The N=1 Approach: How a Single "I Want This" Leads to Global Hits

Dentsu Inc.'s cross-functional creative organization, the Future Creative Center (FCC), is a group of over 70 members supporting future-building beyond advertising through creativity. In this series, FCC members discuss their upcoming initiatives under the theme "Future × Creativity."

When creating new ventures, we often imagine building something "many people want" based on market research and target analysis. However, there are cases where businesses and services born from a single person's idea—"I want something like this" or "This might have value"—gain widespread adoption. Smiles practices this inverted marketing approach, "N=1."

Starting with the soup specialty store "Soup Stock Tokyo," they've successively realized N=1-based ventures like the family restaurant "100 Spoons" and "Hamalabo!!!" in the Hamamatsucho Building, which features a shared space and a soft-serve ice cream specialty shop.

However, ideas originating from a single person can be edgy yet also risk becoming self-righteous. How, then, do you identify an N=1 idea that will truly spread throughout society? This time, we invited Mr. Wataru Nozaki, Director and CCO of Smiles who has spearheaded the above ventures, and Ms. Momoe Hanatsumi, the company's PR representative and newly appointed Director and Researcher of the Smiles Life Value Enhancement Research Institute. Dentsu Inc. FCC member Yuhi Suzuki (Creative Planner) delves into the essence of N=1.

The idea that "bosses who eat soft-serve ice cream are cute" leads to a new office

Suzuki: Smiles has developed many unique businesses. What exactly is the "N=1" concept that gave birth to them?

Nozaki: The "N=1" concept starts with a single person's minimalized scene—like "I wish I had this" or "This would be fun if it existed"—and expands it to create a business model.

For example, Smiles' family restaurant " 100 Spoons " started with the concept of being a place that fulfills children's desire to emulate adults. We've all had that childhood experience of wanting to eat the same thing as Mom or Dad, right? Here, instead of children's menus like kids' lunches, we offer half-sized portions of the same dishes and presentation as the adult menu. We also let children toast with glasses like adults, allowing them to share the same experience. The glasses contain grape juice, not wine.

This concept actually stems from one person's childhood experience. A photograph showed a child mimicking his father shaving. Seeing this, I thought, "When we were little, we admired adults, didn't we?" That's when I decided to create a place that fulfills children's "admiration for adults." Applying this idea to family restaurants, we created a place where children could dress up more than usual, nervously use a fork and knife, and essentially "play at being grown-ups."

Suzuki: In December 2020, you also handled the renovation of the Hamamatsucho Building's shared space, " Hamalabo!!!," right? What surprised me was opening a soft-serve ice cream shop within this space. Was this also an N=1 idea?

Nozaki: Yes. While the renovation started as a request from an external company, during discussions, they expressed a desire for a place where employees could casually consult their superiors and have the kind of relaxed communication that isn't possible in the office.

In the past, smoking rooms or break rooms might have served that purpose. We started exploring how to create a modern equivalent. That's when I suddenly thought, "Wouldn't it be cute to see a boss enjoying soft serve?" Even the sternest boss might seem a bit more lovable eating soft serve (laughs). In other words, creating an opportunity to eat soft serve could spark relaxed communication. Soft serve becomes a medium for interaction. This too started with one person thinking, "I wish we had something like this."

Suzuki: By focusing on just one person's insight, you're creating something that didn't exist in the market before—something truly novel. And what's really fascinating is how much resonance it's generating with so many people.

Valuing the "just kind of liking it" as a consumer, not getting trapped in a planner's mindset

Nozaki: The starting point is one person's feeling, but what's crucial is hearing that "I get it, I get it!" response – that N grows to two, three, and more. Like the boss's soft-serve story: even if no office sold soft-serve before, people resonated with the insight that seeing the boss eat soft-serve was cute. So then, the process becomes: what if we offered that as a service?

Many of our services are discontinuous, but that's only because they weren't services available in the market before—they were things we'd sensed deep down. The strength of N=1 is being able to expand that and turn it into a service.

Hanatsumi: While N=1 thinking can be seen as self-righteous, we believe creating something you yourself wouldn't want lacks authenticity. Mr. Nozaki often asks in meetings, "Do you genuinely want this?" or "Would you pay that price for this product?" This is because, while everyone is fundamentally a consumer, there are cases where that identity gets separated during business design. N=1 can be seen as a conceptual approach that weaves in the consumer's perspective, not just the creator's.

Suzuki: I completely agree. It's true that when planning, we sometimes overthink things from the planner's perspective and leave the consumer's feelings behind. I call this the "planner's mindset" as a self-reminder, but even before that, the starting point of planning is whether we can value our sense as consumers.

