Presenting vast amounts of "IR information" as a "single visual." What is NewsPicks' new program "ONE.IR"?

Dentsu Inc. Startup Growth Partners (SGP), which supports startup growth, is undertaking various initiatives in the Investor Relations (IR) domain.

One such initiative is " ONE.IR," a program launched on "NewsPicks" in June to convey corporate IR information clearly. It garnered significant attention, recording 40,000 views within four days of its first broadcast.

This article features a roundtable discussion with the program's planners: Hiroki Inoue and Shota Ushiyama from NewsPicks Studios, Soichiro Nagata from Funds Inc., and Yoshiaki Takai from SGP. They discussed the background behind launching the program, innovative approaches to conveying IR information, audience response, and future prospects.

*This article does not constitute investment advice or a recommendation to invest in any specific company.
 

From left: Mr. Hiroki Inoue and Mr. Shota Ushiyama of NewsPicks Studios, Mr. Yoshiaki Takai of SGP, and Mr. Soichiro Nagata of Fans Inc.

 

Amid rising investment fervor, the lack of "information democratization" remains a challenge

Takai: I'd like to revisit the IR information program "ONE.IR," which launched in June 2024. First, introductions. I'm a Business Producer at SGP and also serve as COO of "NewsPicks Studios," a joint venture between Userbase and Dentsu Inc. At SGP, we support the growth of various startups while leveraging Dentsu Group assets. I was previously seconded to Funds Inc., where Nagata-san is based. SGP continues to invest in and provide value-enhancement support to Funds Inc.

Nagata: I serve as Creative Director at Funds Inc. We are a startup providing asset management services that enable individuals to invest by indirectly lending funds to growing companies, primarily listed corporations. Our team includes financial specialists from major banks and securities firms. I handle overall production and planning for marketing activities.

Inoue: I serve as an advertising program producer at NewsPicks Studios. I launched "ONE.IR" together with everyone.

Ushiyama: I serve as a Business Producer at NewsPicks Studios. For advertising program production on "NewsPicks," I act as the client liaison, working to ensure the client's message reaches users.

Takai: Let's revisit the background behind launching the program. IR refers to corporate activities aimed at communicating management status, financial condition, performance, and future outlook to shareholders and investors, serving as crucial decision-making material for investment. What do you typically observe when reviewing IR information, Nagata?

Nagata: I feel the major issue is that true "information democratization" hasn't been achieved. IR information is vast, with documents sometimes exceeding 100 pages. It's extremely difficult for general investors, who don't make investing their livelihood, to properly understand the content. Many companies fail to have their true appeal recognized precisely because their IR information—especially securities reports, semi-annual reports, and mid-term management plans—isn't thoroughly grasped.

Takai: At SGP, we support various companies in building their stories within the IR domain, and I share this sentiment. With financial education becoming mandatory in high schools starting in fiscal year 2022 and the new NISA system launching in 2024, we're entering an era where anyone can become an individual investor. Yet, there remains a challenge in conveying accurate information in an easily understandable way.

Nagata: Exactly. Organizing vast amounts of IR information and delivering it clearly requires creativity.

Takai: Furthermore, the platforms for communication were also limited. That's why I approached Inoue-san and Ushiyama-san to explore creating a program on the economic media platform "NewsPicks." NewsPicks Studios, which produces "NewsPicks" programs, is a joint venture between Dentsu Inc. and Userbase. Starting from societal challenges, we wondered if SGP, NewsPicks Studios, and Funds could collaborate to solve the issues Nagata-san and I just mentioned.

Ushiyama: When I first heard the idea, I was like, "Huh?" NewsPicks has 10 million registered members (as of August 2, 2024) and enjoys significant trust as an economic media outlet. While I sensed an affinity with IR information, I couldn't immediately visualize a program concept.

However, Takai passionately argued, "The program producer who can extract a company's intrinsic value from vast amounts of IR information filled with technical jargon and convey it clearly and engagingly to viewers is Inoue!" So we decided to consult with Inoue first.

Expressing Vast IR Information as a "Single Picture"

Takai: We had a lot of different opinions flying around in that meeting, right? When creating the program, "how to present IR information" was the first major hurdle.

Inoue: I suggested that to convey vast IR information clearly, we should impose constraints on how it's presented. I proposed ideas like avoiding numbers, but Mr. Nagata rejected them all... (laughs). So I turned to him, "Well then, Mr. Nagata, why don't you suggest something?" That's when he came up with the idea: "How about expressing IR information as a single image?"

Nagata: IR information is vast, not exactly fun for the average person to look at, and has a high barrier for novice investors to understand. So I thought, what if we took what's explained in a 100-page document and showed it simply in a single image?

Takai: I thought it was a creative idea to deliberately present it as a single image, even though it's video content. We had quite a few discussions about the content, didn't we?

