What is the appeal of PR? What does media promotion involve? Were there any gaps between expectations and reality? We answer your questions about joining the company! | Why I Joined SUNNY SIDE UP Vol.11

Many people have been reading our series ‘Why I Joined SUNNY SIDE UP.’

Were there any gaps between expectations and reality? What does media outreach involve? What is important in an environment full of opportunities?

Third-year employees candidly share their thoughts on questions you may have!

【Member Introduction】

Public Relations Division/Social Relations Department/Section 2/Group 2 Takuya Asahina
Public Relations Division/Social Relations Department/Section 3/Group 1 Yusuke Ninomiya

◼️ How I Discovered SUNNY SIDE UP

Asahina: I had been playing soccer for a long time, so I knew about the company through Hidetoshi Nakata. I applied to several companies in sports-related industries, advertising, and PR, but SUNNY SIDE UP was my first choice because it offered opportunities to work across a wide range of industries.

Ninomiya: I interned at the Yokohama DeNA BayStars for about two years during university. After hearing from someone who had interned at a PR company, I thought it sounded interesting and started working part-time at the same PR company.

I was also interested in the advertising industry, but since I often gathered information through the web and social media when making purchases, I wanted to learn PR methods rather than advertising. (※1)

I went through the selection process at other PR companies as well, but SUNNY SIDE UP left the strongest impression with its bright atmosphere, including its team members.

(※1) Reference article: Surprisingly Hard to Explain Properly!? What Are the Differences Between PR and Public Relations, and Between PR and Advertising/Promotion? | SUNNY SIDE UP Official Media “SUNNY DAYS” (ssu.co.jp)

◼️Why I Joined SUNNY SIDE UP

Ninomiya: I fundamentally wanted to work in sports, so I thought SUNNY SIDE UP was the only PR company among many where I could experience both sports and PR, which I was interested in.

Asahina: Even during my job search, I had a strong desire to join SUNNY SIDE UP. I thought that by joining this company, I could work on major projects from a young age, not only in sports and commercial facilities that I was interested in, but also in the projects featured on the company’s project introduction page.

◼️About My First Year

Asahina: I currently handle food, facilities, study abroad promotion initiatives, pharmaceutical companies, and more. My first assignments were a company that manufactures and sells sweets and a large-scale facility project. When you join as a new graduate, you first handle media promotion, so in my first year I focused entirely on understanding the assigned projects and building relationships with the media.

Honestly, at the time I wanted to work in sports, but I also wanted to take on various project tasks, so initially I was in an environment where I could work broadly, including commercial facilities and entertainment projects that I was interested in.

Ninomiya: I currently handle a wide range of projects, including bills, a restaurant we operate ourselves, as well as automotive manufacturers, resource companies, food companies, and sports-related projects such as soccer and basketball. In my first year, I was in charge of a company that develops and sells electric three-wheeled motorcycles.

What was memorable about that project was when I heard about a magazine feature on “interesting vehicles” and approached them with a proposal that aligned with the feature, which actually resulted in coverage. It made me realize the importance of regularly exchanging information with media contacts.

Asahina: How well you communicate with the media is really important.

When I interact with media contacts, I make it a point to talk about general trends and topics beyond just the project. In a good way, I think it’s important to build relationships by engaging as a person rather than just as a salesperson.

Ninomiya: I agree. Also, media contacts receive approaches from various people, including advertising and PR companies, so I was conscious of making them remember me in connection with my projects. For example, since I was handling a bakery company, I distributed bread to create the impression of being ‘the bread person.’ Conversations can expand from there, so I prioritized making sure media contacts would remember me.

◼️About Media Outreach Work

Ninomiya: No matter how interesting a proposal we come up with together with the sales team, whether the media will cover it depends on the Social Relations Department members who directly negotiate with the media. When something I think is great doesn’t get media coverage, I feel both apologetic and motivated to work harder.

This work comes with high expectations from clients, and it’s a very important position where results change depending on our promotion efforts. That’s why when we successfully get media coverage and actually see products selling or people taking action, I feel it was worth it.

Asahina: Getting media coverage is definitely rewarding.

Ninomiya: Also, speaking of projects, there are unique challenges with major projects where media exposure is expected as a matter of course.

Asahina: Exactly! The company’s expectations are high, so there’s significant pressure. People tend to think high-profile projects seem fun, but there are many people involved, and precisely because of the high public awareness, the behind-the-scenes coordination regarding how to present things is truly challenging (laughs).

