Tsutomo Yamaguchi, who died last week aged 93.

As the snow starts to melt in London, one final weather-related post. Just because something about this story is grimly interesting.

There has been some coverage in the news recently of the death of Tsutomo Yamaguchi, who was either incredibly lucky or incredibly unlucky, depending on how you look at it. He experienced and survived both of the atomic bombs dropped on Japan in WW2.

The article in the Times says:

'In the summer of 1945 he was 29 and working as a draughtsman designing oil
tankers for Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. His three-month secondment to a
shipyard in Hiroshima was due to end on the morning of August 6, when the
American B29 bomber Enola Gay dropped a 13-kilotonne uranium atomic bomb,
nicknamed Little Boy. It exploded above Hiroshima at 8.15am.

“I didn’t know what had happened,” Mr Yamaguchi said. “I think I fainted. When
I opened my eyes everything was dark and I couldn’t see much. It was like
the start of a film at the cinema, before the picture has begun when the
blank frames are just flashing up. I thought I might have died but
eventually the darkness cleared and I realised I was alive.”

He and two colleagues staggered through the ruins where the dead and dying lay
all around. At one collapsed bridge the three had to wade through a river,
parting before them a floating carpet of corpses. They reached the station
and boarded the train for Nagasaki. Reporting to work at the shipyard on
August 9, his story of a single bomb destroying an entire city was met with
incredulity.

“The director was angry. He said ‘you’ve obviously been badly injured, and I
think you’ve gone a little mad’. At that moment, outside the window, I saw
another flash and the whole office, everything in it, was blown over.” The
next thing he remembered was waking to hear crying and cheering at the
broadcast by Emperor Hirohito announcing Japan’s surrender.'

One thing that immediately strikes me about this report is Mr Yamaguchi's impressive work ethic. Some people might have considered witnessing the appalling carnage, the apocalyptic destruction and the psychic horror of possibly the single most devastating act of war ever committed, not to mention being severely injured, reason enough to pull a day's sickie. Not Mr Yamaguchi. Despite having an atomic bomb dropped on him, he wades through a river
of corpses to report for work – only to be bollocked by his somewhat unsympathetic boss. That's dedication.

The other interesting thing about this story, as remarked upon by one of the commentators on the Times website is that 'The trains were still running – in spite of an atomic bomb – (un)lucky
for Mr Yamaguchi there were no 'adverse weather conditions'.

Half an inch of the 'wrong kind' of snow brings London to a standstill in 2010. But despite an atomic bomb, the trains out of 1945 Hiroshima were still running. Interesting.

NB: No disrespect intended whatsoever to the memory of the redoubtable Mr Yamagutchi, or others who suffered similarly in this or other wars.

Robert C. Townsend's 'Up The Organization' is a classic business book from the sixties.  Checking it out on Amazon, I came to the conclusion that it's as good for you today as it's always been. Townsend was the CEO at Avis who appointed DDB and approved the famous 'We try harder campaign'. Here's how he tells the story:

You have to love that 6-point philosophy. As an agency person, it's hugely inspiring and motivating. Damn right that would get you the agency's best people and best work! On the other hand, to some clients, I imagine it could seem downright irresponsible. (Though note that Avis did still retain the right to reject DDB's proposals, just not to amend them.)

According to an Avis website:

During those first meetings between DDB and Avis, a
simple question was asked by DDB, “Why does anybody ever rent a car from
you?” The reply is what made advertising history: 
“We try harder because we have to.” DDB’s top art director, Helmut
Krone, already intended to center the campaign on the phrase:
“Avis is only No. 2.”
It was copywriter Paula Green who remembered what she learned
during those first research meetings with Avis, and added the now-famous
phrase: “We try harder".

In an attempt to convince potential customers that Avis
simply tried harder than everybody else, the entire ad campaign was
focused on frank and truthful statements about Avis’ business
philosophy. To communicate this to the field, the entire management team
at Avis traveled to every branch location across the country, spoke with
every single employee and explained that the success of the campaign and
of their business hinged upon providing superior customer service every
chance they got. Each Avis employee also received a copy of new Avis ads
in his or her pay envelope before each campaign would run. In just one year, the campaign literally changed the
fortunes of the Company.  Prior to the campaign, Avis had just $34
million in revenue and losses of $3.2 million. One year later, revenues
had jumped to $38 million and for the first time in thirteen years, Avis
turned a profit of $1.2 million. The biggest short-term success of the campaign was found
in Avis’ market share, which grew from 11 percent in 1962 to an amazing
35 percent in 1966.

And the ads themselves still look surprising and challenging today. No logo.  No pictures of cars.

But my god, they worked! Reminds me once again that you can't do amazing work without the trust and support of an amazing client. (Luckily, we have some.)