Canon Mirrorless Market Takeover
Client:
Canon
THE CHALLENGE
When Canon approached Pixel in 2019–2020, Sony dominated the mirrorless camera market. Canon, a long-time leader in imaging, was late to mirrorless and faced a formidable competitor with massive brand recognition and marketing budgets. The task: reclaim market leadership in mirrorless and capture the next generation of photographers and content creators, all with a finite budget.
THE CHALLENGE
When Canon approached Pixel in 2019–2020, Sony dominated the mirrorless camera market. Canon, a long-time leader in imaging, was late to mirrorless and faced a formidable competitor with massive brand recognition and marketing budgets. The task: reclaim market leadership in mirrorless and capture the next generation of photographers and content creators, all with a finite budget.
THE CHALLENGE
When Canon approached Pixel in 2019–2020, Sony dominated the mirrorless camera market. Canon, a long-time leader in imaging, was late to mirrorless and faced a formidable competitor with massive brand recognition and marketing budgets. The task: reclaim market leadership in mirrorless and capture the next generation of photographers and content creators, all with a finite budget.
OUR SOLUTION
Pixel took a dual approach: creative and media.
Creator-Led Authenticity: We partnered with photographers, videographers, and lifestyle creators to showcase genuine use of Canon cameras, targeting Gen Z and younger audiences that Sony had overlooked. Influencers like Emma Chamberlain, Erika Titus, and Karl Shakur were selected strategically to resonate with short-form, lifestyle-focused content trends.
Media Innovation: We owned the media planning and buying, optimizing campaigns across Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and early TikTok. Performance insights informed creative improvements via rigorous A/B testing. Each quarter, campaigns were iteratively refined, improving ROI and audience engagement year over year.
Lifestyle Positioning: Beyond product launches, campaigns like the EOS R50 & EOS R7 launches highlighted the lifestyle potential of Canon cameras—where they could take you, what you could create, and who you could become.
OUR SOLUTION
Pixel took a dual approach: creative and media.
Creator-Led Authenticity: We partnered with photographers, videographers, and lifestyle creators to showcase genuine use of Canon cameras, targeting Gen Z and younger audiences that Sony had overlooked. Influencers like Emma Chamberlain, Erika Titus, and Karl Shakur were selected strategically to resonate with short-form, lifestyle-focused content trends.
Media Innovation: We owned the media planning and buying, optimizing campaigns across Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and early TikTok. Performance insights informed creative improvements via rigorous A/B testing. Each quarter, campaigns were iteratively refined, improving ROI and audience engagement year over year.
Lifestyle Positioning: Beyond product launches, campaigns like the EOS R50 & EOS R7 launches highlighted the lifestyle potential of Canon cameras—where they could take you, what you could create, and who you could become.
OUR SOLUTION
Pixel took a dual approach: creative and media.
Creator-Led Authenticity: We partnered with photographers, videographers, and lifestyle creators to showcase genuine use of Canon cameras, targeting Gen Z and younger audiences that Sony had overlooked. Influencers like Emma Chamberlain, Erika Titus, and Karl Shakur were selected strategically to resonate with short-form, lifestyle-focused content trends.
Media Innovation: We owned the media planning and buying, optimizing campaigns across Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and early TikTok. Performance insights informed creative improvements via rigorous A/B testing. Each quarter, campaigns were iteratively refined, improving ROI and audience engagement year over year.
Lifestyle Positioning: Beyond product launches, campaigns like the EOS R50 & EOS R7 launches highlighted the lifestyle potential of Canon cameras—where they could take you, what you could create, and who you could become.
RESULTS
Quarter over quarter and year over year growth in engagement and return on ad spend.
Successfully shifted Canon’s Gen Z perception and established brand loyalty among emerging creators.
Outpaced Sony to become the leading mirrorless camera brand in key markets.
Generated a “snowball effect” where creative and media performance amplified each other continuously.
RESULTS
Quarter over quarter and year over year growth in engagement and return on ad spend.
Successfully shifted Canon’s Gen Z perception and established brand loyalty among emerging creators.
Outpaced Sony to become the leading mirrorless camera brand in key markets.
Generated a “snowball effect” where creative and media performance amplified each other continuously.
RESULTS
Quarter over quarter and year over year growth in engagement and return on ad spend.
Successfully shifted Canon’s Gen Z perception and established brand loyalty among emerging creators.
Outpaced Sony to become the leading mirrorless camera brand in key markets.
Generated a “snowball effect” where creative and media performance amplified each other continuously.
Year
2019 – Present
Industry
Imaging / Consumer Electronics
Scope of Work
Influencer Strategy / Creator Campaigns / Media Planning & Buying / Product Launch Campaigns / Creative Development
Timeline
Ongoing