Every Asset Is Advertising Inventory

“I hired a designer to take care of all the construction work for the indoor swimming pool; before long, the general manager of Japan Light Metal Enterprises, Mr. Ueda, came to visit and said as soon as we met: "Mr. Fujita, the aluminum used for your swimming pool is produced by our company." It turned out that the designer had commissioned Japan Light Metal to undertake the technical development. Mr. Ueda then said: "Therefore, we hope you can carve 'Made by Japan Light Metal' around the swimming pool." I replied promptly: "Sure, how much are you willing to pay for the advertisement?" "Can't we advertise for free?" Mr. Ueda thought that since the materials for the pool were produced by Japan Light Metal, it was natural not to pay for advertising. "Then there's nothing more to discuss." I pointed towards the door and continued: "Anyone interested in building a swimming pool will be attracted by the one in my shop, because in comparison to the traditional pools, our pool is top-notch in both construction and materials. So, just engraving 'Made by Japan Light Metal' will have an amazing promotional effect and will bring in a steady stream of business. If you're willing to pay for the advertisement, I promise to make your company's name stand out prominently." Mr. Ueda was surprised to hear this. In fact, what I said made a lot of sense; in the fiercely competitive world of business, you simply cannot afford to do free advertising for others. This is what real business acumen is about.”

“Currently, a $12,000 computer cash register system is being exported from Japan to the US. It is reported that computer cash register orders from McDonald's USA could bring about 15 billion yen in sales for Matsushita Communications Industry in Japan. Mr. Komagata, the president of Matsushita Communications Industry, who had originally frowned at the investment due to the low quantity of orders and high costs, is now beaming with a stream of ongoing orders from the US, and hurriedly thanks me. At the same time, major Japanese newspapers are competing to report on the news of Matsushita Communications Industry's computer cash register systems being exported to the US, with detailed pictures and articles, effectively giving Matsushita Communications Industry excellent publicity. Previously, I imported American McDonald's burgers into Japan; now, I export Japanese-made machinery products to the US.”