The set: the simulated flight deck of a US aircraft carrier, complete with landing lights and an authentic battle bridge.
The event: Day One of the National Sales Meeting of a well known Japanese electronics manufacturer.
Both client and audience were excited. The opening video played complete with dogfights and deafening sound effects from the movie “Top Gun”, accompanied by a voiceover that spoke in glowing terms of the company’s exciting future in the upcoming “Decade of The Nineties.” As the video faded to black, a Voice of God announcement welcomed the President of the company who walked onto the battle bridge in full military uniform and was immediately picked out by the stage lights as he began his speech.
At that moment, with a mix of horror and amusement, I beheld a startling image that had not registered before. A Japanese businessman in full military uniform (albeit American), standing on the bridge of an aircraft carrier just a short distance away from half of the US Pacific Fleet. The association with Pearl Harbor in my mind was inescapable.
What had happened? True, the uniforms had arrived late and this was the first time anyone had actually seen the client in uniform. True, the set had been assembled on site for the first time and looked much more authentic than any of the renderings. And true, there was nothing in the theme or the meeting software that could be construed as insensitive in any way. Yet the overall effect was either chilling, or hysterically funny, depending on your perspective.
Nothing was said and the event execution was flawless, but the client looked foolish or worse. Yet they could not have fully comprehended the permanent visual fingerprint that Pearl Harbor had left on the American psyche. They could not have known that the sight of an aircraft carrier manned by Japanese sailors could not fail to push that button. At the very least, it was not their responsibility; it was ours. We should have figured it out and we should have quietly abandoned the approach early on when it was possible to do so. Better yet, we should never have proposed such a theme to begin with.
The client was relying on us to protect their interests; to exercise the cultural sensitivity that they could not. Whenever we are dealing with cultures other than our own, we need to pass everything we do through a fine sieve to make sure that such things do not happen. After all, wouldn’t we want others to do the same for us?
All’s well that ends well you say. Hmm. By way of further irony, the guest speaker at this meeting was none other than the decorated Vietnam war hero and fighter ace, Randy “Duke” Cunningham; then an aspiring politician and soon to be US Congressman. He was found guilty in 2005 of conspiracy and jailed. Caveat emptor.
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A very interesting piece that highlights the dangers of not being sensitive to different cultures. As you note, meeting planing must take these factors into account very early in the planning process.
Wonderful report and post. Sensitivity to different cultures is obviously critical in business, but I imagine it would flow more easily if we paid closer attention to it all the time. Make it “a habit of mind.”
From your post, I have the impression you’re practiced being alert to others’ point of view.