Kino no Tabi:Volume17 Chapter10
“Land of Advertisements” —CounterMeasure—[edit]
To all readers of this newspaper,
Good day! I’m Kino, a traveler!
I have a partner called Hermes, a motorrad (note: A two-wheeled vehicle, only denotes that it cannot fly)! He can be quite flippant at times, but he’s a great guy, and he rarely breaks down!
When I arrived in this country, the thing that surprised me most is that everyone here uses a communicating device called a “cell phone”.
It must be a delight to be able to reach your friends, family, and loved ones anytime, anywhere, especially in a huge country such as this!
During my long travels, I too wonder from time to time how nice it would be if I could contact the family that I have left behind in my country of birth.
‘I sure am lonely,’ I thought.
But at that moment,
“You have me, Kino!”
I was consoled by these words from Hermes!
During my entire stay in this country, I was using a cell phone that I have borrowed.
It was quite convenient!
I realized that it wasn’t just a mere phone, but a device that allows you to search for information with ease!
There’s even a map on its screen that showed me the route I should take!
I saw how every citizen from the very young to the elderly could use this device so expertly, and thought,
“What an amazing country! My life probably would have been so much different if I were born here!”
When I told Hermes that, he only had this to say:
“Welcome to science!”
By the way, the one I borrowed was a model from the Benemaccio Dedelbaldend brand. It was very easy to use!
Initially, I was worried that I won’t be able to master such a complicated device.
But the shopkeeper who lent it to me told me,
“Benemaccio Dedelbaldend phones are the easiest to use!”
So I decided to try it.
And it was true!
When I powered it on, it was set-up in beginner mode.
Whenever you have something you need help for, you can click on the [?] button, and this message appears:
[Please choose the feature you wish to use.]
And with a tap on the screen, it shows you simple instructions on how to accomplish the task at hand!
I was so surprised.
This was much simpler than driving Hermes! You see, it took me a quite a while before I was able to ride him!
Aww, don’t sulk off Hermes. There, there.
The people of Benemaccio Dedelbaldend must be very kind.
If all cell phones were this easy to use, everybody would be happy.
Eh? That’s the company’s mission and vision?
[Happiness in everybody’s hands!]
-- Is that their motto?!
Wow, I didn’t know that! But it’s just as it says!
Benemaccio Dedelbaldend sure is amazing! This comes as a surprise even to a traveler!
Oh right, it also has a very nice design.
It just fits well in my hands... To put it in a way... it’s effortless to carry it around, and it’s not easy to drop!
Hermes told me it was ‘ergonomic’, which means not only the appearance, but also the ease of use was considered in its design. I totally get what he means!
When I looked at the catalogue, there was a range of other colors aside from the red one that I have been using! But they’re all lively colors that can brighten up everyone!
That’s Benemaccio Dedelbaldend for you!
We will soon be leaving the country. But if we had more time, I would have loved to drop by Benemaccio Dedelbaldend to tell them this:
“Thank you for creating such a magnificent cell phone!”
All of you citizens reading this paper right now are very fortunate to have such a wonderful company like Benemaccio Dedelbaldend with you!
The next time we visit this country, I’m sure Benemaccio Dedelbaldend will stand out even more!
And of course, I’ll be using a Benemaccio Dedelbaldend phone again!
No! I might even buy one for myself!
There’s no way I could forget about 'Benemaccio Dedelbaldend!
(Excerpt from an interview with Kino right before departure.)
“In short, this sort of article will be circulated all over the country’s newspapers as advertisements.”
Said a man wearing a business suit and looked to be about thirty.
Kino and Hermes was reading from a page of the sample print.
“But I didn’t say any of these things…”
“Same here! And we sound totally different too!”
The man who handed the sample print to Kino laughed,
“Ahahaha! It doesn’t matter what you two have to say!”
They were in a park in front of the country’s gates. It was almost evening, and nobody else was around.
