AnyMind Group and SUNNY SIDE UP set up joint venture, AnyUp

SINGAPORE,Aug. 20,2019 --AnyMind Group,a technology company that provides software for the advertising,influencer marketing and human resource industries,has today announced the establishment of a joint venture between AnyMind Group and SUNNY SIDE UP,a Japan-based integrated communications firm that represents enterprises,celebrities,talent and athletes.

AnyUpwill look to form a new breed of public relations-tech companies in Japan,leveraging on CastingAsia's influencer marketing expertise,network and technology,and SUNNY SIDE UP's content discovery and public relations capabilities.

AnyUp will offer marketers and spokespersons for enterprises in Japan with efficient support for public relations and promotion capabilities whilst leveraging on a scaled influencer network,and provide integrated services such as strategy planning,influencer selection,content production,and campaign analysis. Additionally,marketers and spokespersons for enterprises can now tap on deep analytics and campaign insights through the CastingAsia platform to further integrate influencer marketing with public relations activities. The joint venture will also accelerate the business development of AnyMind Group in Japan.

For celebrities,athletes,content creators and personalities in Japan,AnyUp will offer services including account set-up and operation,content production and editing,monetization support and matching with advertisers.

On the joint venture formation,Kosuke Sogo,CEO and co-founder of AnyMind Group,said: "The influence of video content on social platforms,including YouTube,has been steadily increasing year by year. We are now in the era of video. At the same time,we're also looking at a shift in how celebrities and athletes connect with their audiences,moving from 'blogs' to 'vlogs',and we will see further growth in the future. On the other hand,there are still issues such as knowing where to start,developing and editing video content,and connecting and collaborating with brands. Leveraging on the expertise of both companies,we decided to establish AnyUp."

Arising from this joint venture,AnyUp has today also announced plans to launch the official YouTube channel and Instagram account for global football personality,Hidetoshi Nakata - his first attempt at sharing content officially on YouTube and Instagram. As a creative director,Nakata will supervise his YouTube channel "NIHONMONO by HIDETOSHI NAKATA",sharing the attractiveness of the 47 prefectures in Japan.

Since starting off in April 2016 as AdAsia Holdings and the subsequent expansion into AnyMind Group,the company has grown its online advertising and influencer marketing businesses into 11 markets and 13 offices in Asia. In March 2019,the company acquired Moindy Digital,a multi-channel network business in Thailand,and launched the CastingAsia Creators Network. The CastingAsia Creators Network now includes over 36,000 influencers and content creators across 17 markets,with resources to help content creators and social media influencers grow,including teams for video production,channel optimization,content strategy consultation,and production studios and video editors available for the network.

SUNNY SIDE UP was established in 1985,and is currently ranked 20th in the "Global Top 250 PR Agency Ranking 2019" of the Holmes Report. Leveraging on over 30 years of marketing and communication expertise,SUNNY SIDE UP has propelled Japanese celebrities and athletes such as Hidetoshi Nakata to a global scale,and operating the restaurant "bills" from Sydney,bringing the group as a global brand and achieving many groundbreaking results.

About AnyMind Group

Previously operating as AdAsia Holdings,AnyMind Group was formed in January 2018 and operates three business lines: AdAsia Holdings (advertising),TalentMind (human resource) and CastingAsia (influencer marketing). AnyMind Group aims to provide industries,businesses and professionals with a suite of solutions to enable greater growth. Headquartered in Singapore,AnyMind Group has over 500 staff from 20 nationalities,across 13 offices in 11 markets. To date,AnyMind Group has raised a total funding of US$35.9 million,from investors including (but not limited to) LINE,Mirai Creation Fund,VGI and JAFCO Asia.

About SUNNY SIDE UP PARTNERS

Established on July 1,2019 as a wholly-owned subsidiary of SUNNY SIDE UP,SUNNY SIDE UP PARTNERS aims to accelerate the growth of SUNNY SIDE UP Group through new business development. SUNNY SIDE UP PARTNERS work with specialists and business partners in the professional sector beyond the existing PR business,such as media development and production.

About SUNNY SIDE UP

The company was started in 1985 based on the slogan of "Let's have fun!" and has been proactively creating social movements based on our unique marketing and communication tactics. Our services are varied,ranging from strategic PR,promotions from a PR perspective,Sports Marketing and more. We have also been responsible for managing athletes such as Hidetoshi Nakata and Kosuke Kitajima,helping to earn worldwide recognition for them. In addition to our achievements in the field of PR,we have been actively involved in business development with our restaurant business "bills" and revamped the image of the Shibuya area by holding "YOU MAKE SHIBUYA COUNTDOWN" for 3 consecutive years.

Listed on the stock since 2008,the company moved to section 2 of the Tokyo Stock Exchange in September 2018,then to section 1 in December 2018 (2180).

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