I want to be a better person tomorrow than I am today. We guess that many of you are spending your days wishing that. We believe that "knowledge" and "friends" are indispensable to achieve this goal. By deepening and refining our knowledge with our friends, we can make great strides. A place that is neither the workplace nor the home, but a place where you can feel at home. This group aims to be an "oasis" of the heart.
Media and Public Relations Study Group was founded in 2015.
It all started when journalist (and former Asahi Shimbun reporter) Yoshiaki Hiraide, while working as a reporter, gave lectures to PR persons and received press releases from them, and realized that there was a huge gap between the media and PR.
The reason was that the press release contained very little information that reporters were looking for. 99.8% of the press releases are thrown away after being read by reporters and desk persons. It means only 0.2% of the press releases become articles. The important thing to remember is that press releases are for the benefit of readers, viewers, and customers. In the first sense, it is for the purpose of selling the company, product or service. However, the final goal is to let readers, viewers, and customers know about your company through the media. Without the perspective, data, and story of how to help customers, much of the effort and energy of PR persons is lost before it reaches the eyes of readers. To fill this gap, media and PR persons started this nonprofit study group.
The media and PR persons are heading in the same direction in that “it is meaningless if it doesn’t reach and spread”. The members who participate in this study group have different jobs, experiences, and environments. When we discuss story, corporate strategy, and marketing based on reference books, the diverse perspectives of the participants help us to uncover things that are not written in the books, blind spots, and gain many-sided knowledge with many insights beyond the contents of the books. It brings us to greater heights where we cannot reach only by our own reading. This has led to the creation of our unique theories and know-how. You will acquire real power that you cannot get from manual books such as "How to write a press release" or "How to work in Public Relations". The world, “it is meaningless if it doesn’t reach and spread” will be strengthened.
Tatsuro Kakimoto, manager of a soccer school management company, sent a press release based on the results of this study group to a TV program, which was broadcasted. His goal was to be published in national top 5 newspapers and broadcasted in national top TV programs. If you can include a message that attracts readers, you can achieve the goal.
Have you ever been to a lecture, seminar, or social event and felt that the skills you thought were "good" were lost from your body the moment you left the place? Arisa Miyagi, a section manager at Seiryo Electric Corporation, an information and communication technology company, has experienced such frustration. Based on her experience, this group emphasizes the importance of "making things personal" and digging into knowledge. This knowledge is then applied in the workplace and transformed into new skills.
“I want to share the knowledge and information that I have acquired," thought Rieko Iwata, a mother of two children and a PR person for Sanctuary Publishing Inc. When her children were still infants, she could not grasp the movements of society and felt frustrated that they were being left behind. That experience was unforgettable for a long time. Knowledge accompanies people. With this in mind, she launched the "Lunchtime Networking Group for PR persons’ mothers” as an activity of this study group. The idea was to have a meaningful time for those who are also raising children, accompanied by their children.
Overlap knowledge with knowledge. Overlap knowledge with each other's experiences, with each other's lives. Knowledge and friends become an indispensable part of life. We believe that this is a small but important step toward focusing on each individual, changing the way we work, and eliminating inequality. Why don't you become one of us? You are welcome to join us.
Media and Public Relations Study Group currently has the following four working groups. We also held lectures and seminars on an irregular basis, as well as social gatherings and recreational activities to promote connections among members.