Who knows the HONMA club of golf? (TM-503)

Honma club, with a long history, enjoys an absolutely lofty position in the golf equipment industry. The philosophy of Japanese companies running Honma Club is "handmade" and "everything is real in other people's hands". From 65438 to 0996, our golf company in Hong Kong was established and operated for nearly ten years, which brought the pleasure of appreciating handmade works of art to the vast number of golfers in China (including Hong Kong and Chinese mainland) and made them experience the top pleasure of golf swing. To this end, our reporter visited Mr. Jiu Mamao, Minister of Trade of the Overseas Business Department of Benben Co., Ltd. in Japan and head of Benben Golf Company in Hong Kong, and made an in-depth interview and report on Honma's products, sponsorship and market.

Classic: How old is Honma? Is it also a top brand in Japan?

Jiu Ma Mao: Japanese brothers started driving range together from 1958, and it has been 47 years now. Our club has always been a top brand in Japan.

Classic: What stages did Honma go through in the process of brand creation?

Jiu Ma Mao: At first, my brother was in charge of repairing clubs in a driving range. Later, it gradually evolved from repairing clubs to manufacturing clubs. The Honma clubs produced at that time were welcomed by some amateurs and college students, and their reputation was very good. Players who used the clubs also won prizes in various types of competitions in Japan. So, about 10 years later, this workshop established a factory specializing in the production of clubs. After the factory was built, it just ushered in Japan.

Golf flourished, and we began to produce a lot. At that time, the club heads were all persimmon wood, and the shaft was steel, which was a bit heavy. In order to reduce the weight of the whole club, Honma tried to use the carbon shaft for the first time, with the persimmon wood head. The launch of this club was immediately recognized by the market, and the products were sold out and achieved unprecedented success. Because the sales volume was beyond imagination, the original factory scale was far from meeting the demand, so the factory moved to Sakata, which has been used ever since. After moving the factory, we took the lead in using boron as the shaft material. This material has good hardness and light weight, so it is favored by many professional and amateur players. Boron axis occupies a very important position in the development history of Honma, which is helpful for future development. Since then, we have developed a titanium shaft, which is also very representative and has been used to this day.

Classic: the evolution of Honma is also a kind of technological innovation, so what scientific and technological content is included in this process?

Nine horses and cats: Honma has always been technology-oriented. From the first persimmon wood to carbon, to boron, to Titan still in use today, to the ARMRQ shaft launched in 2004, and our brand-new BERES series to be launched in 2006, all these show Honma's attention and investment in this respect.

Classic: Is Honma club an amateur or a professional?

Jiu Ma Mao: After all, there are more amateurs than professionals. We hope to find our place among amateurs. However, in order to further improve the performance of Honma clubs, we will also consult professional players when making clubs. After all, they are professionals.

Classic: Honma club originally wanted to be an Asian club, so is it aimed at the Asian market?

Jiu Ma Mao: Basically. Because considering the cultural tradition of Japan, it may be more acceptable in Asia. But we will not completely ignore the European and American markets.

Classic: So will Japanese traditional elements be integrated into the production of clubs?

Jiu Ma Mao: Yes. We think it's important to look good besides playing ball. For example, we will do some carving on the club head, which is influenced by Japanese culture. Of course, we also try to integrate our products into the China market and develop some clubs specifically for the China market.

Classic: So, besides China, what other markets are there in Asia? What's the difference between their markets?

Ninety cents: Our markets in Asia include Singapore,

Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan Province Province, Korea. that

Golf culture and popularity in China, South Korea and Taiwan Province Province are quite close to those in Japan.

Classic: How does Honma take anti-counterfeiting measures for counterfeit products flooding the market?

Jiu Ma Mao: At present, we haven't done enough in this respect. We have tried many ways to solve this problem, but we haven't found a very effective one yet. Personally, I think we can refer to Lu's practice. They have done some activities to destroy fake goods in public, which is very good. I hope to do the same in the future.

Classic: how to guide consumers to distinguish between true and false?

Jiumao Cat: If it is genuine, we will generally provide a guarantee. However, for people who don't know Honma at all, it is still difficult to tell the truth from the false. So there is still no good way to stop fakes. I suggest that consumers go directly to Honma authorized stores to buy, so as to absolutely avoid the danger of buying fake goods.

