Investigation and Analysis (Canon)

 Researching the Client

Canon.inc is a Japanese company located Ota, Tokyo, they specialize in optical technology such as cameras, medical devices and printers. The company was founded in 1933 by Takeshi Mitarai, Goro Yoshida, Saburo Uchida and Takeo Maeda under the name “Precision Optical Instruments Laboratory”.

 In 1936 the “Kwanon” (Japan's first 35mm focal-plane-shutter camera) camera prototype was developed which they would continue to innovate on over the next 20 years. Shortly after the Kwanon’s development, the company would be renamed to Canon. Canon became a symbol of Japanese technology during the 60’s which perpetuated the idea of Japan being more technologically advanced than other parts of the world.

The original name of the company was Seikikōgaku kenkyūsho, however after the creation of the Kwanon, the company would rename to Kwanon which would be changed yet again in 1947 to Canon which is similar to a term in Buddhism.

 As of 2023 the company creates, manufactures and produces not only cameras but general technology such as printers, camera accessories, binoculars and computers for a period of time between 1970s to 2001.

Canon consists of many subsidiaries which specialize in certain products such as Canon production printing which creates printing products such as printers and software, Canon Medical systems which create medical hardware and software for hospitals and Canon Tokki which creates OLED displays.

Researching Existing Media

These posters for canon present the camera as professional and futuristic, which appeals towards the photographers who will most likely buy the product. The posters are minimalistic and present the camera as the primary focus of the advert using composition. The colors are sparse except for the camera lens, which naturally draws the viewers attention towards the lens, the lack of much color implies that the target demographic is adults rather than children (who are typically associated with bright colors).

Canon’s previous campaign was the “Never break your flow” campaign, created to promote their EOS R system camera. The campaign was primarily targeted towards content creators and how they could be more creative using the cameras. The ads depict people taking photos or dancing which sufficiently communicates the target demographic of social media influencers.

The target demographic of my editorial is between 16 and 25, Canon products are primarily targeted towards professional or aspiring photographers, the Canon adverts convey this by utilizing a sleek, minimalistic design, much like the cameras themselves. The simple design communicates that the cameras are for professionals. The target social grade of these adverts are seemingly the upper class who are more likely to spend money on expensive camera equipment than the middle or low class.

Canon’s “Never break your flow” campaign was targeted towards content creators and social media 

Influencers, the ads conveys that the camera is design for social media by showing how a content creator could use it like taking photos or recording vlog footage.

Audience Research

These are the results from my audience research google form, it shows that the majority of my audience isn’t male, are teenagers and have all used canon products. My audience believes the word journey means traveling to other places but it can also mean the improvement of someone's health. My audience have read editorials.