When you search for a place to visit on Google, you make quick judgement calls based on the images you see.

Unfortunately Google’s search results are flooded with inferior mobile photography, causing small, local businesses to suffer. Why? Well, unlike big brands small businesses don’t have the resources to brand themselves with great photography.

However, we discovered that by using Google’s new social image based review platform, Local Guides, it’s possible to control the images that pop up in Google’s search results. Thus, we inspired and rallied Canon fans to help their local businesses with the power of their great Canon photography, and with Canon’s app easily upload their photos to the Google Local Guides platform.

By harnessing the power of social media we turned every image uploaded into a showcase of the power of great photography.

We teamed up with Google’s new emerging image based review platform, Local Guides, and got a unique sign-up link for Canon fans to use (used for tracking results and retargeting).

Next, we got local photographers and influencers to start helping their favourite small, local businesses by using their superior Canon photography to change the business images on Google search results simply by uploading it to Google Local Guides.

Next, we used the influencers photography to inspire and rally Canon fans through Facebook, Instagram and newsletters to start helping their small, local businesses too.

We used organic and paid Instagram posts on @canonnordic and the influencers SoMe accounts; Paid posts on Google Local Guides and Google Maps. The campaign was live May 16th 2017 until June 7th 2017, and with 46 specially crafted social content elements, designed to focus on the natural form language of the images, it rallied more than 22,000 Canon fans, across the Nordic markets, to help their small, local business with their Canon photography.

By high jacking the seamless user flow of Google’s existing platform, and harnessing the power of our dedicated Canon camera fans, we not only proved the power of great photography, we helped small businesses all over Scandinavia.