How can copywriters contribute to management?

Dentsu Inc. TANTEKI designs messages companies want to convey into forms that truly resonate. This episode's guest is Tahei Ogawa, President of the rental real estate service " ietty ".

ietty is an online-only real estate service with no physical stores. It achieves significant reductions in brokerage fees while introducing users to optimal properties, gaining substantial user support in recent years.

Copywriter/CM Planner Hideaki Morohashi, who created the defining "words" for the company's business, asked President Ogawa about how they utilize "words" within the company, the tangible effects they've experienced, and how copywriters can contribute to management.

<Table of Contents>
▼What Happens When a Startup Exceeds 150 Employees?
▼Embedding the Foundational "Words" into All Corporate Activities
▼Explaining the "Words" Externally Strengthens Employee Commitment

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What Happens When a Startup Exceeds 150 Employees?

Morohashi: We proposed "Realizing Integrity Through Technology" as the phrase that expresses ietty's values and worldview, unifying the company. What was the deciding factor for TANTEKI to purchase this "word" from us?

Ogawa: As our company grew from a few people to 250 employees with dispersed offices, we faced challenges compared to our founding days: "Employees weren't united in spirit" and "It was hard to understand what we were committed to." We'd heard that "it's difficult to unify ideology once employees exceed 150," and we truly felt that.

Especially as we rapidly expanded hiring and many employees in their early twenties joined, we began to feel that each individual's sense of commitment was scattered in different directions. It was during this time that Dentsu Inc. proposed, "Why don't we create words that define your company's business value?"

Morohashi: When did you really feel that unity of purpose was lacking?

Ogawa: To be blunt, it became clear when resignations increased. Some employees left citing vague reasons like "I don't know what I want to do." When the company was smaller, I could have direct one-on-one conversations with employees to share our company's goals and worldview. But with this many people, that became difficult.

Morohashi: I proposed the phrase "Realizing sincerity through technology." However, Dentsu Inc. hasn't fully committed to its implementation. How is it currently being utilized within the company?

Ogawa: We use it in every conceivable situation. For example, at the start of our company-wide meetings, we discuss "moving toward achieving our company's mission." We begin by stating, "We're all gathered here to 'Realize Integrity Through Technology,' right?" Only then do we communicate the specific mission. Because the fundamental reasons – "Why must we tackle this mission?" and "Why must we achieve these numerical targets?" – are clearly stated upfront, understanding is both quicker and deeper.

Similarly, during employee recruitment, we explain, "We are a company that 'delivers integrity through technology.'" Of course, we previously communicated our goal of "using AI in the real estate industry to reduce costs and provide honest, quality services." However, without a concise phrase to convey this succinctly, communication becomes redundant.

Having this "word" has amplified the appeal of our company's vision, both internally and externally, many times over. Employee turnover has decreased, and when people do leave, their reasons are often clearer.

Embedding the foundational "words" into all corporate activities

Morohashi: As the person who proposed the words, I'm thrilled to hear they're being used like that. Do you display them internally?

Ogawa: They're posted everywhere. About ten spots per office. Even in the restrooms (laughs). Also, as I mentioned earlier, we always reference these "words" when communicating major missions at all-hands meetings. For example, our company aims to go public, and we want every employee to commit to that goal. So, we discuss it like this:

"I intend to realize the phrase 'Realizing Integrity Through Technology' by improving our services, growing our market share, and making the company known. And to make our company's services known to many people, going public is essential."

In this way, after clarifying the relationship between the company's purpose and the mission of "going public," I then connect it to what each employee should do to achieve that.

Morohashi: Having that foundational "statement" allows us to break down what needs to be done this year, over the next three months, and even tomorrow, starting from that point.

Ogawa: Exactly. Previously, people sometimes committed to different things without understanding "why they were doing their specific tasks." Centering on this "word" made the reason for commitment clear, allowing the company to literally become one.

