The Canon GIG APP is a mobile app that works as a real-time product demonstration, demonstrating the advantages you get from a high quality Canon camera in a situation where the smartphone camera doesn’t cut it. Concerts are one of these situations where the smartphone camera is useless but people take a lot of pictures. The lens is too wide and the images become a messy blur of light.

With the Canon Gig App users can connect their smartphone to a Canon DLSR camera and take high quality images in real time on their smartphone from where they can share them directly on social media.

The Gig app is a real-time product demonstration that puts a high quality DSLR experience right in the hands of every fan and have them experience the difference the Canon product makes and have them engage with the brand.

Objective

To reach the young smartphone-generation and have them realize the value of high-quality photography.

Challenge

Canon is seeing more and more competition from the increasing quality and build-in feature of smartphones. This means that a generation of tech-savvy young consumers is in danger of being lost. They have grown up with a camera at an arms length – it being something they can use anytime, anywhere.

Strategy

In Canon’s pursuit to take on the threat from mobile photography we want to place Canon in situations where we can demonstrate the advantages of high-quality photography through visual and emotional experiences

Canon developed a tool that enabled the young and tech savvy generation to experience the visual and emotional advantages of high quality photography.

By creating the Canon GIG APP the brand has build a scalable activation idea as well as a content platform the enables engagement and provides real value for their future customers.

· The average user took more than 60 pictures.

· 41% of the pictures were shared on the users social media platforms.

The technology provide Canon with a platform that could be extended beyond the realm of music to everything from sporting venues to tourist attractions, creating an opportunity to scale the initiative to other segments and age groups.

The Canon GIG APP was implemented at a concert – a highly relevant setting to demonstrate the advantages high quality Canon cameras give, as the cameras in mobile phones are useless here. A HQ DSLR can capture the light and the band on stage and give the emotional photographic experience people wish to capture.

This first campaign focused on one concert on April 24th at the concert venue ‘Train’ in Aarhus in Denmark. GIG APP material was implemented all over the venue in order to get the fans to download the app before the concert. Materials were placed on all spots that participants would stay; venue façade, wardrobe, toilets, bar and concert hall walls.

The campaign ran according to plan and in the coming months Canon will be rolling out this initiative across the Nordic region.