KYOYU

TitleKYOYU
BrandCANON
Product / ServiceKYOYU
CategoryA05. Business Transformation
EntrantLEO BURNETT SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
Idea Creation LEO BURNETT SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
Media Placement SPARK FOUNDRY Sydney, AUSTRALIA
Production PRODIGIOUS Sydney, AUSTRALIA

Credits

Name Company Position
Jason Williams Leo Burnett Chief Creative Officer
Grant McAloon Leo Burnett Sydney Executive Creative Director
Adrian Jung Leo Burnett Sydney Head of Production
Laura Egan Leo Burnett Sydney Senior Business Manager
Tim Pietranski Prodigious Executive Producer
Dave Varney Leo Burnett Creative Director
Karen Ferry Leo Burnett Senior Copywriter
James Walker-Smith Leo Burnett General Manager
Dan Pankraz Leo Burnett Sydney Head of Strategy
Paula Cardona Leo Burnett Designer
Laurent Marcus Leo Burnett Sydney Creative Technology Director
Janifer Wong Leo Burnett Digital Designer
Justine Dooner Leo Burnett Agency Producer
JENSEN BAPTISTA Canon MANAGER KYOYU
ANTHONY CORTIS Canon PRODUCT MANAGER
TOMMY THOMS Prodigious Director
Sophie Hattch Prodigious Producer
Sam Bruce Prodigious Editor

Why is this work relevant for Innovation?

Kyoyu is Australia’s first peer to peer camera sharing platform. Powered by Canon Australia it democratizes access to premium camera gear like never before. Kyoyu represents a new business model and revenue stream for Canon Australia as its first foray into the ‘gig economy’ - a significant departure from hardware sales that may be viewed as cannibalizing future sales. Kyoyu is a startup business within Canon transforming the way that photographers access camera gear – opening new opportunities for them to create, experiment, learn and tell the stories that otherwise wouldn’t be told through photography.

Background

The biggest problem Canon has as a brand is making cameras stay relevant while consumers have other options such as the iPhone. Global camera sales have dropped 79% in the last decade as people move to less expensive mobile photography and Canon Australia has seen similar drops in camera sales over the past 5 years. Canon knew they had to disrupt themselves before they were disrupted further. We discovered that while photography enthusiasts really want to take photos, they don’t always have the financial means to invest in new camera gear, especially when they aren’t convinced they will actually use it and already have a portable camera in their pocket. The key Human Problem we needed to solve was ‘How might we create a feeling of excitement and ease around camera gear to increase trial and purchase for non-professional photographers?

Describe the idea

Canon Kyoyu is Australia’s first peer to peer camera sharing community. A market place to connect Canon camera owners who want to list their idle gear with renters who need to access camera gear; all underwritten by Canon Australia. Kyoyu transforms the way that people can access camera gear, opening up new opportunities for novice photographers to create, experiment, learn and ‘try before they buy’. It also gives current Canon camera owners new revenue streams and the ability to share their passion with others in the camera community.

What were the key dates in the development process?

Launched May 1st 2019

Describe the innovation/technology

We developed Australia’s first peer to peer camera sharing community. Kyoyu is Japanese for “share”, and as a brand, brings to life the idea of peer-to-peer sharing. Kyoyu democratizes access to premium camera gear like never before by creating an intuitive and inspiring interface for owners and renters to connect and transact. In May 2019, we launched the digital service platform through Canon’s owned channels and existing community of photographers, amplified with a series of online videos that explained the service for renters and the benefits to owners.

Describe the expectations/outcome

Kyoyu launched in May 2019 and already has over 2,000 active users who regularly share equipment on the platform. We've also seen through users' account data that many renters of the platform have gone on to buy new Canon cameras, indicating that the platform doubles as a pressure-free 'try before you buy' mechanic. Kyoyu has been recognised within Canon globally as a pioneering approach to building new relationships with customers, and other markets are now looking to replicate.

Links

Website URL