Dentsu (New York)

Canon lead the digital camera market for almost 10 years. With increasing competition from rival, Sony, a campaign highlighting just product specs and features would simply not be enough to differentiate Canon from its competitors. Canon needed to find a way to get consumers to reconnect with Canon on an emotional level. Canon hired Dentsu America/New York to do EXACTLY that. The Dentsu HQ is in Tokyo but it was obviously easier to use the American based Dentsu. They chose the beautiful tennis superstar Maria Sharapova to represent the Canon PowerShot brand because she's bold, stylish and at "the top of her game". The campaign showed Maria taking pictures of her spunky dog, Dolce, in everyday situations. The message resonated well with consumers because they can easily see themselves and their families in the advertising. The campaign was used in TV, print, online, out-of-home, promotions and events. Having a celebrity endorser can sometimes be risky, however, with a beautiful, talented, and criminal-record free star like Maria, choosing her was definitely a smart and safe move! Consumers will now associate this camera with being cool, fun, and the best of the best!