“Kochi Prefecture is one big family!” Introducing a local government public relations project involving PR and digital initiatives!

Hello! I’m Akie Takahashi, and I’ve been with SUNNY SIDE UP for a year now.

This time, I would like to introduce the activities of “Kochi-ke,” a promotional policy of Kochi Prefecture that I am in charge of.

 ■What is the “Kochi-ke Promotion” that Kochi Prefecture is working on?

Kochi-ke Promotion is a project by Kochi Prefecture to attract fans in and outside the prefecture by focusing on the three axes of products, tourism, and immigration.

The activities are very diverse.

I am in charge of not only general PR work such as gaining media exposure and holding PR presentations, but also production of promotional posters and promotional videos, digital measures involving SNS operations such as Twitter and Instagram and web advertising, as well as planning, proposals, and article production as the editorial department for the owned media, “Kochi-ke’s XX”.

There are many more, but I won’t go into them here because it would be too long haha.

With Mr. Hiroshi Miyama, an enka singer and the new promotional character “Aniki of the Kochi-ke

■What are the PR measures to promote the attractiveness of Kochi Prefecture?

We implement various measures in close cooperation with prefectural government officials. All the members in charge are working hard to increase awareness of the “Kochi-ke’s XX” so that more people can learn about the charms of Kochi Prefecture.

The top page of the “Kochi-ke’s XX” owned media. Information on Kochi Prefecture is condensed here.

What do you think of when you think of the place Kochi? Is it the “Yosakoi Festival”?, or the famous samurai “Sakamoto Ryoma”?, or the fresh fish “bonito”?, or is it the citrus fruits such as “Buntan” and “Yuzu”?

Sparkling fresh sashimi. I was impressed by how delicious it was!

Yuzu juice at a Sunday market. The retro atmosphere was very cute.

Kochi has a lot of fascinating gourmet foods that are yet to be discovered, such as the ‘sawachi cuisine’ and the ‘vegetable sushi’!

Vegetable sushi

The Kochi-ke members try their first sawachi cuisine making! Our office has a kitchen that anyone can use, so we can take simple cooking photos.

A unique local experience, bonito straw grilling.

Kochi is blessed with nature, with mountains and ocean, and its delicious food and nature, as well as the warm nature and charm of its people there too.

The name of the promotion, “Kochi-ke,” also expresses the concept that Kochi Prefecture as a whole is a family, a place where people are friendly and affectionate and where close relationships can be built, just like a family.

We also recommend the “Marugoto Kochi” antenna store in Ginza, where you can get a taste of Kochi’s specialty products!

■Annual activities of “Kochi-ke Promotion

There is no end to the charms of Kochi, but here are some of our activities during the year!

・Sending positive messages to the COVID-19

In the midst of the spread of the covid-19, ‘Kochi-ke’ Promotion created the most appropriate catchphrase to send out: “Even if we can’t meet, Kochi, Japan, we are one big family yaki”. (The word “yaki” is a Kochi dialect) We also created visuals that could be used on various social networking services and in advertisements.

・Ordering project

A “Chabudai Campaign” was conducted to gain media exposure by allowing customers to order a set of delicious Kochi dishes.

・Held a press conference to promote the Kochi-ke!

We held an inaugural event for the media featuring Kochi Prefecture-born enka singer, Hiroshi Miyama, as the promotional character, gaining approximately 200 pieces of media exposure! In addition, various items such as pin badges, stickers, and posters were produced.

Large streamers appeared in shopping streets in Kochi Prefecture!

• Media caravan using both real and online media

We have conducted multiple media caravans, including online visits, together with the “Kochi-ke’s XX” deputy editor-in-chief, “Katsuo Ningen”. In addition to the Tokyo metropolitan area, we have gained numerous exposures including TV in Osaka and Fukuoka.

If you are a local government official struggling to get your message out, please feel free to contact SUNNY SIDE UP anytime~!

*The mask is removed only when the photo was taken.

The writer of this article

SUNNY SIDE UP, PR Dept. Div.3 Sports
Akie Takahashi

She Joined SUNNY SIDE UP in mid-career from a well-established PR agency, and has been in her current position since 2020. She loves to learn about things she doesn’t know and has been backpacking around the world. She has traveled to 65 countries overseas. She provides PR consulting services based on her knowledge of the culture of each country and area. Currently, her hobby is and addiction is literally Japan itself.