We've also incorporated this "word" into employee evaluation metrics. Specifically, alongside quantitative goals for going public, we've established qualitative behavioral guidelines called I·E·T·T·Y (Yetty). I stands for Innovation, E for Effort, T for Thanks and Teamwork, and Y for Yourself. Based on these five action guidelines, we structured our approach to achieve "Realizing Integrity through Technology."

"Realizing Integrity Through Technology" sits above all these elements. For example, when deciding product features, the mindset is to include functions that help realize integrity.

Morohashi: It's fascinating to see how the "words" I proposed are being used in ways I never imagined. For instance, when designing app UI, the criteria might shift from "Is it efficient at acquiring users?" or "Is it stylish?" to "Is it sincere towards our customers?"

Ogawa: Yes, exactly—we have those kinds of conversations in meetings (laughs). During new service development discussions, engineers sometimes raise concerns like, "Isn't that approach lacking sincerity?" As a result, maintaining sincerity toward our customers has become an even stronger core principle than before.

Explaining "language" externally strengthens employee commitment

Morohashi: When talking with startup founders, I often hear the frustration that "the words we created ourselves don't seem to take root." What do you think is necessary to ensure these "words" truly permeate the company?

Ogawa: First, it's crucial that the words are "cool." The phrase "Realizing sincerity through technology" is incredibly cool in my mind. Our employees like it too. However, we aren't language professionals, so we can't express our ideas in a cool way ourselves. That's why we need someone like you, Morohashi, who can take the words spoken by management and express them clearly to the world.

Morohashi: I hear many startups hold executive retreats to craft their own language. I think most executives believe the core words of a company can only come from within. It must have taken courage to commission an external copywriter.

Ogawa: I think we could make that request because of the existing trust we had with Dentsu Inc. I could share my honest thoughts, and if something didn't feel right, I didn't hesitate to send it back for revisions. In that sense, I think it's crucial to work closely with someone who truly understands the founder's perspective and communicates effectively throughout the process.

Actually, we've done similar executive retreats ourselves. When we ask, "What do you think are this company's strengths?" about ten words come up. But trying to express them all inevitably leads to overly abstract phrases like "Let's change the world" (laughs). Since it's your own company, deciding what to say and what to leave out becomes difficult – you just can't bring yourself to "cut" anything.

Morohashi: It ends up being the greatest common denominator. Trying to cover this and that, include everything. That often results in words that don't resonate. On the flip side, I think there are also cases where the business is defined too narrowly, like "AI chat for finding rooms."

Ogawa: The ability to communicate effectively, like a copywriter does, is probably a special skill. No matter how great your ideas are, whether they resonate with people is another matter entirely. To unify the direction of over 150 people's thoughts, you need words that truly resonate.

When it comes to recruiting top talent, the weapon startups have to compete with large corporations is the "passion" behind why this company was founded. So, whether you have the "words" to convey that passion concisely makes a huge difference. It's not just for internal communication; having this "word" upfront in materials for investors, for example, makes it easier to convey that strong passion.

Morohashi: Have you seen reactions when sharing this phrase externally?

Ogawa: First off, people tease me because my personality doesn't seem to match the words "sincerity" and "technology" (laughs). That said, it's catchy, so people remember it instantly. I think if we'd started saying "We realize sincerity through technology" earlier, the company's perception would have been different.

Also, when employees explain to customers, saying "This is the kind of company we are" gets the message across clearly. And when it gets through, the employees themselves adopt the mindset of "We must do this." In other words, a cycle is created where "by chanting an easily understandable phrase externally, that conviction is reinforced."

Morohashi: So it's a structure where words created internally, when shared externally, elevate the internal understanding. We're truly grateful you've leveraged it so thoroughly.

Ogawa: If we can unite people by having clear language that expresses the worldview our company wants to realize, then I'm happy, and the employees are happy. And if we can truly use technology to make the real estate industry more honest, then all our customers will be happy too.

Morohashi: Thank you for sharing your valuable insights today.