Advertiser: NIKON
Agency: TURNER BROADCASTING SYSTEM
Category: Other Consumer Products (including Durable Goods)
Advertising campaign: BEAUTIFUL DREAMERS
Sales Planner: Yuko Mori (Turner International Japan)
Sales Director: Atsushi Saito (Turner International Japan)
Sales Planner: Hiroyuki Oka (Turner International Japan)
Execution
CNN created a program entitled 'Aiming for Gold' that captured the progress of top athletes on their journey towards the Olympics and a segment entitled 'Human to Hero' that featured top athletes and the challenges they had to overcome to achieve their dreams.In addition to exposure on CNN and CNN.com, Nikon also received promotional benefits from an iPhone app and a ‘Beautiful Dreamers’ photo contest Facebook page created by CNN where fans could submit photographs of people in the pursuit of their dreams. CNN also provided photography tips and a tailored assignment for iReporters to share their best sports photographs and feedback were given by sports photography experts on a selection of these iReports. The best images were then featured in a photo gallery online and on air. A series of workshops, 'Sports Photography Master Class' was conducted by professional sports photographer, Tom Miles, for amateur photographers in London.
Effectiveness
Through leveraging the excitement of the Olympics, with a dynamic integrated approach, Nikon managed to reach a broader audience, i.e. brand awareness has risen to 98%. The campaign has worked well in enhancing Nikon’s image as people have a positive shift towards the brand overall, and it is now being seen as more 'inspiring', 'uplifting', 'friendly' and 'innovative'. The photo contest page has received an overwhelming number of participants submitting their photos and has garnered over 389K 'Likes' as of April 2013. Overall, the campaign was viewed positively as 'interesting', 'attractive', 'favourable' and most importantly, 'a good fit with Nikon'. Source: CNN/Ipsos Ad recall survey for Nikon July 2012
Strategy
For a long time, Nikon has been a trusted name in the high-end camera industry. But in this dynamic digital era, it is crucial for Nikon to build on its traditions and broaden its appeal to a younger consumer base by reaching out to its target audience through strategic campaigns across different platforms, particularly new media such as Facebook and iPhone app. The campaign aimed to promote Nikon’s philosophy of 'Trustworthiness & Creativity', 'Meeting needs, exceeding expectations', and the message they strongly believe in 'everyone who pursues the challenge of realizing their dream is beautiful' – values that the target audience can easily associate themselves with. This dynamic and integrated approach allowed Nikon to effectively communicate these messages to the audience and rejuvenate its brand image.