Tennis Star Maria Sharapova Shows She Is A One Woman Powershot Puparazzi In Canon USA’s Latest Commercial

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.

Media
“Banter” and “Dolce” will launch today on a collection of high-profile national television outlets. The commercials are scheduled to air on the season finales of “24” and “American Idol,” as well as during the NBA Finals and on a variety of the highest-rated cable networks.

The print ad will hit newsstands in early June and will appear in a number of leading consumer magazines, such as Entertainment Weekly, People and Wired. In addition, an In addition, an extensive interactive campaign has been scheduled and will appear on a variety of consumer Web sites beginning in June.

About Canon U.S.A., Inc.
Canon U.S.A., Inc. delivers consumer, business-to-business, and industrial imaging solutions. The Company is listed as one of Fortune’s Most Admired Companies in America and is on the 2006 BusinessWeek list of “Top 100 Brands.” Its parent company, Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ), is a top patent holder of technology, ranking third overall in the U.S. in 2006†, with global revenues of $34.9 billion. To keep apprised of the latest news from Canon U.S.A., sign up for the Company’s RSS news feed by visiting www.usa.canon.com/pressroom.