“We at Zdoladondeba Dooleddatta Advertising were asked the day before last to make a cell phone advertisement featuring you and Hermes. That’s what I said, right?”
“Yes. You asked us the moment we entered the country.”
“Though it’s more like we were forced to.”
“Well, I’m not going to deny that we might have been rather pushy, but Kino agreed to it in exchange for portable rations and fuel. Also, it was true that you used a Benemaccio Dedelbandend phone.”
“I did. But frankly, this gadget was hard to use. After all, I can get by just by listening to Hermes’ instructions,” Kino said with all honesty.
“And the ones who made it aren’t nice at all! The essential beginner mode was really crudely done,” Hermes ruthlessly added.
“Well, that may be true,” the man admitted. “But you see, my job, that is, Zdoladondeba Dooleddatta Advertising’s job, is to promote Benemaccio Dedelbandend phones, so obviously we can’t write those things. And by the way—”
The man took out his phone from his suit’s breast pocket.
“This one’s my personal favorite, a Poita Pappavicca phone. It’s very easy to use. I recommend it. Even if you pay me, I won’t use Benemaccio Dedelbandend. To be blunt, it’s the company with the worst reputation in this country when it comes to phones.” The man continued, “In short, if we are asked to advertise something, we have to do a good job of doing so. Advertising companies are made just for this purpose.”
“I see. So you use outsiders—” Hermes chimed in.
“That’s right! A traveler and a motorrad like you two! You wouldn’t be staying for too long, and it is unlikely that you will ever come back. Well, you might in the future, but not any time soon.”
“Well that’s true.”
“Yeah.”
“That’s why it’s perfect for an advertisement! If people start to think, ‘It must be a good company if it’s praised by a foreigner, so that phone must be really good’, then the advertisement was a success.”
“But this company’s phones have a bad reputation right?” Hermes asked. The man readily nodded.
“True. But only around people who are knowledgeable in cell phones, those who subscribe in special magazines where people gathered information. Not everyone who wanted phones, like the children and the elderly, would be so informed. If those ignorant ones who only want phones see this advertisement, they would assume it’s good, don’t you think?”
“You have a point.”
“But when they use it and find out how bad it is—”
“The person who recommended it to them, in short me, has long left this country behind,” Kino continued the man’s words.
“Exactly. Even if people complained like, “I didn’t know this phone was so hard to use! I was fooled by that advertisement!” nobody would bother go after you far out there in the wild.”
“Right,” Hermes expressed his agreement in the fewest of words.
“Besides, a traveler like Kino might not be well-informed about cell phones from this country. It might be that you haven’t used any phone other than Benemaccio Dedelbandend, that’s why you think it’s wonderful. That’s also a feasible excuse in case anyone protests.”
“Dear me. Kino, you can learn a thing or two from this guy.”
Perhaps amused by the praise from Hermes, the man grinned,
“Well, this excellent advertising is pretty much the norm these days. Or perhaps, we have this country’s people to thank.”
Kino and Hermes parted ways with the man, proceeded with the exit procedures in the gates, and left.
They were riding through a forest. And within this thick canopy where they couldn’t be seen from the walls,
“We’ve been waiting.”
Was a parked car, with several men waiting beside it. They seemed to be waiting for Kino and Hermes.
Kino greeted them, and removed something from Hermes’ frame. It resembled a motorrad accessory— a tiny audio and video recorder.
One of the men took it from Kino, and nodded satisfactorily.
“Thank you for your cooperation. With this we will be able to see what the country is like through Hermes’ ‘eyes’. We will use this information to make an advertisement for this country. After all, the actual experiences of a traveler are invaluable in strategies for increasing tourist count.”
“Um, officer,” Kino spoke.
The man Kino called ‘officer’ had an ID hanging over his chest. In it, his name and the words ‘Government Tourism Bureau’ were written.
“Yes, what is it?”
Kino continued.
“We probably weren’t of much use to you.”
| Back to Chapter 9 | Return to Main Page | Forward to Chapter 11 |
