Is this month’s Poached Egg a special edition!? We held an “adult field trip” at the much-talked-about Kashiwa Sato Exhibition!

Hello! I’m Morikawa from Division 1 of the Public Relations Business Headquarters.

“Poached Egg” is a monthly gathering designed to help you sound like you know what you’re talking about. Once a month, each member brings along recent news and trends they find interesting, and we share them casually.

This month, however, “Poached Egg” held an extra edition: an “adult field trip”. With the hope that members would have more time for input and learning, we planned an “extracurricular lesson” to visit trending and buzzworthy spots.

Our destination this time was the “Kashiwa Sato Exhibition,” currently being held at The National Art Center, Tokyo in Roppongi (https://kashiwasato2020.com/). We would like to share what it was like as our in-house members—including our CEO—visited this much-talked-about exhibition!

The exhibition is packed with his creative work, including “UNIQLO,” “7-Eleven,” and “Nissin Foods.”

Seeing up close the logos and designs of products and services we had previously encountered simply as consumers, the participants were excited from start to finish.

My personal first encounter with Mr. Sato’s creative work was through promotions related to “SMAP,” which I had loved since childhood thanks to my mother’s influence.

At this exhibition, many items were on display, including packaging for SMAP CD albums designed by Mr. Sato—such as “Smap Vest” and “Drink! Smap!”—as well as street advertising from their release campaigns. It made me feel nostalgic, and I found myself absorbed in the exhibits.

Even the member who joined with us and has only just entered their second year this April was energized by Mr. Sato’s many creative works, eyes shining as they said, “Someday, I want to be involved in work like this too!”

Today, we live in an age where you can access all kinds of information with just a smartphone. However, it made us realize that nothing compares to seeing a professional’s body of work “live” in this way.

We only had a limited time of about 50 minutes to go around the exhibition, but the members who participated—including President Tsugihara—were still buzzing with excitement. On the way back, we immediately began discussing where to go for the next “adult field trip”!

It continues to be a time when it is difficult to go out, but while taking thorough safety precautions, why not enjoy all kinds of “excitement” yourselves as well?

In addition, during the drive, members shared recent topics they had each brought along that caught their interest.

We would like to introduce some of them to you as well!

“Instagram × Amazon”!?: The China-born SNS-style EC app “RED”

https://thebridge.jp/2020/01/an-era-of-social-commerce-tear-down-of-chinese-red
Image source: “BRIDGE”

In recent years in China, the SNS “Xiaohongshu (RED),” where people share information on lifestyle, beauty, fashion, travel, and more, has been trending. It is especially popular among Gen Z women in China.

It is an SNS where users post reviews (word of mouth) about all aspects of daily life—food, clothing, and housing. What sets it apart from other SNS platforms is its strong focus on social commerce, allowing users to purchase products within the app. Apparently, products that catch your eye after reading reviews can be purchased directly on RED. In other words, it is a service that feels like adding e-commerce like Amazon to Instagram.

Mr.CHEESECAKE begins distributing audio content on “stand.fm”

https://ecnomikata.com/ecnews/29419/
Image source: “EC no Mikata”

“Mr.CHEESECAKE,” so popular that it sells out almost immediately after sales begin on Sundays and Mondays and is even called a “phantom cheesecake,” has started “audio customer service” on the audio distribution platform “stand.fm.”

Currently, “Mr.CHEESECAKE” is sold exclusively through the online shop, but this initiative reportedly began from Chef Tamura’s strong belief in the value of directly conveying a product’s appeal and craftsmanship to customers—much like explaining a dish at a restaurant.

In recent years, while attention has been focused on takeout and delivery, this is a wonderful initiative that delivers the “voices of the people in the shop”, which have become harder to convey.

How was it?

We will continue to share news discussed within Poached Egg, as well as updates from our occasional “adult field trips”, so please look forward to it!

Author

SUNNY SIDE UP Division 1, Department 2, Group 1 Media Unit
Yuya Morikawa

After graduating from Meiji University, he joined SUNNY SIDE UP as a new graduate and has been with the company for 1 year. While handling PR for a confectionery manufacturer and commercial facilities, he studies the fundamentals of PR every day. He is an avid fan of professional baseball(Chunichi Dragons) and comedy, and his special skill is “predicting and correctly guessing which comedians will sell in 1 year.” His current top picks are “Shinku Jessica” and “Kanamestone.”