[Talk about planners at SUNNY SIDE UP] An ecological survey of planners at PR agency!

My name is Kameyama, and I have appeared several times on this media. Whether this is your first time or more, please enjoy!

Today I would like to talk about how planners work for PR agencies.

Below is the table of contents. I hope you will take a few moments to read it🐢

■Planner Kameyama’s introduction

Once again, my name is Kameyama.

I have written several articles on this media so far, and if you are interested in my other articles, I would be happy to mention them.

Click here to read the article on Turtle Island! (I have written 14 articles, and I’m thinking to myself, “Yes, I have done it.”)

I apologize for this sudden photo.

I thought I should post a photo of myself, but due to my shy nature, it turned out to be a half-hearted photo, as if I didn’t even know who I was(I was almost forced to buy a set of ethnic costumes by a strong-looking street store owner. I managed to decline the offer, but in the end, I was forced to buy it at another store…)

I belong to the Communication Planning Division, and I am a mid-career member, which means that I am well qualified to explain what it means to be a SUNNY SIDE UP planner, as the title suggests.

I have been with SSU for about four and a half years. I used to work in sales and media buying at a general advertising agency. The reason why I joined SSU is because of my longing to become a planner.

When I first entered the advertising agency, I still wanted to join the creative department, and there were times when I attended copywriter training courses. However, I felt that it would be too difficult for me, so I decided to become a planner who does not need to be creative but can point the direction.

Since the internal transfer at my previous job did not go well, I looked for other jobs and was successfully hired as a planner at SSU. I think it was a bold decision for the employer to hire a member who had no experience as a PR or a planner and was in his fourth year of work at the time.

When I later asked my superior back then why he hired me, he said, “You had the qualities of a planner at the interview, but to be honest, your enthusiasm was even greater than the content of the proposal, so I wanted to hire you.”

That’s why I worked so hard to grow as quickly as possible and acquire PR and planning skills so that I could become an asset to the company. It took me about a year and a half from there, but when I finally felt confident, I was in charge of lectures for training younger members of the company and was assigned a team leader.

I am now a planner in charge of a relatively large number of projects within the company that include creative work as part of the proposal area, and I am enjoying a very fulfilling job.

■What is a planner for SUNNY SIDE UP?

It seems that not many PR agencies have a planner position. At SSU, planners exist separately from sales and media representatives.

Our sales staff’s work is not limited to the so-called coordinating role. They are able to think of their own plans, make proposals, and execute them, sometimes even promote them. They are truly all-rounders.

Despite the presence of such salespeople, planners exist because they are still needed for difficult projects or projects that you want to desperately win.

That is why there are high expectations from sales to planners, and we also put a lot of effort into each job to exceed the expectations of sales.

SSU is classified as a general PR agency, but its projects are not limited to the realm of PR.

Here’s an example of some of my own jobs,and I have had the opportunity to work on a wide range of projects.

・Marketing communication proposals including TV commercials for foreign brands landing in Japan
・Participating in a city planning competition as a planning partner
・Creating materials for sponsoring partners of the event
・Consulting for a consulting firm’s PR perspective in planning
・Lectures on PR for students at universities
・Preparation of explanatory materials for shareholders

Of course, at the heart of the planning of these jobs is the “PR Mindset” of SSU. Recently, I have been talking to more and more creative directors at advertising agencies, and I have the impression that some of them have a “PR mindset,” and I believe that the demand for such ideas is increasing worldwide.

As a planner, I would like to do more and more work like I have done in the past, based on the “PR mindset” and planning outside the framework of a PR company.

So what are the planners at SSU?

They are planners who plan marketing communications based on “PR mindset” but with ideas that are not limited to the realm of a PR agency.

■A day of planner Kameyama

Here is how planner Kameyama works. Some days I take my time in the morning, and some days I am early (I am a night person, so I don’t like to be early in the morning).

