PR Tech Pioneer Bilcom Joins SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP: Moving “Further” in the Evolving PR and Communications Landscape

On January 26, 2026, it was announced that Bilcom Inc., a leader at the forefront of PR Tech®, will become a member of SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP.

Through self-developed software such as “PR Analyzer®,” a SaaS for public relations departments, Bilcom visualizes PR enthusiasm data in society and develops integrated PR solutions, supporting the advancement and efficiency of PR through data and technology.

Meanwhile, SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP has been creating “fun stirs” in society through various communication solutions centered on PR thinking, including sales promotion, marketing, IP, and business development.

Why have these two companies, which have honed their skills in the same PR and communications field, decided to gather under a single banner now?

In this dialogue, Shigeru Ota, Representative Director and CEO of Bilcom, and Etsuko Tsugihara, President and Representative Director of SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP, discuss the background of the joining and the future of PR and communications.

From left: Shigeru Ota, Representative Director and CEO of Bilcom, and Etsuko Tsugihara, President and Representative Director of SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP

— When did you first start considering Bilcom joining the group?

Ota: To be honest, I hadn’t considered it at all.

Bilcom has reached its 22nd year since its founding in 2003, and our business performance is solid. The number of companies using our PR measurement tool “PR Analyzer” is growing steadily. As an organization of 100 people, I felt sufficient response to growth on our own path, so it was outside the scope of my assumptions.

Management screen of the PR measurement tool “PR Analyzer”

Tsugihara: Bilcom has been around for 22 years, but you had never thought about it until then?

Ota: No. We had been approached several times by domestic and overseas companies in the past. However, I simply couldn’t imagine working together, so in the end, no talks ever came to fruition.

— What was the process that led you to become aware of this “unexpected” possibility?

Ota: The first point of contact with SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP was around the spring of last year, 2025.

It started when I met Xiqiao Liu (President and Representative Director of SUNNY SIDE UP Inc.) at a very casual dinner through a mutual acquaintance. At that time, I intended it to be just an exchange of information within the same industry, and I don’t think either of us imagined things would turn out as they have now.

Tsugihara: If I recall, it was a dinner where you ate “bear,” right? (Laughs). I wonder if Mr. Ota likes bear as much as Xiqiao does.

Ota: I like game meat (laughs). At that dinner, Xiqiao invited me to visit the office sometime.

While visiting the office and speaking with the executives and staff on the ground, I felt that our cultures were very similar.

The biggest factor in the unimagined group join becoming an option was perhaps feeling that our “invisible wavelengths” were aligned beyond logic.

Tsugihara: I also believe that whether wavelengths align is very important. As everyone has probably noticed, Mr. Ota is a very serious and wonderful person. Even though I intended today to be a light discussion, he prepared thorough notes and materials…

Ota: That’s just my nature (laughs).

One of the major catalysts that pushed me forward was a lunch with Ms. Tsugihara. Until I met her, I thought that as a manager of a listed company, her primary focus would be the pursuit of scale.

However, it wasn’t just that; she spoke about wanting to be a company that makes an impact on society through PR and communications. I perceived Ms. Tsugihara as someone who values both the wheels of capitalism and culturalism.

Tsugihara: The expression “culturalism” is a very intellectual and nice way to put it, typical of you, Mr. Ota. Thank you for perceiving it that way.

Ota: The conversation with Ms. Tsugihara was truly a major turning point. We spent a long time talking about not just chasing business results, but what kind of important things we can leave for society and what kind of value we can create by coming together. I was deeply drawn in by that.

— Ms. Tsugihara, what are your impressions of Mr. Ota and Bilcom?

Tsugihara: I was greatly impressed by the video Mr. Ota sent me introducing Bilcom’s founding.

Mr. Ota at age 26 and the president of one of the world’s largest independent PR firms

The sight of Mr. Ota at age 26 recklessly making an appointment with the founder of one of the world’s largest independent PR firms in Chicago to seek management advice—that kind of passion was exactly like our own beginnings.

Ota: That was a training video we made ourselves. Ms. Tsugihara, you also sent me a video where you looked back at the location of your founding while filming with a mobile camera and providing your own narration.

The message of SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP’s slogan, “Let’s Have Fun!” was overflowing throughout the video, and I felt it was very similar to Bilcom’s mission of “creating a future full of empathy.” The direction of brightening society through emotional value is very similar.

Tsugihara: After watching the video you sent, I also thought we were very similar, which is why I sent our video.

When I saw Mr. Ota’s video, I felt strongly once again that Bilcom has its own drama, and Mr. Ota is the protagonist there.

SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP has a drama spanning over 40 years, but I felt that we must respect the history and pride that Bilcom has built up over 22 years just as much.

Ota: Exactly. During lunch, you mentioned that it’s not about who is above or below, but about working together in collective management.

