Hoodsurfing. IJS.

Mad Men: Yes, Jessica, thank you so much! That is exactly what I was trying to posit. The show discusses Japanese stereotypes by Roger`s attitudes, but then exhibits stereotypes by the actual marketing plotline.
 
If it were about presenting Japanes business culture as highly formalized, that`s one thing. I was okay with the "did we get a gift?" bit. But the plot hinged on Don outsmarting the Japanese execs with a move calculated to make them forget a repeated insult. (Which I kinda doubt would work anyway; I know I wouldn`t want to work with someone with Roger`s complete disdain for me.) He was smug because he was tricking his rival, but it took the guise of him tricking Honda.
 
The tactic Don used was directly out of the book; he shamed the Japanese execs into giving him business. The book is all about guilt culture (us) vs. shame culture (Japan) which I think is so much bullshit, but was highly influential and sadly self-referential for the Japanese in later years.
 
That the ploy worked says to me that the authors buy into this wartime view of Japanese culture.

Jessica, thank you so much! That is exactly what I was trying to posit.

Oh, whew! I didn't want to put words into your mouth, but since I agreed with the point I thought you were making I went ahead and posted anyway.

(Which I kinda doubt would work anyway; I know I wouldn`t want to work with someone with Roger`s complete disdain for me.)

This, I don't know. My guess is that if Honda wanted to do business in the US in 1965, they'd have a hard time finding an ad agency with no bitter WWII vets among the partners. But maybe other agencies would be better at keeping That Guy out of the meetings.

SCDP didn't get the Honda account, did they?

SCDP didn't get the Honda account, did they?

No, but because of Don's strategic maneuver they'll get first crack at Honda's car business.

Right, because Honda "never intended" to leave Grey (Grey?) with their motorcycle business...because they`re tricksy and false? I dunno what the point of that premise was.
 
And you`re probably right about that, Jessica; even in the eighties it was hard for a Japanese company to do business without That Guy somewhere in the company, so Honda would likely have been used to that treatment at this time.
 
By the time I was working for the big Japanese manufacturer in the 90`s it did not appear to be as big a deal. Although I was export sales, so I was mostly dealing with, say, how New Zealand perceived they should do business with a Japanese company.

Right, because Honda "never intended" to leave Grey (Grey?) with their motorcycle business...because they`re tricksy and false? I dunno what the point of that premise was.

That's a thing all big business does with their agencies. See also pitting print/broadcast/web agencies against each other for control of the creative.

...because they`re tricksy and false?

Because if they make Grey think they're going to leave, Grey is motivated to woo them back (lower rates, better media packages, more attention, etc).

[eta: Clients do this to us ALL THE TIME. We generally respond by pointing out that they are more than welcome to license Walter Cronkite footage from any other archive they wish. OH WAIT THAT'S RIGHT YOU CAN'T.]

Because if they make Grey think they're going to leave, Grey is motivated to woo them back (lower rates, better media packages, more attention, etc).

Particularly with the upcoming car business.

That's standard practice in all kinds of business.