The "single image" summarizing Tsuzuki Electric's IR information featured in the first episode

Inoue: When a company appears on a program to present IR information, their goal is to get people to buy their stock. Therefore, I believed the goal of creating the single image was to build "expectations for the company." However, those "expectations" must be truthful and accurate. It's crucial to present IR information within the context of the company's past, present, and future, rather than talking about a future without a solid foundation.

Takai: So IR is different from PR. For the entire program, including the visual summary, we worked very carefully with program producer Inoue-san to ensure we conveyed accurate information, including challenges, rather than just unilaterally packing in what the company wanted to say.

Inoue: There's another key point regarding the single image. Not all viewers are deeply interested in the companies featured on the program. So, how do we capture their interest? Tsuzuki Electric, our guest company, is competing in the DX market. We thought it would be effective to use Tsuzuki Electric's IR to reveal the future outlook of the DX market.

I'm sure companies have plenty they want to say about their detailed financials and growth targets. But I felt viewers' motivation to watch would increase if the content linked the company to the broader world – showing what challenges exist in the DX market today and what strategies Tsuzuki Electric is adopting to address them – rather than just focusing solely on the company's own information.

Takai: Another key point in program production was appointing economic analyst Mariko Mabuchi as MC and creating a segment where she diagnoses the participating companies' IR.

Inoue: In terms of our approach to program creation, setting the program's goal was crucial. Simply having companies explain a single slide could easily become predictable. We wanted to incorporate an element of uncertainty – building on insights gained through discussions with the companies, we wanted Ms. Mabuchi to ultimately diagnose that company's IR.

Takai: So you needed an entertaining element to break the predictable flow.

Inoue: Exactly. IR information is essentially a company's presentation material saying, "This is how we'll grow." But I felt it wouldn't work as content without some critical perspective from the opposite side.

Takai: Including a stock terminology explanation segment was also a key point of the program.

Inoue: Since our goal was to boost viewers' interest in stock investing, we wanted to incorporate useful knowledge. So we decided to explain stock terms that came up in the talk segments. We inserted this as a short segment during the show, featuring a character called "Uma-chan," based on Mr. Mabuchi, who breaks down difficult terms and explains them in about a minute.

Takai: Inoue-san did a great job summarizing things clearly in such a short time.

Inoue: We limited the term explanations to about one minute and even showed a progress bar indicating how much time remained. We were very conscious of the program's length. Since the concept was "making lengthy, hard-to-understand IR information short and easy to grasp," we wanted to keep the entire program under 20 minutes.

The program structure starts by showing a single image to introduce the company's field and the story behind its challenges. Since it's an investment program, we focus on the stock price trends viewers care about. In the first five minutes or so, company representatives discuss their growth strategies and key points from an investor's perspective. Then, using that single image as a base, we delve deeper into the IR information within the context of the past, present, and future.

Recorded 40,000 views in 4 days

Takai: Looking back, how was the program's reception?

Ushiyama: Within four days of launch, we surpassed 40,000 views. It was seen by far more people than we anticipated.

Nagata: I believe this reflects a perfect alignment between the program we envisioned and what viewers wanted to see.

Ushiyama: Viewer comments included feedback like, "This is exactly the kind of program we wanted on NewsPicks," which gave us confidence. We've also received several inquiries from companies since the broadcast.

Inoue: Since IR information is sensitive, I found myself wanting to add more details and explanations during production. But seeing these viewership numbers really drove home the need to thoroughly adopt the viewer's perspective, carefully scrutinize the wording, and create something truly accessible.

Takai: Truly, paring down complex information is actually an incredibly demanding task. How about you, Nagata-san?

Nagata: I feel it's a program that's easy for investors to understand and also meaningful for our company. Tsuzuki Electric, who appeared on the show, also felt it was effective for conveying IR information. I'd be delighted if "ONE.IR" helps companies everywhere consider making their IR information more accessible.

Takai: Finally, could each of you share your outlook for the future?

Ushiyama: I believe getting as many companies as possible to participate is key to solving the challenge of IR information dissemination. As a business producer, I want to actively promote the program.

Inoue: We want to disseminate IR information from a wide variety of companies, regardless of their size.

Nagata: Under our motto, "Answers to future uncertainties that don't exist yet," we aim to be a platform that resolves various financial anxieties. We will continue to communicate corporate value through diverse approaches.

Takai: At SGP, we also support startups with IR, including crafting equity stories (presentations explaining a company's characteristics, growth strategy, and path to increasing corporate value for investors), IPO support, and preparing financial results materials for listed companies. By producing this program, I believe we've demonstrated one possible solution to the IR information dissemination challenges demanded by society and companies. Moving forward, while continuing to consult on IR matters, we aim to provide solutions that deliver value to both companies and consumers from a societal perspective. Thank you for your time today.