Madison Avenue on the Meiji Dori

I’m not going to lie to you.

During and since the great earthquake in Japan I have felt a whole range of emotions. My stress level has certainly been higher and at times I have had to beat back moments of fear brought on by the latest aftershock or less than positive news from the Fukushima nuclear plant.

Living in Tokyo I have certainly been spared the worst. But going through this experience has certainly caused me to do some focused thinking about what matters in life.

Specifically – I’ve been thinking a lot about my job as an advertising guy. I’ve been thinking a bunch about the real contribution that marketing and brands play in people lives. And I have been asking myself – am I doing something with my time that is really worthwhile? Who am I really helping?

Now, I suppose if you do what we do, it is probably natural from time-to-time to cast a green eye of envy towards the noble professions of firefighters, policemen, teachers, nurses etc. I’ve got to think that when you are knee deep in spreadsheets…it’s only human to wonder what is your real contribution to society. Click-throughs? Store traffic?

But it has taken on new meaning to me the past couple of weeks.

What I have concluded is what we do is of significance – and not just to our CMOs, CFOs, shareholders, etc – but to people in their every day lives.

The day after the earthquake – when I wandered out of my apartment – I really didn’t know what to expect. But as I walked around my neighborhood, one of the things I took the most comfort in was the sight of so many stores, franchises being open. They provided certainty in an uncertain time. What used to be a supermarket – was now a vital link in the food supply chain. What used to be a café – became a safe haven to regroup and recuperate. All delivered by businesses and brands who earned a place in the daily lives of myself and my neighbors. Just by continuing to deliver against their brand promise – they made a huge difference for a nervous neighborhood seeking normalcy.

In our world of profit, ROI, sales, market share – we sometimes find ourselves thinking of consumers in adversarial terms. Sometimes it feels like a bit of a competition where we try to maximize revenues while the consumer tries to minimize cost.

But in a crisis, you see that we really can be in this together. It is not “Brands vs. Consumers” or even “Brands and Consumers” it is and should be “Brands with Consumers.” Participating, contributing, helping to make life work.

Nowadays in Tokyo you see the importance of that everyday value in the eye of a shopper warily stocking up on supplies in case something else happens. You see it in the tense shoulders of a diner at a fast food restaurant, enjoying a few minutes of escapism with the decadent burger of their choice.

At its most myopic our work can become about: ROI, GRPS, share of voice, A/B tests, sentiment analyses, etc. But at its best and at its core – our work is about helping people find what they need and competing to deliver them the best possible value.

It is what I am excited about now.

It is a job that when done right, is a job worth doing. And the challenge I think we all have – is to keep our focus on how best to participate and contribute as we move forward and build from here.