[PR comes in many forms!] Reporting on the reception for the UK-born brand “PLUM&ASHBY” 👀

Hello! I’m in my fourth year with the company,and I’m Nicole from Social Relations Division 2—born in Oregon, USA, and raised in Kobe.

To begin, do you know what the “social” in “Social Relations Division” refers to? If you look up “social” in the dictionary, it is defined as an English expression meaning “of society,” “social,” or “sociable.”

Starting this fiscal year, SUNNY SIDE UP has evolved its strength in “media power” beyond traditional mass media to further enhance social media power through influencers and people. With this in mind, we renamed the department the Social Relations Division and continue our activities every day.

Recently, we held an event with a strong focus on “social,”so this time I will report on an event we took on as a new initiative at SUNNY SIDE UP 👀

An influencer reception designed to convey the world of the UK-born home fragrance brand “PLUM&ASHBY,” which only just made its debut in Japan last August, and to share the appeal of its products.

PLUM is a clean, natural brand founded by two women in the UK, with fragrances inspired by the British countryside.

They are also highly particular about the materials they use, and develop products with the belief that using PLUM items enriches everyday life.

At SUNNY SIDE UP, we have been supporting their PR since their Japan debut in August 2023. This time, with the aim of reaching not only the media but also more people—and creating moments where attendees could truly experience the brand’s appeal—we planned and managed the event.

To ensure that not only media outlets that prioritize visual impact, but also influencers who value atmosphere and impressions would enjoy it, we envisioned the brand’s world and meticulously planned everything—from venue selection to on-the-day décor and catering.

Three key points for creating the brand’s world

1. [Choosing the space]

For this event, our goal was to highlight that the oil-based bath additive “Bath Essence,” perfect for winter bath time, delivers moisturization simply by soaking. Therefore, we looked for a venue where we could express a “bathroom” world.

Because we wanted to promote scenes that blend into everyday lifestyles, we selected a venue that met the following criteria.

① The bathroom should not feel overly modern, and should have the atmosphere of a British boutique hotel
② It should allow us to stage usage scenes for a variety of items
③ Visitors should not feel cramped (confirming traffic flow)

2. [Photo booths]

So that influencers could enjoy themselves—and feel like taking photos in various spots rather than just one—we styled approximately six to eight different item setups.As a result, instead of posts featuring the same angle, we were able to have influencers share a diverse range of images captured from their own perspectives.

3. [Catering]

We wanted visitors to enjoy the space while getting to know the brand, so we also prepared simple catering.

Because the brand excels in naturalness, we served “natural wine” and “organic craft lemonade” as drinks, and plant-based donuts as light bites.

In particular, this event was structured around a focus on the oil-based bath additive “Bath Essence,” which is still relatively rare in Japan, from among the brand’s wide lineup of items.

This Bath Essence is an excellent product that, remarkably, “moisturizes just by soaking.”What’s more… the oil forms a veil over the water, so you can also expect a heat-retention effect 👀

Bath Essence is made with 97% natural ingredients; the candles use soy-based wax; and the hand cream is 98% natural and comes in an eco-friendly aluminum tube. Recommended for yourself or as a gift, it is a next-generation brand that is kind to both users and makers, in my view as the person in charge.

PR (public relations) can solve a wide range of challenges for companies and brands by leveraging communication tools.Personally, I see it as creating “LOVE ME”—making brands and people fall in love with each other.

Like PLUMASHBY, rather than simply gaining “awareness,” we created this event with a focus on “people/social” to achieve the goal of “having people come to love the brand.”

These days, I’ve been savoring the afterglow, thinking how fun it was to be able to create such a wonderful event ☕If you are interested, please take a look at their website or official Instagram.

Official website｜ Official Instagram

Our cherished teammates who created the event together ♡ (We’re missing one person!! 🥺)