Leo Burnett

This is work done by Leo Burnett Sydney for Canon; it is part of the Canon Photo 5 "creative exhibition" and photo competition Leo Burnett devised as part of their effort to get amateur photographers to use their creativity in a more imaginative way, while using Canon products. The basis of the competition was for Australian amateur photographers to take and submit photos using the five "briefs" that dictated various objects to be included in the photos. All photos submitted were compiled and ultimately turned into an art exhibit, where people could view and observe the unique perspectives of thousands of photographers. This is certainly an example of "artful advertising" at its finest; Photo 5 is a genuine and generous way of putting the campaign in the people's hands. Rather than offering prizes or money to people who create an actual ad for a brand, Photo 5 gives photographers the opportunity to first: interact heavily with the brand (I'm sure there is a stipulation in the fine print that requires contestants to use Canon cameras), and second: be a part of creating an event, not just a 30 second spot. Additionally, viewers can browse through of the photo entries submitted online at the Photo 5 website, and the photos that people have submitted are really amazing. This might be a competition for amateurs, but most (I won't say all) of the work looks professional. The high quality work makes Canon look great because it sends the message that an amateur can take a great photo...as long as they have a Canon camera. This non-traditional component to Canon's advertising stands out from other contests because it rewards sophisticated creativity for a change. There are no snow globes to the groin anywhere (sorry, spoiler alert), but the work presented is almost a refreshing comment on humanity and where are we are going as a society and blah blah blah....all of those kind of positive, philosophical notions about mankind because this shows that there are intelligent people making art everywhere in the world, or at least a lot of people in Australia.