There’s an old children’s verse:
“For want of a nail a shoe was lost.
For want of a shoe a horse was lost.
For want of a horse a message was lost.
For want of a message a battle was lost.
For want of a battle a kingdom was lost.
And all for want of a nail.”
It’s about the knock-on effect of everyone doing their job.
Imagine how differently we’d all do our jobs if we believed that.
In 1942 Rommel’s Afrika Corps had beaten the Eighth Army all the way back across North Africa.
One more big attack would see the British totally and utterly defeated.
All Rommel needed was supplies.
The only thing stopping him getting them was Malta.
The base from which the RAF, and Royal Navy submarines, cut German supply routes.
So the Germans attacked Malta relentlessly.
Until Malta had just two week’s supplies left.
It was a simple equation.
If Malta fell, the British lost all of North Africa.
If Malta survived, the British won.
Churchill sent a convoy to relieve Malta.
It was protected by aircraft carriers, battleships, and destroyers.
But the most important ship, although no one knew it at the time, was an oil tanker.
The Ohio carried 10,000 tons of fuel oil.
Enough to keep Malta’s planes and subs going for 3 months.
If the Ohio gets through, Malta survives.
If it doesn’t, Malta falls.
The Germans and Italians threw everything at that convoy.
On the first day, a U boat sank a British aircraft carrier and torpedoed The Ohio.
The Ohio was on fire, with a massive hole in her side.
Enemy bombers and submarines attacked the convoy for 6 days and nights, non-stop.
A bomb dropped next to the Ohio and buckled the hull.
A British destroyer rammed and sank an Italian submarine.
A German bomber crashed into The Ohio, with a bomb still on board.
A British destroyer was torpedoed and sunk.
Another British destroyer rammed and sank another Italian submarine.
Then bombs on either side of The Ohio lifted it clear out of the water.
Then a British cruiser was torpedoed and sunk.
The Ohio was blazing from the bombs, the flames reached her engines and they stopped.
Now she was dead in the water, burning, ready to explode.
The crew abandoned the ship, expecting it to sink in the night.
But in the morning it was still there, just about afloat.
The sea washing over the deck.
The crew clambered back on board and put the fires out.
Then another air raid, a bomb exploded in the same place as the torpedo and broke The Ohio’s back.
For any ship, this is the end.
Now it was just a matter of time.
The crew were forced to abandon The Ohio, which must now sink.
Now it was just a doomed hulk.
But a hulk full of fuel-oil.
And the fuel-oil kept it just about afloat.
In the morning they clambered back on board again, to attempt a tow.
Then the Ohio was hit by another bomb.
Now it was truly just a scrap heap, ready to sink any moment.
They couldn’t tow it, the rudder was jammed.
So they lashed a destroyer to either side, and dragged it slowly along at 5 mph.
Walking pace, through the air raids and submarines.
A half-ton bomb just missed the stern, and lifted it out of the water.
Now they could hear the constant creaking as The Ohio fell apart.
The ship’s life could be counted in hours, at best.
The destroyers and tugs nursed the remains of The Ohio into harbour at Malta.
But it wasn’t over.
They had to empty The Ohio of oil before she sank.
And they made it, just.
After they took the last drops, The Ohio sank to the bottom of Malta harbour.
At the end of that convoy, the Royal Navy had lost one aircraft carrier, 2 cruisers, and 1 destroyer.
Plus 11 out of 15 merchant ships.
The Germans and Italians had lost 2 submarines, 2 cruisers, and 42 aircraft.
But the real result was Malta stayed open as a base.
Which meant the RAF, and Royal Navy submarines, carried on sinking German convoys.
Which meant Rommel’s Afrika Corp was starved of supplies.
Which meant The Eighth Army won the battle of El Alamein.
Which meant the Germans and Italians were driven out of North Africa.
Which meant the Allies were able to invade Sicily, and then all of Italy.
All because the guys on The Ohio did their job as if it counted.
Nice, Dave. Sometimes, though, as much as we believe that our jobs count, others don’t. And try to torpedo our efforts. For me, the best example is integration. The traditional advertising people believe it’s the ideas what count. But the digital guys argue it’s the technology that does the trick Imagine if The Ohio crew weren’t allowed to try and save the ship. Because some mid-level commander felt it would be a waste of lives to try and save a doomed vessel.
Robin. - 11 April 2012 10:17 am
The Ohio was due to receive a citation 4 bravery, but the admiral who was supposed 2 pin the medal on it missed by 3 feet.
Grilla Login - 11 April 2012 1:03 pm
The entire island of Malta was given the Award of the George Cross for bravery. I believe it was the most heavily bombed place on earth after WW2.
George Tannenbaum - 11 April 2012 4:55 pm
Absolutely George.
I always heard about Malta GC when I was a little boy, but I never knew why.
Until I later read about it’s strategic importance as a base to cut Axis supply lines.
Dave Trott - 11 April 2012 5:27 pm
…and then we’d never have had that film
Ice Cold in Alex
and then we’d never have had all those
Famous lager ads
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9Ra7hQoHpE&feature=related
Kev - 11 April 2012 11:00 pm
Incredibly enough, that was a true story apparently Kev.
Dave Trott - 12 April 2012 5:37 pm
‘A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse! I haven’t had a winner in six months.’
john p woods - 12 April 2012 7:20 pm
Hi Dave,
As ever, your blogs feed the inactive parts of my creative brain
like an oasis of inspiration in a desert of despair.
For ad researchers out there lets give it a name.
Let’s call it “The Heineken Effect”
Now, all of a sudden it could pass as Scientific Evidence.
I ask myself:
Why does Dave write a story about the Ohio?
Why does he tell us about the nail that lost a kingdom?
