Powershot shows passionate side of Maria Sharapova

Canon

U.S.A., Inc.’s newest ad campaign
featuring tennis superstar Maria Sharapova and the PowerShot SD750 Digital ELPH
camera delivers style, substance and best-in-class status for the market leader
in digital cameras. As part of this campaign, two new commercials titled “Banter”
and “Dolce” will debut in advance of the French Open.

The
integrated campaign consists of television, print and interactive executions
that reaffirm Canon’s relationship with and commitment to linking the PowerShot
digital camera brand to an individual who embodies the essence of Canon.

“For the third installment of our campaign with Maria, we wanted to show
how passionate she is about taking pictures with her Canon PowerShot digital
camera,” said Yuichi Ishizuka, senior vice president and general manager
of the Consumer Imaging Group at Canon U.S.A. “This campaign continues to
reinforce Maria’s connection with the brand, while highlighting one of the newest
advanced photo features called Genuine Canon Face Detection Technology.”

“Banter,” the 30-second spot and “Dolce,” the 15-second
spot created by New York-based Dentsu America, and shot by industry renowned
director Joe Pytka, follows the successful “Practice” and “Attraction”
commercials that debuted in 2005 and 2006, respectively, and featured Maria
Sharapova. In this execution, the PowerShot Digital ELPH camera allows Maria to
indulge her passion of photography, personified by her efforts to capture her
Pomeranian dog Dolce’s every move. The latest spot, which was shot in Miami,
FL, puts Maria in a variety of situations to help reinforce the Canon PowerShot
brand’s positioning of substance and style, and explore Maria’s hobbies outside
of tennis. Instead of capturing a “single picture-taking moment,” as
in past executions, “Banter,” shows Sharapova literally capturing
dozens of images while taking pictures with the PowerShot SD750 Digital ELPH
camera. “Dolce,” on the other hand, focuses on the Genuine Canon Face
Detection Technology which automatically adjusts focus, exposure and flash, for
up to nine faces, enabling users to capture the shot they want every time.

“This spot takes Maria’s relationship with PowerShot to another level.
Maria’s powerful and magnetic personality always comes through on the court.
What audiences haven’t yet seen much of is the personal side of Maria, how
engaging she is off the court, and how much she really loves taking
pictures,” said Mike Wilson, chief creative officer, Dentsu

America.
“This campaign shows a fun side of Maria and showcases how much she enjoys
using her Canon PowerShot digital camera to capture all her favorite
moments.”

Both spots center on the humorous interplay between Sharapova and her
Pomeranian, Dolce. “Banter” involves Maria chasing Dolce around
various locations, including a tennis court, her house and her pool, constantly
trying to capture his every move with her PowerShot SD750 digital camera. Dolce
responds to Maria’s demands to “smile” and “roll over” through
a voiceover, snapping back with lines such as, “A little snap-happy with
the new camera, no?” and, “You think you own me? Oh wait, you do own
me.” “Dolce” also centers on Maria and Dolce, but highlights the
Genuine Canon Face Detection Technology, which sets the appropriate focus and
exposure, and can detect up to nine faces, as well as determine if a face is
the main subject of the scene as the ensuing frames demonstrate how it works.

“Being a part of this Canon commercial was a lot of fun and I think it
shows my fans another side of me while showcasing my passion for
photography,” said Maria Sharapova. “This commercial was very true to
life for me, since I really can’t stop taking cute pictures of my dog. After
seeing the commercial I’m really glad he can’t speak!”

A print ad shot by prominent Sports Illustrated photographer and Canon Explorer
of Light, Walter Iooss, will accompany the launch of “Banter” and “Dolce”
and can be seen in various high-profile consumer magazines beginning in June.