at LD all u want, he is sponsored, indirectly and/or directly, by LN, pepsi and fedex.

Same thing....you will see international brands to sposnor TH soon....
If Yonex is not International brand, let alone LN...Yonex is BIG in tennis also....since LN sponsors China, now you said that Yonex is not international brand name....who knows LN's brand outside of China/Asia??? LN is not international brand name compare to Yonex...you can laugh at it you want...for now LN is just focusing more on China's market...may be in future LN will be international brand...not for now...
FYI, Adidas did sponsor TH for a while before PBSI cancelled it.....

**cooler** · 04-19-2009, 08:06 PM

Originally Posted by huangkwokhau

Same thing....you will see international brands to sposnor TH soon....
If Yonex is not International brand, let alone LN...Yonex is BIG in tennis also....since LN sponsors China, now you said that Yonex is not international brand name....who knows LN's brand outside of China/Asia??? LN is not international brand name compare to Yonex...you can laugh at it you want...for now LN is just focusing more on China's market...may be in future LN will be international brand...not for now...
FYI, Adidas did sponsor TH for a while before PBSI cancelled it.....

well, if u dont see LN as international fine by me, it is a borderline international like yonex. What fedex and pepsi have done still tracts my line of thots. I'm not against TH getting big deals, i was only stating my personal reservation of this happening. If TH does get those biggy deals,all the power to him, it surely won't hurt badminton. It would raise the bar for all the (badminton) players. Hope he get them soon too, TH and I ain't getting younger

**huangkwokhau** · 04-19-2009, 08:14 PM

Originally Posted by cooler

well, if u dont see LN as international fine by me, it is a borderline international like yonex. What fedex and pepsi have done still tracts my line of thots. I'm not against TH getting big deals, i was only stating my personal reservation of this happening. If TH does get those biggy deals,all the power to him, it surely won't hurt badminton. It would raise the bar for all the (badminton) players. Hope he get them soon too, TH and I ain't getting younger

Very good....what I am saying....there is always possibility for any players to get the deal...same thing with LD if he decides to play independent in future...
FYI...why in the last few yrs that INA can not attach any sponsors on shirt other than Yonex? because some officials in the past are not good enough and has married to Yonex big time...it is sad but it has changed...TH is negotiating with Gatorade....others like Sony,Simon,Kido/hendra,Maria and Firda did get AMWAY....Candra did Samsung for few years...( after he is out from national team)...

It is a long way for badminton players to earn a living by playing badminton....

**pjswift** · 04-19-2009, 11:21 PM

Originally Posted by cooler

if u read my previous posts (somewhere), i never said TH couldn't get deals - deals like local and national level. Yonex is big in badminton but not really big in world scale. I'm talking about real international conglomerate biggies like nike, adidias, UPS, fedex, federal express, sony, coke, pepsi, Mcdonalds, etc. U can laugh at LD all u want, he is sponsored, indirectly and/or directly, by LN, pepsi and fedex.

I understand LD has endorsement deals of US$10M or so after winning OG.Out of curiosity, what brands are these that individually sponsor LD?(Exclude the group deals for CHN team like Fedex and LN.)
I believe Yonex is a more global brand than UPS and Fedex.Meaning Yonex is available in more countries worldwide than UPS and Fedex.Why don't you check and prove me wrong?
To me, TH is the badminton brand.

**bh185008** · 04-19-2009, 11:41 PM

Agree with you pjswift......Taufik Hidayat is the badminton brand...also ....Taufik had endorsement deals with JVC & Hemaviton (Energy Drink) before.........this was about 6 - 7 years ago...

My opinion, styles of play:

Taufik Hidayat = Michael Jordan
Lin Dan = Shaquille O'Neal/Patrick Ewing

**bh185008** · 04-19-2009, 11:47 PM

To be able to represent an International Brand..respective player needs to be able to speak English (at least try to speak/have a willingness to try)...and Taufik speaks english....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2VwLuk0t7I here is Taufik, he comments, answers all questions in English....

Thanks Hauge for helping Taufik.....

No Hard feeling....PEACE....

Bonus clip...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYiij4CU57Y

**Ningtyas** · 04-20-2009, 01:07 AM

good news for Taufik fans in Jakarta. Wonder if any BCers like to participate.

