The Iron Rule of ×3 ~ On the Act of Continuous Thinking ~

Tripling the work that comes my way

For quite some time now, I've been working with two strong convictions in mind: "creating interesting projects" and "figuring out how to make people realize they're interesting."

I'd feel like even when I made something equally interesting, I was losing out on ad volume. Seeing projects packed with star power made my own work seem pitifully weak. On top of that, TV ratings themselves were starting to decline. Even when I came up with a great idea and brought it to life, it often didn't resonate as much as I'd hoped. I was struggling to fix that. My resentment towards projects with lavish budgets was also strong.

Back then, I often said, "We plan twice." For example, after creating a model change commercial, we'd air a bit of the old version right before the new one went live. We'd time airings to coincide with other events, aiming to be half a step ahead of the current context. We'd create connections with other media through clever setups. We'd build elements into the footage designed to get continuous coverage on talk shows. It wasn't yet an era where videos could be viewed seamlessly online, so media outlets, not social networks, were the central focus. It was also about how to compensate for a concept's weaknesses. That's why we valued ingenuity just as much as shooting and editing.

Simply put, what was demanded of us was to create something that would sell and spark affection. So we kept doing everything we could to achieve that, right up until the very end. On the other hand, back then, many things were touted as "new" simply because they broke the rules of advertising. I disliked that. Breaking the rules should be done by creating new rules. I just couldn't see something that only broke the rules as truly creative. That's why I kept saying we needed to "plan twice," aiming to achieve both. I don't know if we succeeded. But I kept thinking about it persistently. Looking back now, that habit feels like it was the spark that kept the flame of expanding the creative realm alive.

Lately, I often talk about the "Rule of Tripling." It means exactly what it says: triple the work that comes your way.

You get an orientation and think about advertising for that product. You think of ways to make that ad look interesting. You give it form. You think of extra things to accomplish the request. Since the request has a budget, if you can't get additional funds, you come up with ideas like, "Well then..." You consider whether a problem Company A can't solve alone could be solved by involving Company B or the media.

To put the secret simply: ① Expand it. ② Combine it. ③ Continue it. While doing this, projects A and D inside your head that seemed completely unrelated might suddenly connect, launching a project from a totally different angle. This is truly enjoyable. People get more excited about work they come up with themselves than work assigned by someone else.

I want the younger generation to develop this habit of thinking early on, so I consciously encourage them to come up with "ideas that multiply by three." As you gain experience and expand your network, the scale grows, and the likelihood of realization increases. When you can naturally achieve this "multiply by three," both you and the people you involve end up smiling.

What matters is the "power to keep thinking."

Recently, I worked with the folks at Magazine House to create an educational manga. It's a book for children in the lower to middle grades of elementary school. Around the time the COVID-19 pandemic began, I was consulted about the posthumous work of a certain manga artist. It was about five pages of unpublished material filled with characters and ideas, and the question was whether we could give it some form. That's when I thought, "Maybe we could turn it into an educational manga." That idea went through twists and turns and ultimately stalled, but during that process, I met some editors, and we decided to try making an "educational manga."

The First Message

Our top priority was conveying the necessity of cultivating the ability to persistently think about "problems with no single right answer." Global environmental issues are precisely that kind of problem; they don't end just because you do something. As long as humans exist, we must consciously keep thinking about them. This manga features three children who play a key role in saving another planet facing a crisis completely linked to Earth's environmental problems. The story unfolds with a somewhat game-like feel.

We grew up in a system where studying equaled taking tests. Talking with today's university students, I sense their curricula have improved significantly. It's reassuring to see they have the mental muscles for critical thinking. But if children don't discover the fun and meaning of learning at a young age, they might not develop that capacity. Environmental issues, when considered alongside economics and civilization, aren't something you can judge with a simple right or wrong.

Listening to Professor Hiroshi Okochi of Waseda University, featured in this book, makes me realize how shallow my own thinking is. For instance, replacing all plastic bottles with renewable materials like aluminum or glass could require far more gasoline for transportation than imagined. Problems are fluid; we must keep thinking flexibly and adapting. I sometimes think that just reducing plastic bags isn't enough, but those new habits can also become pathways to new awareness and consideration. The world is full of things that can't be judged with a simple yes or no. That's why it's important to keep thinking.

Earth Doctor Professor Ohkuchi (Professor, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Waseda University)
He appears in the manga as a figure who provides children with an objective perspective for considering various environmental issues.

People keep thinking about "The Earth's Challenge."

People rush for answers. They want to quantify results. But that alone won't accelerate the pace of solutions. How can we bring more reality to environmental issues? Even my own room right now contains the results of much environmental damage. We can't erase that. But we can reduce it. Even so, creating a system like "reduce and get something in return" won't sustain itself unless the purpose behind it is instilled. While it's undoubtedly better to do something than nothing, I fear that confusing means with ends will eventually make society stop thinking about the real issues. Perhaps part of the problem is that the issues themselves feel hard to grasp as real. It's incredibly difficult to keep striving for solutions to problems that seem unsolvable. How can we naturally make people feel these issues are their own?

Creating this book taught me a great deal. Yet the more I learn, the more overwhelmed I feel. I realize my own powerlessness. Perhaps all I can do is triple this book's impact and increase the number of people asking "What can I do?" Maybe it's about making SDGs a given, not just a passing trend to consume. Or perhaps it's about not turning away from the helplessness we feel when faced with problems that won't be solved by a quick fix. I truly believe it starts with me.

The title "Challenge from the Earth" was the idea of Kanako Oshima, the editor at Magazine House. I feel this title encapsulates so much. We're now starting many actions under this title. We want to keep this broad and long-lasting, so if you have ideas, please contact us.

This manga was drawn by art director Yu Hirata. He handled not just the character design, but every single panel layout. His talent for advertising creativity is truly remarkable. I'd love to discuss the perspective of an advertising professional drawing manga again sometime, ideally with Hirata-san present.

Book Overview

Original Work: Takuma Takasaki
Growth Officer / Executive Creative Director, Dentsu Group
He has handled numerous advertising campaigns, including JR East Japan's "Let's Go, Tohoku" and Suntory's "Monsieur, It's Tough." His publications include "The Art of Expression" (Chuokoron-Shinsha), the novel "Auto Reverse" (Chuokoron-Shinsha), and the picture book "Pitch Black" (Kodansha). He also serves as MC for J-WAVE BITS&BOBS TOKYO.
 

Illustrations: Yu Hirata
Graduated from Musashino Art University, Department of Painting (Oil Painting) in 2004. Develops original characters for various domestic and international companies. Primarily creates watercolor works, but also produces art pieces including three-dimensional works. Exhibits in solo and group shows at galleries in Tokyo.

Earth Doctor: Hiroshi Okochi
Professor, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Waseda University
Leads environmental chemistry research at the Atmosphere-Hydrosphere Environmental Chemistry Laboratory, aiming to manage the health of Gaia (the living Earth) from the perspective of water and material cycles. Fieldwork locations include Mt. Fuji, Tanzawa, Ikuta, Fukushima, and Cambodia. His motto is "Deciphering the chemical information of air, water, and forests to explore symbiosis between humans and nature." He aims to cultivate Earth Doctors (doctors of the Earth).