I am the type of person who is not willing to schedule a meeting in the morning, but some of our senior planners have children, and havetheir drop-off and pick-up schedule, they rather start their day early. Everyone has their own way of working here at SSU.

Since I usually have meetings during the daytime, I tend to spend my free time working on proposals. Since I am also a night person, I tend to work on projects that require a lot of thinking (e.g., strategy and conceptualization) at night.

Thinking is my job, so when I am at work, I sometimes take a short walk around the office for a break and go for lunch. Here’s a quick list of three recommended go-to lunch spots near my office!

Sometimes we finish in exactly eight hours, and sometimes we stay up until midnight the day before a presentation, but we distribute the amount of tasks according to the workload and situation of each member, so we are never always busy.

I am usually in charge of about 5-10 projects at the same time, and it is attractive to be involved in a variety of projects. Since we are not assigned to a fixed industry or client, we are able to broaden the scope of our planning.

This is how I face my work. I hope this gives you some idea of how we work.

■A scene with the director

From left: Deputy Manager Shimizu, Manager Murata, and myself

I captured this screenshot during a regular meeting with the management members of the Planning Division. Manager Murata and Deputy Manager Shimizu, help me adjust the workload of the department members and give advice for any problems that may arise.

This is the kind of friendly atmosphere that surrounds the members.

■Struggles of junior staff

I would also like to introduce one of our motivated juniors. Here are her comments. Please convert the voice from a grown male to a young female employee in your brain.

Hello, I am Oku, and this is my fourth year as a new graduate!

After working in media promotion as a media manager for about a year, I was transferred to the same Planning Division as Mr. Kameyama. This is my third year as a planner.

As a planner, the information and insights that I come into contact with in my daily life directly lead to planning. I feel the joy and satisfaction of planning when what I absorb with my antennae comes alive in my ideas, and when they are realized.

Although my experience as a planner is still limited, I am planning from the perspective of Gen Z to make up for what I am lacking compared to Mr. Kameyama!

■What is a planner at SUNNY SIDE UP?

This is very important, so let me explain once again.

Our planners are required to improve the quality of the plans for projects with a wide range of proposal areas and also to provide support not only from a media perspective but also from a social perspective.

We propose communication strategies and specific tactics (not limited to PR measures) including target setting and concept work from various strategic perspectives in order to solve the clients’ issues.

The very planners of SSU are planners who plan marketing communications based on a “PR mindset” but with ideas that are not limited to the realm of a PR firm.

■SUNNY SIDE UP is now accepting mid-career applications!

Comment from the Planning Division Director:

“I want to become a planner, but what do I need to do?”
“I need to have extensive knowledge to become a planner, right?”
We are sometimes asked these questions.

It is true that in this day and age, the communication industry has more up-to-date knowledge that needs to be input every day than in the past, but it is not that important to have a wide range of knowledge nowadays.

Knowledge is something you can learn on the job, sharing information with the team members on a daily basis, so the ideal candidate is someone who has the curiosity and ambition to continue learning.

And most importantly, “find the small questions and problems on a daily basis.”

I think someone who can question things that often don’t get bothered too much, things that are taken for granted, is suited for this job.

Comments from HR:

In July 2023, SSU made a new start by integrating two group companies with strengths in influencer marketing and sales promotion.

We will also review and strengthen our training programs for human resources, which are indispensable for the company’s further growth, to ensure that each employee grows as a member of society and as a PR person.

We are in a period of great change as a company, but our desire to “let’s have fun” and our sincere commitment to our clients and the people we work with remain unchanged.

If you are someone who values both the things that change and don’t, and who can change the company into a “fun buzz”, why don’t you join us and take on a new challenge?

■Conclusion

Thank you for reading until the end.

There were many characters along the way, including senior staff and junior staff but I personally love the way planners work at SSU. It is very exciting to be involved in a variety of projects, to think about a wide range of areas, and to meet with all kinds of people!

I’d be happy if you could get to know about my workplace and job responsibilities. I hope we have a chance to meet someday!