"The Taufik Hidayat’s management team (THForce management) and taufik-hidayat.com proudly present a chance for 15 of you lucky fans to attend a meet and greet with Taufik Hidayat as well as free tickets to attend the Indonesia Open in June 2009!"

http://www.taufik-hidayat.com/home/d...hp?mode=kontes

**akrylik** · 04-20-2009, 07:16 AM

Fedex and UPS are a brand of global power. They can uphold big money sponsorships. On the other hand, Yonex is a brand of child like power. I had mentioned before that Yonex, a brand regarded as a pinnacle of badminton with their magnum opus, the Carbonex series which transformed badminton and brought the sport into a new level of play has not the media genius factor that other top brands have. However, due to its establishment as a top manufacturer for badminton, Yonex sells their product at an elevated price. Li Ning on the other hand, sells mid-range products, which brings in much more revenue as their price is below adidas or Nike for the same product which requires not a high level of technology, such as clothing. I'd argue that it is less globally influential than Yonex, due to the fact that they have much less retail stores world wide.

However, the major factor is that Li Ning has yet to establish its name as a top sport manufacturer for one perticular sport, in which Yonex has done for badminton. Li Ning's provision of gear for the Chinese badminton team could be seen as a second major step in their establishment as a global brand. The first being their provision of gear for the Spanish national basketball team (correct me if I'm wrong). It will be interesting to see a duel between the rising Li Ning and Yonex on the grasp of badminton. Will Yonex prevail and keep its status quo? Or will Li Ning emerge victorious?

In my opinion however, I do feel that Li Ning is a much better advertisment machine. Yonex lacks in the variety of sport that it supplys equipment for. Even in tennis, they are somewhat a second grade brand.

My point is that an intrusion from brands such as adidas, Nike, Reebok, etc into badminton is simple. In football (or soccer some of you may call it), athletes get an individual multi million sponsor by just wearing boots. Uniform worn is that of the club, but boots are personalized. Now let's review the sponsorship of Yonex. I had read somewhere that the PBSI (badminton governing body of Indonesia) has a sponsorship deal worth $1m USD. This is significantly nothing compared to the wage of football players, which will make it really easy for big brands to enter the sport and bring it to a new height. This may just be the stimulus required to domesticate the sport as it requires at the most only 2 individuals with 2 rackets, compared to football which requires at least 5 a side. Take for example the game of handball. Created only around 80 years ago, as compared to badminton which has roots from centuries back, officiated in the late 1800s, but infiltrated by a major brand, adidas. Now handball is a sport more recognized than badminton which still has a status of a family picnic game. The simple rule of thumb states that no fan and supporters results in no money.

All in all, the downfall of Yonex as a top manufacturer can be credited to the company itself for the lack of media attention that they try to bring to the sport. The solution to this problem is for Yonex or Li Ning to start a big money sponsor, or a salvation from the cavalry of adidas, Nike, or brands alike. My definition of big is not the $1m sponsor that the PBSI is endorsed with, but the multi million dollar deals injected into the sport. My example being the like of Vodafone, Marlboro, Lucky Strike in Formula 1. This can all start with one athlete. The lucky first whom can realize this vision will go down in history as the man (or woman) who revolutionized a sport. Comparable with Ayrton Senna in Formula One, and this can all start with Taufik.

Some readers may critisize that the sport will become a money hungry machine, quite similar to what the English Premier League is, and that athletes will become more like robots than human. But isn't it what makes the Premier League exciting? And wouldn't we love for our beloved sport to be as recognized? Because currently, if the FIFA world cup is on, I will surely show my support for Spain by a purchase of their national team uniform; whereas in badminton, it has never even occured in my mind to purchase a shirt replica with Taufik Hidayat on it, least the other players (I admire Hidayat).

My view of FedEx in badminton is that the brand requires to establish itself in a sporting event as a major sponsor. Their current competitor, DHL is enjoying themselves on top of their success in their establishment as a major Formula One sponsor. So far it has been DHL 1 - 0 FedEx. Unless they put more money in badminton, they will never reach the prestigeous heights that DHL enjoy in the Formula One.