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2017.3.13 Column

“President, There Must Be Something You Can Do!”

Let’s stray a bit from our “Think Local & Go Global” theme.

One interesting part of having an advertising job is that, for an ad man, it’s entirely possible to do business where one can meet the client’s management when one is young.
This is because advertising and promotion are great investments, so the larger the project, the more it falls into the hands of management. In other words, the more the company presidents will show.
Although I was an underling in my 20’s, I did business together with a multitude of managers. At that time, I was always under a lot of pressure, so whether I had realized the valuableness of that experience is ?? to me, but if I look back now, I have realized that I was able to learn first-hand the managers’ way of thinking. I understood both the enthusiasm and the sense of strictness that company presidents have in regards to their businesses and that many of the people who take up the role of presidents are truly, truly unique people. 

Once, a president of a foreign IT company said to me in great rage, “Can this advertisement even sell?!” as he chucked the magazine with the advertisement my way. It did a magnificent rotation on the board meeting room’s nice table as it flew between client representative and myself. If something like that happened now, I could probably be able to say in my head “Nice control!” while putting on an apologetic face but being that I was in my 20’s, I turned pale right then and there.

Another time, I was putting up the cutting sheet of a world map and its branch locations with the president of a travel agency (that later became a global corporate group) in their new office. The company has branches around the world now, but at that time, if I recall correctly, they had two branches: one in Hong Kong and another in New York. “Someday, I want to create branches all around the world, so make a good advertisement, okay!” he said letting me hear about his big dreams while I, like the straight comedian butting into the bloke’s jokes, replied, “Sir, E is crooked!” We worked late into the night.

When I was returning from a business trip with a different president, (I cheekily got into business class) we had a bit of sake to drink, and he said in the midst of the flight:
“Hamaguchi, I wonder if this airplane won’t go down.”
“What? Why??” 
“Put everything in order. A lot of things will be easy from here on out.”
“?????”
Soon after, that company went bankrupt.

The chairman that always scheduled meetings during his lunch time was also unique. The meal during our lunchtime meeting had already been decided: kamameshi (a rice, meat, and vegetable dish served in a small pot). I think it was delivered from his favorite restaurant somewhere. Even though I tried my hardest with the vigor and skill of curry-eating Japanese-comedian Uganda-san, his eating was 3 times the speed of mine. I also did arm-wresting and sit-up competitions with that chairman. He was probably 70 years old more or less but he completely defeated me in speed-eating kamameshi and arm-wrestling.

Through all this, I learned many things. I learned that marketing is an important function of management, that advertising and promotion for things like events are functions of marketing, and about the important investments of businesses. I was excited that my own job was to sell advertisements; no, not to have it bought, but to be entrusted with a part of the client’s management in my hands.

Like some line from a comic, “President, there must be something you can do!” I naturally mastered these kinds of business talks (haha).