Nitecore: In the Internet era, marketing may evolve, but the product remains the unrivaled king.

From January 24 to 27, ISPO Beijing 2018, the 14th Asia Outdoor & Fashion Trade Show, was grandly held at the China National Convention Center in the capital city of Beijing. As one of the highest-level and most professional outdoor, sports, and fashion trade fairs in the Asia-Pacific region, ISPO’s exhibits cover all major categories of the sports industry. As a leading domestic lighting brand, Nitecore made a striking appearance at the exhibition with its brand-new VI and an array of new products. At the event, Jacy, Nitecore’s Marketing Manager, gave us a detailed overview of the brand’s new products, new image, and latest developments for this year:

Guided by the product development philosophy of “user participation and ultimate experience,” we formed a group — the Feather Tribe — consisting of over 20 enthusiasts including flashlight fanatics, gear lovers, and professional outdoor adventurers. The name “Feather Tribe” symbolizes how individual feathers may be weak on their own, but together they can take flight. The E6 Tube Flashlight is a professional outdoor flashlight born from the collective wisdom of the Feather Tribe. From the initial concept to the final product, every detail was refined through repeated discussions among core members of the tribe, taking over a year to complete.

The most distinctive feature of the E6 is its switching mechanism: tail switch + magnetic rotation for mode selection. The magnetic rotation switch is used to select modes. When set to the 0 mode, no matter how you press the tail button, the light will not turn on. By rotating the magnetic ring counterclockwise, you can sequentially choose between four constant brightness levels: Low (15 lumens) — Medium Low (80 lumens) — Medium (200 lumens) — High (500 lumens). The tail button is responsible for turning the light on and off. A half-press triggers a momentary beam, a full press locks the current brightness level; in constant-on mode, a half-press activates 900-lumen turbo mode for temporary needs such as mid-to-long distance navigation or searching, and releasing the button returns to the previous brightness. Pressing all the way down turns the light off. Holding the tail button for three seconds switches the current mode to S.O.S., meeting extended usage needs and providing extra preparedness.

In short, the E6 has a simple and intuitive operation logic, combining anti-misoperation features with memory modes. All brightness levels include the four key user interactions expected from an outdoor flashlight: momentary beam, constant-on, one-touch turbo, and S.O.S. One flashlight meets all your lighting control needs.

Moreover, the E6 combines features such as 300-meter throw, one-handed operation, 1-meter waterproofing, and 2-meter drop resistance, making it truly professional, practical, and reliable.

Even good wine needs a good showcase — while the product is fundamental, marketing is the prerequisite. Only great marketing can give a product maximum exposure. We’d like to ask: What major moves does Nitecore have planned for marketing and promotion in 2018?

I’ve always believed that making a great product is the best form of marketing. But it’s important to note what qualifies as a good product — it’s not about patents or advanced technology… Those are things we might consider good, but a truly good product is one that meets user needs and earns user recognition.

With that in mind, marketing should focus on better meeting user needs through the product itself and a range of related activities. And in 2018, our marketing efforts will center on identifying and satisfying user needs:

First is our research and development management system and user management system, both built on the foundation of “user participation and ultimate experience.” Over the past year, user involvement has driven significant breakthroughs in product innovation. Going forward, we will continue to develop and refine our R&D management system and establish a comprehensive incentive program to encourage more professional users and KOLs to participate in product development. Additionally, to enhance user loyalty, Nitecore is also working on building a user points management system, using a shopping rewards system to add value to our products and maintain positive interaction with our users.

Second is precision marketing based on big data. Since the rise of the Internet, we’ve entered the era of big data. We’re no longer in the dark about our users. Using our existing data and third-party data, we can build user profiles and analyze user characteristics, enabling targeted marketing efforts. In 2018, we will continuously improve our database to ensure accurate targeting, putting our resources to effective use and reducing waste in marketing.

Lastly, there’s the “new” that we always emphasize. Beyond continuous product innovation, in marketing we must also “seek the new” — that is, identify emerging industry trends and explore new sales channels. As the saying goes, “Learning is like rowing upstream; not to advance is to fall back.” As marketers, in 2018, we must stay attuned to the latest industry developments and leverage the newest marketing tools to improve our responsiveness to market demands.

The Internet has brought new opportunities for development, whether for traditional or emerging industries. In your opinion, how should traditional manufacturing industries embrace the Internet?

Indeed, the Internet has brought new development opportunities for both traditional and emerging industries. But whether it’s “Internet+” or “+Internet,” as I mentioned earlier, the foundation of any business is still to make great products and enhance user experience. As a well-known flashlight brand in China, innovation has always been in Nitecore’s DNA. In this rapidly changing Internet era, we must continue to innovate relentlessly. At the same time, we hope to use the Internet to more quickly and flexibly understand user needs, and take that as a driving force for continuous product innovation.

At the exhibition, we noticed that Nitecore has adopted a brand-new VI. Why the change, and what’s the special meaning behind the new VI?

For the Chinese, “12” is a very special number. The 12 zodiac animals corresponding to the 12 Earthly Branches follow a 12-year cycle. Nitecore was officially established in 2005, which means this year marks its 13th year — the start of a new cycle. Over the past 12 years, Nitecore has consistently provided high-quality products and attentive service, earning recognition from an increasing number of users.