Nozaki: The reason this happens is that within companies, getting a plan approved often requires rational theories or explanations of value to gain internal understanding and approval. However, much of human consumption is irrational; there are many behaviors that theories and rationality simply can't capture.

When I return to my role as a consumer, I realize I buy many products simply because I like them. Yet, this feeling is often downplayed in business contexts. The N=1 process is about first valuing this deeply personal "I just like it" feeling and then adding business-valid logic or translation to it.

Hanatsumi: N=1 isn't just for B2C; it's applicable in B2B business too. That's because in B2B, the decision-maker can also be seen as a single C (consumer). And I, too, am an individual working in that role. Therefore, I believe valuing my personal feelings, values, and that "N=1" sense of "this would be nice to have" can be leveraged effectively in B2B as well.

Suzuki: This won't show in the article, but I've been nodding so much my neck might snap (laughs).

At Dentsu Inc.'s FCC, we often build plans around N=1. We thought gathering members' N=1 perspectives could be interesting, so we started a new initiative. Specifically, FCC members personally launched a radio show. Each week, we invite one member to share what they personally find valuable or their "Why does this happen?" questions on the radio, and we compile these into a shared notebook.

Ultimately, we hope to connect this to new services or training programs. The challenge lies in drawing the line: will diverse N=1 experiences grow into a business accepted by many, or will they end up as the self-righteous opinions of individuals? How can we cultivate N=1 that avoids ending in self-righteousness?

Nozaki: When you look at N=1 in isolation, it often ends up being about specific situations or personal feelings. So, we first abstract it and turn it into a logical framework. Then, we find cases where that logic can be applied to other fields and still resonate. In those cases, it has a high potential to be accepted by many people.

The concept of "100 Spoons" we discussed earlier also started from a photo mimicking shaving (N=1). We identified the element of "admiration for adulthood" and applied it to a different field: family restaurants. In other words, whether empathy can be generated when applied to other fields is the turning point for service creation.

Therefore, business models born from N=1 are not necessarily limited to niche markets. Even if the starting point is one person's personal feeling, it has the potential to resonate widely.

Researching N=1 to create businesses and services that will spread in the future

Suzuki: I'd also like to hear about the future potential and outlook for N=1. Smiles has newly established a research institute called the " Smiles Life Value Expansion Research Institute." I understand this is also related to the N=1 methodology. What is it about?

Hanatsumi: This institute is a place to explore the "life values" hidden in the details of daily living, including methodologies for enhancing them. We believe that precisely in the N=1 experiences individuals feel—things previously unrecognized as valuable—lie the seeds of new value. We will research various themes based on this idea.

Our current research focuses on " unknown benefits, including inconvenience benefits." The concept of inconvenience benefits explores the idea that things seemingly inconvenient might actually hold value. It's about researching these very N=1-like, intuitive feelings.

Nozaki: Today, we are saturated with material abundance, and technology has greatly increased our freedom to access information and experiences. With low barriers to acquisition, the reason products or services are chosen likely lies in how well they align with one's personal context. Rather than judging purely by simple pros and cons, each person assesses value within their own context, meaning something inconvenient might hold value for someone else.

Conversely, companies must focus on how to connect their businesses and services to consumers' contexts. They need to create backgrounds and stories rather than just rational advantages. I believe the core of competition is shifting toward meaning and contextual relevance.

Suzuki: So value emerges not just from rationality, but from stories and context. Moreover, each person seeks different contexts. Within that, you're researching and uncovering various N=1 sensibilities, including inconvenience benefits.

Nozaki: Exactly. Especially recently, the market has changed significantly. As diversification advances, I feel this is no longer an era where mass marketing is necessarily the right approach. Take the creative duo " TENT " as an example. They meticulously create products they themselves want—truly N=1.

If a product is truly distinctive, even in a niche market, it can deeply resonate with a specific group of fans, and they can set their own price. However, if you try to cater to the masses, the product inevitably becomes more middle-of-the-road to appeal broadly, making it harder to generate strong demand. Consequently, you often have to lower the price. Promotion and other expenses also add up.

What's interesting is that products designed to deeply resonate with a specific group, rather than targeting the masses, often have stronger characteristics and can potentially spread more widely. As I mentioned earlier, N=1 isn't a strategy focused on niche markets; I believe starting from an individual's personal sense can ultimately lead to the creation of new things that spread throughout society.

Suzuki: That's great. Above all, when we envision businesses and services that will become widespread in the future, the N=1 approach—thinking that the answers might lie within ourselves, in what we personally desire—is incredibly exciting. The idea that this could shape a new future is truly inspiring. Just imagining various companies simultaneously starting to conceptualize N=1-inspired ventures... it's incredibly thrilling.