Beyond the basics, nothing else is truly important.

In February 2015, Nikkei Publishing released his book "Planners Scheme Three Times." Then, roughly one year later, in January of this year, a Korean translation was published by major publisher Tornade Publishing. According to the Publishing Science Institute's Annual Publishing Indicators Report, over 200 new books are released daily in Japan. Among them, why was this book selected and deemed "worthy of being read beyond national borders"? I've considered the reasons for this myself.

Skills will inevitably become obsolete someday

For those who haven't read it, here's a brief summary: The book defines the crucial element in planning as "scheming," and the foundation of "scheming" as the desire to surpass others' expectations and predictions, creating that "Oh, that's how it is!" moment, combined with a bit of technique.

It states that planning should never exist merely to complete a proposal document, nor to gain client approval, and certainly not to satisfy oneself with the "sense of accomplishment" from using the latest technology. Its sole purpose, it argues, is to create something that improves the world.

To build the "body" capable of continuously generating such planning, he systematizes key principles to keep in mind. Therefore, reading this book won't magically make you a brilliant planner overnight; it barely touches on immediately useful skills.

On the other hand, the world is flooded with skill-based books: "How to ~~~," "10 Rules for ~~~," "The Definitive Guide to ~~~." I, too, once desperately read such books, grasping at straws. Yet, in reality, most were difficult to implement, even if I understood them intellectually.

The crucial question is: "Why, even after fully grasping a skill, can't I effectively apply it when faced with my own challenges?" Pondering this led me to a realization:

"Could it be that we're trying to learn only the applications without having the fundamentals?"

No two projects are exactly the same in any job, and the problems to solve differ. Especially in Japan, a country facing advanced challenges, we often encounter new problems that existing methodologies can't handle. Even if you know the skill as a technique, if you don't understand how to wield that weapon, forcing it into action will obviously just spin its wheels.

Skills themselves are "applications born from fundamentals." It is precisely because the basics are mastered that they can be utilized effectively. This led me to become skeptical about skills and to believe that it is the sense of responsibility as a planner to influence the world that truly enhances the precision of planning.

From an advertising perspective, skills that were useful during the heyday of TV commercials cannot be directly applied to creating digital ads. In fact, it's even dangerous to create digital ads as if you were making TV commercials.

However, the more fundamental point—how to create content that resonates with people—remains unchanged. The reason is clear: while media and living environments can change dramatically within a few years, the workings of the human heart do not undergo such drastic shifts.

In other words, to put it bluntly, in a society where everything is rapidly changing, "nothing matters more than the fundamentals."

The more versatile a person is, the more they value fundamentals.

Of course, acquiring the latest information, skills, and techniques is important. What I consciously do is remind myself, "Right now, I'm learning the application." Doing this naturally reveals the shared foundational elements underlying the surface-level skills. When you can mentally accept, "Ah, so that foundation evolved into this theory," previously unrelated pieces of information connect, become your own, and transform into usable wisdom. Paradoxically, this also means that with a solid foundation, your speed of understanding applications changes dramatically.

This, I feel, is the primary reason why this book should be shared across oceans. Different countries have different market environments, work styles, values, media landscapes, and challenges. However, the fundamental mindset, sense of mission, and responsibility required of planners transcend borders; everyone must possess them. It is deeply gratifying that the power of "scheming" – as a foundational skill independent of environment – is gaining attention, and that even one more person might grasp its importance and internalize it through this book.

Personally, armed with the "plotting" ability cultivated in advertising, I engage in diverse content creation—from devising advertising communications and launching events to writing magazine columns and books, planning and scripting TV programs, and composing lyrics and music. This isn't because I'm multi-talented; rather, it stems from mastering just one fundamental planning skill: "plotting."

Even those called multi-creators in the world today don't necessarily excel in every genre; rather, I feel they apply their core ability to generate ideas across many fields. For areas requiring specialized knowledge, they seek guidance from experts in that field, organize and process the information in their own way, and then translate it into a plan. In today's world where expertise is deepening in every field, it's fair to say that for planners, the humility to absorb wisdom from specialists for each project and the communication skills to value connections with them are becoming even more crucial.