Background:
Sales of traditional cameras were declining due to the rise of camera phones. While Canon maintained strong brand health among older consumers, we were seeing a troubling decline in key brand metrics among younger audiences. Although Canon was well known, our research showed weak “brand connection” and “brand equity” with this demographic. Meanwhile, our flagship Rebel brand was approaching its 25th anniversary, presenting an opportunity to reintroduce it to a new generation.

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Activities:
As Senior Manager of Marketing Planning for the Camera division, I was tasked with identifying a compelling strategy to reinvigorate the Rebel brand and build meaningful connections with younger consumers, while improving trust and brand relevance.

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I led a cross-functional research initiative to better understand the passions and motivations of our target audience. Using a mix of custom surveys, open-source data, in-depth interviews, and focus groups, we uncovered a key insight: younger consumers wanted to support brands that aligned with their personal values and social causes. This led to the “Rebel With A Cause” campaign.

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Featuring influencers and celebrities using Canon cameras to advocate for causes they cared about we invited users to share their own stories through a user-generated content campaign. A highlight was our partnership with Anna Akana, a well-known content creator and anti-bullying advocate, who led a Canon-sponsored stand-up comedy workshop for bullied teens. The emotional impact of the program deeply resonated with our audience.

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Results:
The campaign generated over 150 million PR impressions and 11 million video views, with highly engaged, positive feedback from our target demographic, including comments like, “Canon, I honestly love you as a company... I’m 15 and got a job to save money to buy a camera… the campaign makes me so happy!”

Most importantly, post-campaign research showed significant improvements across all key brand metrics:

• 10% increase in brand equity

• 12% increase in “brand I trust”

• Market share growth from 55% to 61%