The development and consumption of branded entertainment has followed a formula. Advertisers provide funding, a media or entertainment entity with cultural equity creates and pushes out the content, and agencies supervise the process. Consumers are now used to seeing products or brands integrated into their entertainment of choice. This process has produced work that is usually well-received en masse, though often publically critiqued.

Change and evolution is necessary, especially as social media takes hold of pop culture consumption and consumers yearn for authenticity in their relationships with brands. Media companies now capitalize on the economics of branded entertainment via traditional advertising sales processes, and creativity within the attempt at “organic” integration of brands has suffered.

The future of branded entertainment is to create a highly relevant platform that is decidedly not product-focused yet in line with the advertiser’s DNA. Canon’s “Project Imaginat10n” is an innovative example that forwards the agenda of branded entertainment. Canon’s audience of active content creators responded to the opportunity to inspire an entire film festival. The created films did not feature Canon products or brand messaging, yet the platform fostered a conversation about a new approach to a creative process, elevating the brand’s equity via entertainment.

Maximized press opportunities at kick-off 'Imaginat10n Lab' workshop featuring Ron/celebrities. Exclusives: 7-minute segment on MSNBCS’s Politics Nation/Morning Joe, WSJ revealing directors, one-on-ones with WWD, Pitchfork, Complex, Variety, Fast Company. (August)

Launch activation tactics:

Eva Longoria’s 'door-to-door' search for photos: Extra! exclusive (August)

Biz Stone’s 'Tweet Station' asking Twitterverse for photos: San Francisco Chronicle, ABC7 San Francisco, NBC Bay Area (September)

Jamie Foxx NewYorkTimes.com take-over (September)

James Murphy 'inspire me' video: Vice.com exclusive. Rolling Stone, USA Today, Spin. (September)

Celebrity phoners: NPR, USA Today, BET, Huffington Post, Wired.com, Vogue (August-December)

Ron Howard TV appearance: Access Hollywood. (August)

Jamie Foxx TV appearance: Jimmy Kimmel Live. (September)

Photo winners revealed to local press as hometown heroes. (October)

Bryce Dallas Howard exclusive on film school seminars/mentorship: Hollywood Reporter (November)

Celebrity Directors’ photo selects revealed: Exclusives on CNN, E! (Decemeber)

Exclusive film production access: NPR, Hollywood Reporter (January-February)

The project garnered nearly 80,000 photos in only six weeks. In just months, Canon netted $25,398,790.60 Total PR Dollar Value and 1,704,670,677 PR impressions, and still climbing.

Post-launch (Sept-Dec), Canon became the dominant leader over Nikon with an average market share of 47% units (41.9% Nikon), 50.5% dollars (40.7% Nikon). Generating Canon’s best November ever, exceeding target projections during peak of the critical holiday shopping season - Top 2-selling DSLRs (units) and Top 3 (dollars), 11/25-2/23. All without a TV commercial promoting the project.

Lastly, we secured Canon’s ownership of industry-revolutionizing DSLR HD-video among the Hollywood A-list and up-and-coming filmmakers.