Canon’s grandest-ever Christmas retail promotion delivers strong results

Canon’s grandest-ever retail campaign reached its highpoint when the 54 first prize winners who scooped their seats on the Jet with Canon started their exclusive four-day Aussie adventure.

Winners and their guests were flown into Sydney to board Canon’s privately chartered Boeing 737, before it set off towards iconic destinations in Queensland and the Northern Territory. Packed with exclusive experiences, the holiday features Australia’s natural wonders, pure adrenaline-fuelled fun, gourmet dining and top Australian entertainment. A special performance by country music legend Lee Kernaghan celebrated the start of the journey in the Cairns hinterland.

“The Jet with Canon campaign was created to excite and engage shoppers in the Christmas shopping season, offering a large prize pool, and a unique Canon experience for the first prize,” said Jason McLean, Director – Canon Consumer Imaging, Canon Australia. “It also demonstrates our approach to working with our retail partners to deliver a strong cross-category consumer promotion, which encourages spending during the crucial fourth-quarter trading period.”

“The Jet with Canon campaign has been enormously successful. Canon’s total units sold during the key selling period of December were 8% higher compared with the same period in 2009*1. Additionally, Canon market share of the total digital camera category increased by 4 percentage points in value terms during the same period,” said McLean*2.

“The results highlight to us the importance of offering a brand experience, and justify Canon’s continued investment in programs that support Australian retailers and add value to the consumer experience.”
The Jet with Canon adventure comprises four action-packed days of fun and entertainment, including cruising on a 30-metre luxury catamaran from Port Douglas to Low Isles over coral gardens alive with brilliantly coloured fish; time to explore Kata Tjuta (the Olgas) and Walpa Gorge in the Northern Territory's beautiful Red Centre; and the chance to capture the light of an Uluru sunrise as it transforms the sacred site, minute-by-minute.
Activities range from luxury massages and gentle island walks to scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef, wakeboarding, kite surfing, billabong rafting, quad-biking and horse riding. Taking full advantage of Australia’s natural beauty, a secluded beach party at Thala Beach Lodge near the Great Barrier Reef kicked off the evening events. A rainforest dinner set in a World Heritage listed area in Far North Queensland, delightfully lit with chandeliers, treated guests to an evening of fine dining and dance.
Watch the adventure unfold in pictures, video and conversation on the Canon Australia Facebook page. View the Jet with Canon Gallery.
A total of 9,077 people (7,719 from Australia and 1,358 from New Zealand) entered the competition which ran from 15 October 2010 to 5 January 2011.

To take part in the promotion, consumers were required to purchase a participating Canon product through an authorised Canon retailer. The promotion included cash prizes to the tune of $680,000. The total prize pool was up to $1.3 million in Australia and up to $710,000 in New Zealand. Participating Canon products included all IXUS, PowerShot, LEGRIA, and EOS cameras and lenses; PIXMA, LASER SHOT and SELPHY printers; all Binocular models, and select Faxes and Scanners.

For more information visit Canon Australia .

1              Source: GfK Retail and Technology Australia, Digital Still Cameras, Camcorders, Multifunction printers, Single function printers, Retail Sales Units Dec 2010 vs. Dec 2009 (excludes internet and online channels)

2              Source: GfK Retail and Technology Australia, Digital Still Cameras, Retail Sales Value Dec 2010 vs. Dec 2009 (excludes MMC, internet and online channels)