[International Exchange] Engaging PR Session with Students from the University of North Texas!

Hello. I’m Kawamura from the Public Relations Group!
The other day, we had wonderful guests from the United States! Twenty students majoring in journalism and PR at the University of North Texas visited SUNNY SIDE UP.

It all started with an email asking, “Would you give a special lecture on PR in Japan?”
As part of their coursework, they were visiting Japan through the “Mayborn in Japan (MIJ) Program,” which focuses on learning about Japanese journalism, media, and PR. During their stay, they were visiting various companies and organizations.

While searching for a “Japanese PR company” rather than a foreign-affiliated one, they came across SUNNY SIDE UP in the Holmes Report’s GLOBAL TOP 250 PR AGENCY RANKING 2017 and reached out to us. Receiving such a wonderful offer from as far away as the United States was incredibly gratifying!

And then came the day.

The students arrived! Since they spoke almost no Japanese, the presentation was conducted in English.

As the SSU members presenting were feeling nervous, President Tsugihara appeared with a cream puff in hand, saying, “Hi! Welcome to SUNNY SIDE UP!”

I wanted to ask, “Why a cream puff?!” but the professors and students looked so taken aback that I quickly explained, “This is our president.” (Nervous laugh)
I think they were just surprised by the sudden entrance, but their level of confusion made me realize once again that even for Americans, our president’s character is quite striking. (Laughs)
Apparently, cream puffs are rarely eaten in the United States, and everyone seemed to enjoy the fluffy texture! (What a relief!)

With everyone satisfied, we moved on to the main topic… First, Tsugihara introduced the history of SUNNY SIDE UP.

The students were surprised to hear that when SUNNY SIDE UP was founded, he was still in high school and knew nothing about PR, but learned it through hands-on experience and worked tirelessly. They asked questions with great interest.

Next, representatives from our Promotion Department, Food Marketing Department, Sports Promotion Department, and PR Department presented introductions to their respective divisions.

The Food Marketing Department, which operates “bills.”
The bills business started with the management of restaurateur Bill Granger. While it may seem unrelated to PR, all of SUNNY SIDE UP’s businesses actually expand from a foundation in PR. The students were very interested to learn that each business division originated from our PR operations.

Our company has been involved in sports promotion for over 20 years, and the sports business also originated from PR.
We presented on the theme of “Sports × PR” while introducing our past achievements. Since the United States has a thriving sports business industry, I wonder what the students thought.

Finally, we presented on our PR business. We introduced how we handle PR across a wide range of sectors—commercial facilities, hotels, restaurants, luxury brands—and discussed the challenges clients present and how we incorporate “SSU-style PR” into our work.

During the special lecture, there were moments when students listened intently with serious expressions, taking careful notes,

and moments when laughter filled the room.

After SUNNY SIDE UP’s presentation, three teams of University of North Texas students presented on current trends in the United States and PR case studies.

They shared information about music and smartphone apps popular among young people in the United States—content we wouldn’t normally encounter living in Japan. When a video of miniature sushi from a video-sharing site was shown, even our staff members gasped… (Apparently, everything from the tools to the ingredients is real!)

Our staff members listened intently to the students’ passionate presentations. The session was so engaging that it ran over the scheduled time!
After all the presentations, we gave a brief tour of the office. Seeing the place where SUNNY SIDE UP’s PR is created, everyone seemed very interested.

With sparkling eyes, they asked our staff members questions like, “What kind of PR do you do?” and “What do you enjoy about working in this industry?”

Some even got excited when they found the PR representative for their favorite cosmetics brand—such a charming moment…^^
English-speaking staff members facilitated the interaction, and many of our team members enjoyed exchanging ideas with the students!!

One student said, “I want to work at a Japanese PR company in the future, and after actually visiting today, I’m even more motivated to study Japanese!” We also heard from several students who wanted to do an internship at SUNNY SIDE UP! It was a moment that made me glad we were able to make this opportunity happen.

Moving forward, SUNNY SIDE UP hopes to continue increasing opportunities for international exchange that are mutually stimulating! (By the way, our global network is expanding daily!)

All of our staff members look forward to creating exciting experiences while brushing up on our English skills!