“Mastering just one thing” is not enough! The career path discovered by an ambitious team member | Why I joined SUNNY SIDE UP, Vol. 3

In this series, “Why I joined SUNNY SIDE UP,” we take a deeper look at what prompted each member to join and the work they are involved in. This time, Yamaguchi, in her 4th year with the company, brings you the story!

For the previous article, please see Interview with a member in their 9th year | Why I joined SUNNY SIDE UP, Vol. 2.

I was assigned to the Promotion Department (now the Public Relations Division Headquarters Department 2) as part of the Media Unit in my 1st year as a new graduate hire. When I reached my 3rd year, I transferred to the Account Planning Department. Focusing on my career change within SUNNY SIDE UP, I hope to share content that will be helpful—even in a small way—for those aiming to join PR firm SUNNY SIDE UP as a reference for their job search.

■My thoughts when I joined—why I chose SSU

Because I love anime and manga, when I was a student I had a vague dream of “exporting Japanese subculture overseas and creating economic returns that would further energize culture.” I considered publishers with overseas branches, but as I began researching various professions, I realized just how many ways there are to “communicate appeal” and “move people,” and that sparked my interest in the PR industry.

I asked an acquaintance who worked at a foreign-affiliated PR firm what kinds of companies were out there, and based on her comment, “I think SUNNY SIDE UP is a good company,” I joined an internship they were recruiting for at the time and then entered the company.

■PRAn internal career change that changed how I viewed PR

I believe you encounter a great deal of information every day through mass media such as TV, magazines, and the web. In “PR that gives people who don’t know something a reason to learn about it”, understanding the characteristics of each media outlet is extremely important. At SUNNY SIDE UP, therefore, most members work as part of the Media Unit after joining, acquiring media knowledge that forms the foundation of PR. Starting in my 1st year as a new graduate hire, I communicated daily with media professionals, conducting media outreach aimed at securing coverage and managing events.

What prompted me to transfer was that, as I moved into the latter half of my 2nd year, I began to think, “I want to see more kinds of PR.” As a Media Unit member, every day I would think things like, “This TV program’s key feature is XX so if we communicate the information this way, they might be interested!” and “I’d like the coverage to appear like this.” However, I started becoming interested in the earlier part of the process—the “PR strategy” component.

Because joining SUNNY SIDE UP taught me that there are many ways to communicate, I wanted to learn about points such as “What should this brand aim to become?” and “Are there methods other than mass media to deliver this information to people?” After consulting with my manager and senior colleagues, I transferred to the Account Planning Department when I reached my 3rd year.

The Account Planning Department is primarily responsible for strategic planning design. Centered on proposals aimed at winning new business, it is a department that carries out its work while collaborating with members across various departments. Although I now create proposals every day, I can view projects from a different perspective than I did in the Media Unit, and I approach my work with a fresh mindset.

■My experience in the Media Unit became my strength

Now that I have entered my 2nd year since transferring, I feel every day that I am truly glad I had the Media Unit experience. As a planner thinking about strategy, I often focus on the steps leading up to concrete measures and look at the overall plan. However, because I have the knowledge from my time in the Media Unit, I feel I can anticipate the plan’s outcome—in other words, “what kind of coverage or output it will result in.” Being able to think from both the plan’s starting point and its end point should lead to consistency in the plan and measures that deliver results, and I would like to continue refining this as a personal strength.

■New “ways to communicate appeal to people”—possible because it is SUNNY SIDE UP,

The reason I began considering a transfer was that I “wanted to see more kinds of PR.” At SUNNY SIDE UP, you can be involved in a wide range of PR approaches—not only media promotion and events, but also digital communication and promotion, product development, and more—and we handle a variety of offerings, from luxury to food to digital devices. These are not independent; each is closely interconnected, and depending on how they are combined, they can produce even more powerful effects. Even offerings that seem like complete opposites, such as food and digital devices, might create new PR when multiplied together. I believe that kind of enjoyment is possible because SUNNY SIDE UP is a relatively large company, and it allows us to experience many different things within one company.

Of course, it is important to master one thing. However, for someone as ambitious as I am, there is no option other than to rely on SUNNY SIDE UP’s flexibility (laughs)! With that in mind, I would like to continue gaining diverse perspectives by working on projects that span departments, and to keep finding new “ways to communicate appeal to people”.