Canon U.S.A. launches "Long Live Imagination" campaign

The "Long Live Imagination" site, designed as an interactive and engaging community for Canon users and photography enthusiasts, launched on May 22nd at www.youtube.com/imagination. The contest and this site will foster dialogue amongst the community, and directly with Canon, inspiring everyone to new levels of creativity.

A visually stunning television commercial that takes place within Ron Howard’s mind’s eye will begin airing May 23rd. The spot will promote the "Project Imagin8ion" contest and online community. Consumers can visit www.youtube.com/imagination from May 22nd through June 14th and submit photos to inspire eight movie themes: Setting, Time, Character, Mood, Relationship, Goal, Obstacle and the Unknown. Throughout the promotion, Ron Howard, with the help of Canon experts and the Project Imagin8ion community, will narrow down the submissions and select eight photos – one from each category. These eight winning photos will become the basis and inspiration for a short film shot with Canon DSLR products that will premiere later this year in New York City with the winners in town for a red carpet event where they will have the opportunity to meet Ron Howard.

As part of the overall "Long Live Imagination" campaign, Canon will be curating the most inspiring photography out there, championing the imagination of the masses while demonstrating the infinite possibilities of Canon digital imaging. The customized Long Live Imagination brand channel on YouTube will serve as a meeting place and sharing community for Canon users and photography enthusiasts alike throughout 2011. The Imagination Gallery will be linked to other social media platforms including Flickr, Facebook and Twitter, so that users can easily share their photos, pose questions to the community and participate in real-time discussions. Though the gallery will launch as the home of Canon’s "Project Imagin8ion" initiative, the community page will live-on and continue to grow.

Grey New York, Canon’s agency partner for over thirty years, is developing the creative and digital elements of the multi-phase campaign. Alliance, the entertainment and lifestyle marketing division of Grey, is managing the partnership with Ron Howard and executing the consumer promotion, film premiere event and public relations efforts.