And I felt that those weren’t just words for the moment; Ms. Tsugihara’s tolerance and all-encompassing nature have become the culture of SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP. I could sense that attitude and culture not just from her, but from everyone I met.

Tsugihara: I think I’m the kind of person who could never survive in a normal company (laughs). My interests fly all over the place, and I was never the honor student type.

But because so many people accepted my individuality without trying to fit it into a mold, I am where I am today.

That’s why I want the individualities of everyone at Bilcom, including CEO Ota, to be utilized even more freely within the large vessel that is SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP.

— As the PR and communications field undergoes a period of transformation, what kind of value does it create for these two companies to become partners, particularly in the PR industry?

Ota: First, I feel that conventional PR has “three negatives”: uncertainty, opacity, and inefficiency.

I have been facing these challenges throughout my 22 years of practice. Now, by using data and technology, we can make opaque parts visible through numbers and reduce inefficient tasks to increase the time humans can spend exercising creativity. This is the role of the “PR Tech” we advocate.

Tsugihara: I served as the President of the International Public Relations Association (IPRA) in fiscal 2022, but when I started, I didn’t set out to “create a PR company.” As a result of continuing to face the problems of the people in front of me, it turned out to be the work of PR and communications.

That’s why I’ve always had the desire for the group as a whole not to end up as just a “PR-only company.” Of course, PR is our overwhelming strength, but it’s not just that; I want to launch even more exciting businesses.

Ota: Yes. I also believe that PR is just one means, and that integrated communication starting from there will be increasingly required in the future.

SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP has wonderful assets such as the power of talent that began with the management of Hidetoshi Nakata (currently Executive Officer of the group), the overwhelming implementation power to shape new cultures—as seen in the episode where the all-day dining restaurant “bills” successfully created a buzz by labeling scrambled eggs as the “world’s best breakfast”—and the IP business.

bills Shichirigahama

By adding Bilcom’s “PR Tech” to that, we should be able to build a system for providing a wider range of communication solutions.

Tsugihara: Bilcom’s analytical power based on data will be added to parts that might have ended with just being “somewhat interesting” until now. I think this will be the ultimate weapon.

I’m sure many “negatives” like “it would be convenient if we had a tool like this” are coming from the members on the ground, so I want to shape those together.

Ota: Exactly. We can share each other’s knowledge, participate in each other’s training, and launch cross-company projects.

I am convinced that by mixing the human resources of the entire group, rather than just introducing systems, new value that transcends the framework of PR will be born.

— Please give a message to the stakeholders regarding this joining.

Ota: I am truly honored to join a group that looks in the same direction and with which I can deeply empathize.

What I want to tell the members of Bilcom, our clients, and the many stakeholders involved is that the strengths and sincerity we have cultivated, as well as Bilcom’s mission and culture, will not change at all.

That being said, since we are joining, we will take flight to a larger stage and create new things with our colleagues. Our strength is, after all, PR Tech.

On the grand stage of SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP, I strongly hope to provide greater value to society and become a force for transformation.

Tsugihara: When I visited Tanzania during the New Year holidays, I encountered an African proverb: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

Now, those words resonate with me surprisingly deeply.

In the 40 years since our founding in 1985, I have walked with many colleagues, but to see a future that is even “further” away, we needed a partner like Bilcom.

We are gathered under the slogan “Let’s Have Fun!” Together with the current members of the group and our reliable colleagues at Bilcom, we will aim even further.

— Now that the interview has come to a nice conclusion, this is sudden, but… it seems that both SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP and Bilcom have logos with an “egg” motif. So, I’d like you to compare each other to an “egg dish”!

From left: SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP and Bilcom logos. Each has a design with an “egg” motif on the left.

Ota: Let’s see… (laughs). I think Ms. Tsugihara is a “dashimaki tamago” (Japanese rolled omelet). While she wraps you in softness and warmth, I feel that the “dashi” (broth) of her accumulated philosophy is firmly present inside.

By the way, I drew a “soft-boiled egg.” The still soft yolk represents an image of richness and expanding possibilities. As you mentioned, Bilcom’s logo also contains an egg, so we called this joint project between the two companies the “EGG Project.”

Tsugihara: I compared Mr. Ota to a “hard-boiled egg.” His unwavering sincerity and seriousness are truly the mark of a professional. But it’s a very kind hard-boiled egg.

— By the way, Ms. Tsugihara, if you were to compare yourself to an egg dish?

Tsugihara: That would have to be “sunny side up”!

A soft “dashimaki tamago” with the flavor of dashi, and a “soft-boiled egg” full of potential. Together with our new colleagues, we will warm them thoroughly with certain passion and provide exciting flavors to the large plate that is society.

Please look forward to the new “fun stirs” created by the new SUNNY SIDE UP, which has added the powerful members of Bilcom to its ranks!