Unparalleled value for the overlooked

This series explores the secrets behind vibrant companies with 'originality,' as uncovered by Dentsu Inc. 'Company Design' team. The 28th installment features CoeFont, a company that launched an unconventional business—turning people's voices into fonts—while its founder was still in university. What does it mean to give value to a voice? We asked President Hayakawa.

This is what you call out of the ordinary. Most people don't realize that human voices hold value. But when you think about it, it makes perfect sense. Before writing was invented, people communicated through voice. Voice is individuality. Voice is value.

From an advertising creator's perspective, voice is incredibly important. Who should narrate this? What kind of visuals should accompany it, and how should it be edited? The value of voice. This story struck me as profound.

Written by: Shuji Shibata (Dentsu Inc. BXCC)

I don't want to do boring things

President Hayakawa says, "Creating something that's already been done is boring." That much is a common refrain from startup CEOs. But President Hayakawa presses further: "What's even more important is that it can't be copied."

It's about originality, but phrased this way, it really hits home. Even if you boast, "I invented something amazing!", if it can be easily copied by others, or if the invention itself was copied from someone else, it has no value.

President Hayakawa continued: "I think it's crucial to make it go viral. Even if you personally think it's interesting, it's meaningless unless the world finds it interesting too."

It's a dilemma advertising creatives often face. You stay up all night thinking, "Ah, this expression is awesome!" and create something, only for it to resonate with no one. Everyone has had that experience, right? Like writing a love letter all night, only to wake up the next morning and realize it was just nonsense.

I hated my own voice

"I hated my own voice," says President Hayakawa. That was his motivation for starting the company. Think about it—how many people genuinely love their own voice? Everyone has some doubt about whether their voice is actually cool. But that voice becomes part of their character. "Ah, that's their voice." It evokes familiarity or nostalgia. President Hayakawa reasoned that this "voice" must represent a huge market.

That idea is amazing. It's very understandable to think, "I have this talent. I want a job that utilizes it." But that can easily lead to arrogance. In contrast, something born from a complex is powerful. The intensity of the desire—"I want to do this," "I must do this"—is fundamentally different.

 

Deep learning is what matters

Here, President Hayakawa introduced the keyword "deep learning." Deep learning translates to "deep learning" in Japanese. It's a method that relates things and phenomena as hierarchical structures to learn from them.

When people hear "business," they often imagine phrases like "Thank you for your continued support," "We look forward to working with you again," or "How about grabbing a drink soon?" President Hayakawa emphasizes that this isn't the point. What matters is grasping things rationally and systematically. "For example, we don't often think about the entertainment value of a voice or its quality, right? But I believe delving deeply into that reveals infinite potential value."

Just as I thought, "That sounds like something someone with a science background would say," he added, "I believe the key point regarding voice quality is 'color.'" Color, stratified? I didn't grasp it immediately, but gradually, the image formed: Ah, so that's why AI (artificial intelligence).

Business is something that expands

Business is something that expands, says President Hayakawa. "Honestly, I started it out of my own desire, or rather, out of pure curiosity. But then I often realized, 'Oh, so this is how it can be used in the medical field, for example.'"

This is what's called "developing needs." Most businesspeople, myself included, frantically try to develop needs. But I realized the ideal business model is when needs arise naturally. If you believe in something's value and pursue it, people who share that belief will inevitably appear.

President Hayakawa's story continues. "I think it's crucial to create a system where the voice owner gets paid. Building a platform, I suppose." Ah, I get it, I thought. It's like the image of wild herbs grown by a grandmother in the countryside gracing the plates of a high-end restaurant. Huh, this wild herb has that kind of value? That's the kind of thing. Producing that through "voice" – that's the essence of Coe Font, I realized.

I want to create excitement

President Hayakawa's vision keeps expanding. "I think it would be interesting to add voice to user-submitted fan fiction," he says. "It would be great if we could integrate ChatGPT more and more too."

Public Relations Manager Yamada says, "The most rewarding feedback is when customers tell us, 'This gives me hope for the future.'" That's what creating excitement is all about. It's something we in the creative sector of the advertising industry tend to forget.

Visit coefont's website here.

This series explores the secrets behind "vibrant companies" with originality, investigated by Dentsu Inc. 'Company Design' team. In the 28th installment, we introduced CoeFont, a company that launched an unconventional business during its founders' university days: converting people's voices into fonts.

The Season 1 series can be found here.
The "Company Design" project site is here.

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[Editor's Note]

At the end of the interview, I asked: What exactly is a font? It's familiar even in the advertising industry. It's the font (typeface) of characters. Like Mincho or Gothic. The image is like ready-made clothing. You find something that fits your image from existing options and apply it.

President Hayakawa's answer was this: "It's not about wanting uniformity or anything like that. I mentioned disliking my own voice, but I also have terrible handwriting. However, if you could freely manipulate the font of your text, it would increase your own satisfaction and allow you to easily change the impression you make on others."

Having fonts increases the freedom in "communication." It made me realize once again that this is what creative thinking is all about.