Everyone thinks they are experts when it comes to advertising—especially auto executives. Yuki Togo and the Japan staff wanted a small, boutique advertising agency that would give special attention to Lexus and have new, creative ideas to attract customers. Jim...
GOD OF HOPE
God, Guts, Heartbreak & Headaches: The Start of Lexus
The complete God, Guts, Heartbreak & Headaches: The Start of Lexus blog series is now available as a free e-book:
#38 – Lexus vs. LexisNexis Round 2: False Hopes
Jim Perkins and I arrived at LexisNexis headquarters in Dayton, Ohio on a cold January morning in early 1988. Before going to Dayton, Jim and I had been briefed by the Toyota legal team. The Lexis lawyers told the Toyota attorneys that we could expect Jack Simpson to...
#39 – What Customer Satisfaction is Not
Dick Chitty attended Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kansas where he majored in automotive technology. After graduation, he applied for jobs at “the big three” auto companies, but could not get hired. He went to work in a gas station before becoming a high...
#40 – The Data Dilemma
During the mid-80s, the internet was changing everything at an alarming speed. IBM had introduced the first personal computer in 1981. The Domain Name System had recently been created using .com, .org, and .net. Apple had introduced the Mac and Microsoft the DOS. ...
#41 – Lexus vs. LexisNexis Round 3: Team One Stonewalled
The LexisNexis proposal was met with disbelief by Yuki Togo, Bob McCurry, the Toyota attorneys, and in particular the new Team One advertising agency. The case was so lacking in merit no one could understand why LexisNexis would want to go to court. Scott...
#42 – The Choice: Lexus vs. Family
The pressure was relentless. I had already made several trips to Japan, and it was only February. I had been on the road nonstop. There were days when I woke up and wasn’t sure where I was or even what day it was. There was no time to think. Jet lag was beginning to...
#43 – Balancing Act: God vs. Family vs. Lexus
I made it to the company plane at Toyota Air Flight in Long Beach in plenty of time. I gave no indication to Bob McCurry or Jim Perkins of any of the conflict at home. I carried my burdens inside, wearing the mask of optimism and everyday politeness. I was a...
#44 – Lexus vs. LexisNexis Round 4: A No-Name Luxury Division
On Wednesday, April 20, 1988, a bitter courtroom battle between LexisNexis and its chief competitor, Westlaw, in a Minneapolis court came to an end. It was a lawsuit between the two leading legal online research firms over copyrights issues. It had not gone well for...
#45 – The Obeya Room
It seemed like everything was out of control. There was so much going on with so many different people it seemed impossible to keep track of everything. The engineers and production staff in Japan were having the same problem. There was a lack of communication between...
#46 – Lexus vs. LexisNexis Round 5: The Judge
Bill Plourde slumped down next to my desk. We had a court date set for November 8, 1988 in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. The November date would make it very difficult to get a ruling by the end of the year. The stakes were...
#47 – Lexus vs. LexisNexis Round 6: A Dark Day for Dave Illingworth—You’re Fired!
It was the week of the trial in New York. I was not called to testify, nor did I attend the trial. I was busy in California preparing for the upcoming dealer meeting scheduled for early December when we would show the F1 prototype to the dealers for the first time....
#48 – Why Ohio?
It wasn’t my idea to go to Ohio University. I grew up in Wheeling, West Virginia and always wanted to go to West Virginia University. But my high school girlfriend, Ann, had a different idea. She insisted I go to a more academic school. Ohio University in...