SSU Job Offer Ceremony Report [Part 1] – Which idea will be trending in six months!? –

Hello. I’m O from the PR Group.
In this blog post, I will share what our recent job offer ceremony was like.
(I also attended the job offer ceremony in the same meeting room eight years ago. Time flies!)

It all started one month before the job offer ceremony. Since SUNNY SIDE UP is a company that creates “fun commotion,” we decided in a meeting to hold a “SUNNY SIDE UP–style job offer ceremony,” rather than a typical one where everyone shows up in full recruit suits. (Back in my day, the ceremony was very serious, though. Haha.)

Starting the next day, we began coming up with ideas for a “fun job offer ceremony” in-house.

We held several meetings, exchanging various opinions—such as whether even a funny idea might fall flat, or whether being too silly would be a problem… We also asked for input from members on the ground. The meetings themselves were very serious, but below is a sample of some rejected ideas our team came up with. Please take a look for reference.

• A job offer ceremony held at the New National Stadium
→ Because our office is near the New National Stadium. Rejected, since we likely wouldn’t be able to get inside.

• A job offer ceremony where the president’s sentence endings are weird the whole time
→ Every sentence ends with “pao” for no reason. Rejected because it would be hard to understand.
(It’s also unclear why we were so excited about this idea.)

• A job offer ceremony where world leaders welcome the new hires
→ Executives wear masks of President Trump and others. Rejected because there was no punchline.

• A job offer ceremony where you must not laugh
→ Rejected because we didn’t have enough material to plant.

…Honestly, even looking back, it’s not that funny.
I’ll share the details of the idea we went with in Part 2.

Now, it was finally the day of the job offer ceremony.
The dress code was “Something Yellow”: incorporate yellow—the company’s corporate color—into an outfit that feels like you. As for me, I borrowed a yellow-gold tie from a junior colleague. I’ll ask him sometime when and on what occasion he actually wears that tie.

[An almost-gold tie]

On the day, along with self-introductions, everyone gave a presentation on “something that seems likely to be trending in six months”.
In the PR industry, you compete with ideas—things without a tangible form.

The aim was to develop the habit of always looking half a step ahead from the time of the job offer ceremony and identifying the next things and trends likely to take off. And six months later is right around when the new hires will join the company. We will see whose idea is actually trending by then. We will announce which prediction was the biggest hit at the time of the entrance ceremony, so please look forward to it.

Below is a list of the “things likely to be trending in six months” that the new hires presented. Please take a look along with my personal predictions.

• Padel, a racket sport born in Spain
The scoring is the same as tennis, but the court is surrounded by reinforced glass and wire mesh. Apparently, even beginners can play easily. Will its popularity explode all at once in early spring?
• One for every household! “Smart speakers”
Speakers with voice-controlled assistant functions. Some products are also equipped with artificial intelligence (AI).
In addition to Google, domestic manufacturers are also deciding one after another to enter the market. Could this be the leading contender for the next big trend in six months?
• “SEEOO,” glasses worn only on the nose
A new type of reading glasses born from “nose glasses.” A simple yet unique style that you just clip onto the sides of your nose.
Will it become established as a new fashion item!?
• “Snapmart,” where you can buy Instagrammable photos
A service where you can purchase stylish, Instagrammable photo materials and other royalty-free assets for commercial use
at low prices. If the Instagram craze continues, it’s sure to catch on!?• A café revolution!? “All-you-can-drink cafés with a monthly subscription”
Use cafés without worrying about drink costs! A groundbreaking system where, by showing your membership card, you can drink any of nine beverages—coffee, lattes, tea, royal milk tea, and more—anytime. Don’t overdo it!
• “Switchel,” a fatigue-recovery drink hugely popular in the U.S.
“Switchel,” a fatigue-recovery drink from the U.S. It’s made by mixing apple cider vinegar with honey, ginger,
and water. It’s already starting to become a hot topic, but will it become even more popular in early spring!?
• Painting while drinking at a bar!? “Paint Nite”
An activity where you paint while drinking alcohol to upbeat music at restaurants and bars.
What kind of results come from painting in high spirits? It seems likely to become a hot topic if it comes to Japan.
• Head to the club before work!? “DAYBREAKER”
The trend is to go clubbing not at night, but in the “morning”! “DAYBREAKER” is an irregularly held morning-activity event that started in New York. The drinks are not alcohol, but coffee and orange juice, apparently. Healthy!
• Addictive once you see it!? “Nōmisoo”
A comedian whose popularity is rising thanks to his distinctive characters. His music video called the “Nōmisoo Exercise” is also said to be trending on YouTube. Could this be the dark horse for the next big trend in six months?
• Shoot film-like videos! VSCO’s video editing feature
VSCO, the photo editing app popular on Instagram, now supports video too! It recreates a film-photo-like texture in videos as well. It seems genuinely useful.
• Glamping × cherry-blossom viewing = “glamping hanami”!
Glamping was hugely popular this year—next year, enjoy it for hanami too! It sounds fun if you actually do it, but reserving a spot also sounds tough.
• “Somei Yoshino”—view it from below? Or from the side?
A presentation suggesting that an anime film might become a hot topic again in early spring. As for Somei Yoshino, personally, I’d like to see it from above.

That concludes the “things likely to be trending in six months” presented by the new hires. Which one do you think will catch on? Please look forward to the announcement at the entrance ceremony.

In Part 2, we will share what the “highlight” content of the job offer ceremony—selected from among many ideas—was like.
See you again!