Also, for things that are frequently covered by the media, the key point is how to present new angles. It’s not just about the appeal of the service or product itself—for example, we sometimes create proposals by combining them with current trends or other elements, but there’s difficulty in approaching the media in a way that they also find interesting.

◼️Gaps Between Expectations and Reality

Asahina: There wasn’t much of a gap. The open communication among team members was just as I had felt before joining. There’s a lot of conversation among members, we can share opinions regardless of age, and open communication makes it very easy to work.

Of course, some members say it’s busier than they imagined, but I was prepared for that when I joined, so it didn’t really become a gap for me.

Ninomiya: I found there were more phone calls than I expected (laughs). However, at the PR company where I interned, we made cold calls to companies for new business, whereas at SUNNY SIDE UP it’s not new business but calls to the media, so I thought that was different.

Asahina: How work progresses depends on your assignment, but I often asked others for guidance. Of course, I would try things myself first, but my seniors told me to ask if I didn’t understand something, which I appreciated.

Ninomiya: I had an OJT mentor, of course, but I often tried things on my own first. Given my personality, the approach of trying things first suited me better, so it was very easy to work that way.

◼️Rewarding Moments at Work

Ninomiya: There are many, but recently I met a baseball player I admire. Also, when event information for a bakery chain PR campaign was broadcast on television, we received many inquiries. It was the company’s first such initiative, but hearing from customers who said they went to the store after watching the broadcast made me very happy.

Asahina: For me recently, it was being able to work on a soccer project I love, which I had always wanted to do. Meeting famous overseas players I had watched since childhood through work made me very happy.

Ninomiya: I thought when I joined that this was a company where you could potentially meet people you admire and work on major projects, and it’s truly rewarding when you actually get to be involved.

Asahina: Also, getting media coverage for projects I’ve worked on is extremely rewarding.

Previously, when I was handling a facility project, there was a television program that covered late-night station operations. It was broadcast as a feature for about an hour, and afterward there was such a response that the server went down. When I received feedback from the client and logistics staff saying people passing by told them “I saw you on TV,” I felt it was worth it. It was very challenging since I was also present late at night, but the response was truly rewarding.

◼️Challenging Aspects of the Work

Asahina: There are challenges inherent to being an agency, standing between the media and clients and having to coordinate while understanding both parties’ intentions.

Ninomiya: My first year was certainly challenging, as I had no PR experience and was proceeding by trial and error.

We often handle major projects, so there’s certainly busyness, but fortunately I’m able to work while also handling projects I enjoy, so it doesn’t feel burdensome or difficult.

Asahina: I communicated what I wanted to do to those around me, but I thought that to handle those projects, I first needed to be able to do the work entrusted to me. I was able to work on the soccer projects I love in my third year after joining.

Ninomiya: SUNNY SIDE UP has an environment where if you keep raising your hand, you’ll actually be given opportunities, so I think it’s very important to take responsibility for the work you’re assigned, not just what you personally enjoy.

◼️The Appeal and Fulfillment of PR Work

Ninomiya: Being able to hear from various companies’ public relations staff and presidents during media interviews is very educational.

Also, precisely because we work on a wide range of projects, it’s very interesting to hear about industries we’re not usually familiar with, such as resource companies with overseas mines.

Asahina: Indeed, being able to learn about a company’s vision and the process of how products and services take shape is very interesting, and that’s why I want more people to know about them.

Ninomiya: Also, PR can do anything more than advertising. Precisely because the methods aren’t fixed, we can do both advertising and events, and I think ‘PR’ is closer to our daily lives and influences us more than we imagine.

Asahina: For example, it’s more convincing when friends say “this person is smart” than when you say “I’m smart” yourself. The advertising market is still larger in scale, but I think the high credibility that comes from spreading information through third-party perspectives is a strength unique to PR.

◼️People Suited for This Work

Asahina: People who can be interested in various things. I think it’s very important to have questions and show interest in everything. I’m quite curious myself and gather a lot of information, but at the root of that is a desire to “know,” so I feel that being interested in everything is very important for this work.

Ninomiya: I really think so too! Also, being able to speak English expands your opportunities. SUNNY SIDE UP has many global projects, so I think you can gain more experience both domestically and internationally.

SUNNY SIDE UP is an environment with many opportunities, so we would be delighted to work with people who can sincerely engage with the work in front of them in order to seize those opportunities.

We look forward to meeting you!