HEARTOGRAPHY

TitleHEARTOGRAPHY
BrandNIKON SINGAPORE
Product / ServiceNIKON
CategoryA02. Creative Innovation (incl. business solutions in association with a brand or creative campaign)
EntrantJ. WALTER THOMPSON SINGAPORE , SINGAPORE
Entrant Company J. WALTER THOMPSON SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE
Advertising Agency J. WALTER THOMPSON SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE
Advertising Agency 2 J. WALTER THOMPSON HONG KONG, HONG KONG
Production Company CURIOUSLAB Singapore, SINGAPORE

Credits

Name Company Position
Valerie Cheng J.Walter Thompson Singapore Pte Ltd Chief Creative Officer
Alexander Lim J.Walter Thompson Singapore Pte Ltd Senior Copywriter
Jared Kang J.Walter Thompson Singapore Pte Ltd Senior Art Director
Laurent Pastorelli J.Walter Thompson Singapore Pte Ltd Senior Art Director
Missy Tolentino J.Walter Thompson Singapore Pte Ltd Associate Account Director
Jeannette Tan J.Walter Thompson Singapore Pte Ltd Account Manager
Matt Nolan J.Walter Thompson Singapore Pte Ltd Strategic Planner
Jaslin Ong J.Walter Thompson Singapore Pte Ltd Project Manager
Gaurav Mishra J.Walter Thompson Singapore Pte Ltd Producer
Shelley Yip J.Walter Thompson Singapore Pte Ltd Producer
Josephine Jeremiah J.Walter Thompson Hong Kong Digital Account Director
David Teo CuriousLab Pte Ltd Technical Lead
Joseph Ho Lmods Labs Web Developer
Cris Prystay J.Walter Thompson Singapore Pte Ltd Asia Pacific Director of Corporate Communications

The Brief

Differences in camera specifications such as higher resolutions, weight, software features are constantly matched by competitors and whilst they are functionally essential, we needed a more laterally innovative idea to surprise the younger audience. Something completely unexpected and also most importantly fun so that the public will want to share with their friends. By leveraging several existing technologies in a creative way, we want to demonstrate the spirit of Nikon's innovation and inspire photographers to push the boundaries, even home-made ideas with Nikon cameras. "At The Heart Of The Image” is Nikon’s tagline. They believe that each and every person has a unique sense of the world - joy, sorrow, wonder, hope etc. And images can capture these nuances of the heart vividly in the visible world. This believe drives Nikon’s constant innovation to capture better pictures/videos. So we created Heartography to share this vision and get people to fall in love with the brand again. With just USD10000, our partner CuriousLab was tasked to design the the new camera accessory that would make Heartography possible. The weight and portability were primary factors so the "body" was 3D-printed with the lightest resin to make it portable. Even with the most shock-resistant features and camera auto-stability, we had to specially design the harness to mount the accessory firmly on the carrier (human or animal) at an ideal angle, so that it would not restrict its movements whilst allowing it to take interesting pictures. The technology is in beta version.

The video garnered 863,441 views in just 4 weeks and the campaign created worldwide buzz for Nikon valued at more than $3million worth of PR. It was covered by the likes of CNET, Fortune, AOL, YahooTech and more than 1,180 other websites across the globe such as US, Japan, Russia, Italy, China etc. The video was shared more than 6,000 times and created more than 10,000 comments of which 6:1 are positive towards Nikon. This is an amazing result for $0 media spent and is the most effective campaign for Nikon. The conversations online will help steer the future of this product. The natural future development of this product would be: Integrated heart-monitors which do not require a separate Polar Heart-rate Transmitter band. To make the accessory compatible for more camera models. Instead of an attached accessory, integrate the functions of a camera within it. Make it more affordable to reproduce as the current beta version cost approximately USD500. The usage of such an innovation is highly useful for more serious purposes due to its hands-free photo-taking capability. Such as: People with arm/hand disabilities Babies and toddlers Extreme sports photography The output can extend beyond photography to include video.

Nikon has been a leader in photography since 1917 but in the last 10years, it has been losing market shares to other brands such as Canon. Nikon believes that it needs to leverage its brand heritage to build affinity with the younger photography enthusiasts who are constantly looking for the coolest innovation. Heartography is made possible with an innovative camera accessory that enables Nikon cameras to capture pictures triggered by what excites the heart. This is how it works: Polar Heart-rate Transmitter band is used to measure the heart-rate of the individual. The band then sends heart-rate data via radio-frequency to a receiver housed in a specially 3D-printed body. This 3D body mounts perfectly on the Nikon camera and has a screen to show the BPM. The base BPM and the amount of threshold that signifies excitement can be adjusted easily through clicking buttons on the body. The 3D body was designed in Autodesk Fusion 360 to hold a micro-processor (Arduino) that tracks the average BPM and compares it to a threshold to activate an actuator that triggers the camera to snap. This accessory is powered by a Li-po battery which lasts for 8 continuous hours and a specially tailored vest was designed to hold band and camera accessory. To launch this project, we applied it on a dog and allowed it to snap pictures whenever it got excited. This experience of the dog was captured in a charming online film shared on social media that drives traffic to the website which demonstrates how this technology works. On the website, more forms of innovative photography is shared.