What is the underlying story?
What is he getting at?
Then I wonder about that comment a few blogs back
about you going to a school and talking to students
about advertising and creativity and
they ask permission to do something???
well, that just blew a fuse in my head.
What was that all about?
Teenagers asking permission????
Then I’m listening to R4
and I hear something about this:-
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2009/jul/12/british-children-playing-habits
Could this attitude cost creativity in the British ad industry?
If so, it’s a serious problem because
without creativity where is British industry heading?
Let’s take 2012.
Almost everything is centred around London.
Apparently there has been
and twitter war regarding the organisation of the games
and cancellations of hotel bookings as visitors stay away.
Why?
In China the games were nationwide
or if not it certainly felt like it.
The nation displayed itself to the World.
London is great
but so is the rest of the UK!
I just feel lack of foresight
has relegated the nation against itself.
Does Westminster think the UK
only exists inside the paramiters of the M25?
OK, so 50% of the UK population live within 60 miles of London.
All the more reason
Edinburgh
Manchester
York
Birmingham
Bath
Bristol
Leeds
Sheffield
Aberdeen
Glasgow
Liverpool
Cardiff
Belfast
Oxford
Cambridge
and many other cities could have played a fantastic part in the Olympics.
Plenty of room for visitors
Plenty of stadiums
Plenty of extra ticket sales
Plenty of prosperous hoteliers and local businesses.
A BIG trick has been missed.
An excellent opportunity to display the UK for tourism has been lost
because of insular thinking
because of peninsular planning
because of thinking inside the box within the box within the box in a box.
I guess like many I fear London will grind to a halt during 2012
just like the student asking permission to be creative.
I hope I am completely wrong.
This is such a great opportunity for our nation.
And a key turning point.
Kev - 13 April 2012 10:37 pm
Kev,
My daughter, 3 on July 1st (same day as Debby Harry) has done most of those things on that list already. My only concern is when she’ll be ready for riding a bike. Too many crap drivers about these days for my liking. Might have to limit bike riding to parks, paths and trails initially. There are some things in life where it’s better to be safe than sorry.
john p woods - 14 April 2012 12:17 pm
Hi Kev,
It’s a really good point, and it all comes back to the same basic thing.
Does whatever we each do count?
If we think it counts, we must be willing to take responsibility for it.
If we are, then we must take responsibility for the consequences.
If we are responsible for our consequences, why would we ever need to ask anyone else’s permission?
So I think asking permission is a way of avoiding responsibility.
Which means acting as if we don’t count.
So we make ourselves disempowered.
And we don’t count.
Dave Trott - 14 April 2012 12:21 pm
Dave,
Are you advocating the ‘shoot first, ask questions later’ philosophy for life?
I’m down with it but isn’t it a bit too gung-ho for zen?
john p woods - 14 April 2012 5:37 pm
John,
I think zen, or existentialism, would be: shoot or don’t shoot, ask questions or don’t ask questions. Either way accept what you get.
Dave Trott - 14 April 2012 6:21 pm
Dave,
Don’t we either fall into two camps: risk avoiders and risk seekers?
Is Del Boy right when he said, ‘he who dares, wins, he who don’t, don’t'?
As for acceptance shouldn’t we all be compelled to not accept what we get?
Isn’t that where we strive for better?
john p woods - 14 April 2012 7:09 pm
Dave,
I guess what I’m trying to say is ultimately shouldn’t we treat the outcome, whatever it is, suspiciously. Shoot and miss or shoot and score. The trick is to keep on irrespectively.
‘Treat success and failure as the twin imposters they are.’ – Rudyard Kipling
john p woods - 14 April 2012 7:36 pm
HI Dave,
I believe everything we do does count.
Therefore I am responsible for everything I do right or wrong, good or bad.
When something is the responsibility of another
Is it my responsibility to make that person aware?
By making another aware I may make another accountable
for something they do not wish to be accountable for.
Or, by not making another aware I may make another unaccountable
for something they may wish or not wish to be accountable for.
Which is the most responsible action?
If I do not ask their permission first, then I am taking their responsibility
away from them and acting irresponsibily.
If I ask permission and find the outcome is irresponsible
I only have myself to blame.
Some bosses always admit any errors as soon as they are aware of it.
They believe in acting responsibly and respecting their staff.
Ironically between bosses, in some nations they consider this a sign of weakness.
Other bosses will sometimes confuse and confound staff.
Sometimes staff get angry when bosses stand their ground.
The experienced boss will know when this is the right thing to do.
Sometimes people are right and they lose.
Sometimes people are wrong and they win.
Sometimes people dont care if they win or lose.
They think arguments are pointless, and that’s irresponsible.
Yours irrwsponsybly,
Kev - 15 April 2012 12:14 am
Kev,
The red red robbin goes bob bob bobbin along, bobbin along. Congrats. I’m sure you played your part after all it’s the responsible thing to do.
Down to your boys next Dave, the responsible thing is to make sure the bubble machine is at the ready? Lock and load.
john p woods - 15 April 2012 9:15 am
Yup.
The start point is that there isn’t a right or wrong.
You choose your own personal right or wrong.
We then try to make everyone agree with our version of right or wrong.
Because this saves us taking the blame afterwards.
This is why we have arguments.
And why we have excuses.
Dave Trott - 15 April 2012 12:24 pm
Isn’t an excuse just a reason with bad p.r? Isn’t the blame game counter-productive?
john p woods - 15 April 2012 1:10 pm
When in doubt, belt it out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqymcJRSbxI
john p woods - 15 April 2012 1:16 pm
LOL!
Choosing your own right or wrong is like choosing which football club to support.
Yours, a very relieved
Kev - 15 April 2012 6:57 pm