Brief Explanation

Coming into 2010, Canon led a dSLR category that looked dangerously close to slipping from its grasp. The category was fragmenting, driven by innovation that Canon didn’t possess. Canon was expensive. The traditional consumer base was changing. Nikon, the #2, was gaining ground fast. 2010 was not going to be business as usual. Canon had to regain control of the category: 1. Achieve 50% value share and 49% volume share for the full year 2. Hold market leading brand preference of 60%+ for the full year (preference correlates with market share at the astounding r=0.9512). Canon had to create a sense of value that meant that by buying an EOS, you were buying something you couldn’t find elsewhere. To do this, Canon identified the key insight that “Great photography is not about technology, it’s about inspiration. And the best inspiration comes from connecting with other photographers and their photos.” By getting photographers to collaborate together around this insight and around Canon, brand preference would increase and this could in turn support the sales objectives of volume and value share. The big idea was ‘Canon EOS takes your photography to the next level’. The World of EOS was born; an immersive online community experience in which you could ‘learn, share and be inspired’. The digital platform acted as a community for photographers to be inspired and take a creative purpose from. The community and the content it produced grew. Canon EOS then amplified these actions and content in paid media, as the key proof point designed to drive preference. Indeed, the preference of those exposed to the World of EOS jumped dramatically. And so did sales. Canon outgrew the category in value by 44%, smashing expectations and objectives8. It was Canon EOS’ biggest ever year. Price premiums were never lost. The new innovation was suppressed to only 6% of the category. The nearest competition was left a distant second in the category, 27 points of value share behind Canon EOS by December8. World of EOS became a thriving community of almost 50,000 collaborating photographers and 5.6 million visitors9. The campaign returned $3.11 for every $1 spent beyond objectives. By bringing photographers together and inspiring them to take their photography to the next level, Canon exerted complete control over a category that looked in danger of slipping away, driving preference which drove sales.