Classic: We know that Honma's products are not borrowed from others. Are they all from Japanese factories?

Jiu Ma Mao: In terms of clubs, we must have produced them in a Japanese factory and carried them out under our own control. Other accessories, such as ball bags, are OEM.

Classic: How many stores are there in Chinese mainland at present? What kind of sales model is it?

Jiu Ma Mao: There are eight rooms in all. They are Beijing (2 rooms), Shenzhen, Shanghai, Dalian, Kunming, Qingdao and Guangzhou; These specialty stores are all in the form of agency shops, which are authorized by local people to operate. We think that eight stores are enough at present, and we will decide whether to open more specialty stores in the future depending on the development trend of China golf market.

Classic: At present, the domestic market trend is to gradually cancel the agency, and many international brands have begun to operate directly. So why did Honma adopt this proxy model?

Jiumamao: As a Japanese company, we are not very familiar with some laws and regulations in China. If you directly do sales and set up a company, there will be technical problems. We don't think the time is ripe.

Classic: Honma seems to be more interested in sponsoring players than sponsoring events?

Jiu Ma Mao: In our opinion, the more players use Honma Club, the better the publicity effect.

Classic: Why did you choose to sponsor Zhang and Liang Wenchong? What is the difference between them and other players?

Jiu Ma Mao: Although there are more and more professional players in China, we think that only Zhang and Liang are outstanding at present, so we think it is a great honor to sponsor them. As for the amount of sponsorship, it is not convenient to disclose. Of course, we also hope that there will be more professional players with development potential in the future, and then we will consider sponsoring them.

Classic: As we all know, Zhang and Ben have a long history. Why does Honma support him as always?

Ninety cents: We think Zhang has always been very good. Of course, a good player will have his ebb, but he is still a representative of golf in China. So we are happy to sponsor him and support some activities related to him, such as the "Zhang Cup" youth competition.

Classic: How do players react after using Honma clubs?

Ninety cents: Take Weihuang Wu as an example. After he used our club, his grades improved steadily. Of course, players themselves must have certain strength. There are also two brothers, Ye Jianfeng and Ye Jianwei, who are also using Honma Club, and their achievements are obvious to all.

Classic: As an expert in golf equipment, how much do you think the club affects a golfer's performance?

Nine horsehairs: For amateurs, a set of clubs with excellent performance can make up for many technical deficiencies, thus improving performance and increasing the fun of playing; For professional players, a set of clubs suitable for their own use can increase the stability of hitting the ball and make players more confident when playing, so as to get better play in the game.

Classic: Will Honma have a new sponsorship plan next year? .

Jiu Ma Mao: At present, there is no such consideration among China male players; However, we will pay more attention to some potential female players and young players and observe their competitions.

Classic: Do you play ball by yourself? how much is it?

Jiu Ma Mao: I started playing very early. In Japan, my score is almost 8. I started playing before I entered this room. I used to be a member of the college golf team. I have been in Hong Kong for a year and a half, and I seldom have time to leave. I have also played some domestic courses, such as Shengao and Zhongshan Hot Springs.

Classic: What's your personal opinion about golf?

Jiu Ma Mao: Actually, golf is a very interesting sport. It's easy for beginners to get started. But after playing for 20 years, I still feel that I have a lot to learn, so it is a very interesting sport.

Classic: So what do you think of golf in China?

Jiu Ma Mao: Before I came to Hongkong, I heard that the golf development in China was very mature, but after I came here, I found that it had just started. Comparing Japan and China, if Japanese golf is an adult, China golf is still a primary school student. So I hope golf will be more popular in China in the future, as popular as football. Just like gymnastics and swimming in China, if they are more popular, China can also train world-class athletes.

Classic: What are our New Year's resolutions in 2006?

Jiu Ma Mao: As you know, we are currently in the stage of folk regeneration. We will decide to choose future partners and discuss some regeneration schemes with our partners. In addition, we attach great importance to the sales performance of the new series "BERES", which will be grandly listed on June 5438+ 10, 2006, and hope that Honma will further increase its share in the golf equipment industry in China.