Camera Brand Sightings in TV / Film?

Shima · February 17, 2008

Hey all,

I'm writing a graduate paper comparing marketing, customer brand loyalty, and other fun such aspects between Canon and Nikon.

One thing I'm interested in looking at is where we see shameless advertisement for one brand or another in tv and film. So if you could list any examples of the title and what brand you saw in it, that would really help me out. I already know CSI = Nikon... the movie Sweet Home Alabama was on today and I noticed an easily readable Nikon there as well... I know Canon is the official sponsor of the NFL every year... so if we can keep on this trend and point out where you've seen brands, that would be awesome help for me.

Thanks!

(Along that note, I will eventually be posting my survey on here once I finish finalizing it... I also want to compare brand loyalty for the two brands for Americans and Japanese...and will be going to Japan in two weeks from now to conduct surveys over there)

If any of you would be interested in reading the final product when I'm done I will gladly post it up here at the end of the semester.

SavedByZero · February 17, 2008

You mean like this??

Shima · February 17, 2008

SavedByZero wrote:

You mean like this??

Yup

Keep em coming! (Japanese and American movies welcomed) ^_^

jonh68 · February 17, 2008

Jimmy Olson used a nikon in Superman Returns.

Shane422 · February 17, 2008

CSI is one big Nikon commercial. Its so blatant, that I've seen them use the macro flash setup to take landscape photos.

SloYerRoll · February 17, 2008

Shane422 wrote:

I've seen them use the macro flash setup to take landscape photos.

Hey Shima,

I for one hope you post your paper when your done. I'd love to read it

A little fuel for your paper: (I just did a bit of googling)
Robert DeNiro using an F4 with a mirror on it (probably the 500) in "Heat" with Al Pacino.
Julia Roberts uses an F5 in Stepmom.
An F5 in Vertical Limit.
Robert DeNiro uses F5 with a 180 f/2.8 lens in "THE SCORE" with Edward Norton.
Alec Baldwin uses an F5 and what appears to be a 50/1.8 in his role as a photog. in the movie "The Edge".
Lots of Nikons in "Close Encounters of the Third Kind".
A few F5's in the second "Jurassic Park" movie.

Notice a trend here

gtc · February 18, 2008

Rear Window
Jimmy Stewart with a Meyer Telemegor 400mm/f5.5 on a Practica in Alfred Hitchcocks' "Rear Window"

Awais Yaqub · February 18, 2008

Shima i am also stuck in similar things but it is just a start

well here are few i remember

Dont remember canon or nikon but here is what i remeber

Spiderman = Sony
Matrix 2 = Samsung Cell phone and some cars ?
Charlies angels = Sony
Sword fish = Dell (confirm this one)
Bad boyz Panasonic Laptop and sony handy cams
Fast and the furious various car audio systems pioneer LCD

wow this marketing tool really works

TaDa · February 18, 2008

I don't know if your paper will cover sports, but Canon has Ice advertising around the New York Rangers logo at Madison Square Garden. So whenever a Rangers game is on TV, you see the Canon logo a bunch. This isn't the best picture of it, but you get the idea.

Shima · February 18, 2008

I'm only looking for Canon and Nikon sitings. Thanks!

Awais Yaqub wrote:

Shima i am also stuck in similar things but it is just a start

well here are few i remember

Dont remember canon or nikon but here is what i remeber

Spiderman = Sony
Matrix 2 = Samsung Cell phone and some cars ?
Charlies angels = Sony
Sword fish = Dell (confirm this one)
Bad boyz Panasonic Laptop and sony handy cams
Fast and the furious various car audio systems pioneer LCD

wow this marketing tool really works

Shima · February 18, 2008

Since Canon litters the NFL I will likely be covering the area of sports marketing as well. Thanks!

TaDa wrote:

I don't know if your paper will cover sports, but Canon has Ice advertising around the New York Rangers logo at Madison Square Garden. So whenever a Rangers game is on TV, you see the Canon logo a bunch. This isn't the best picture of it, but you get the idea.

xris · February 18, 2008

Very interesting topic!

Shima wrote:

Since Canon litters the NFL I will likely be covering the area of sports marketing as well. Thanks!

Seems to me the marketing strategies are very different. Nikon pays big bucks to have its products placed in TV and film productions while Canon gets seen far more often in real-world, pro-shooter, situations.

Not just sports -- where almost every pro camera I see is Canon -- but even in Paparazzi huddles and the shooters that line parade routes. Almost all are Canon.

Canon's packaging goes a long way in this regard. Its ingenious cream-coloured, red ringed, design makes Canon far more noticeable.

Notice that in CSI you almost never so the actual Nikon trademark?

Looking forward to seeing your paper....! When can we expect it?

Shima · February 18, 2008

xris wrote:

Seems to me the marketing strategies are very different. Nikon pays big bucks to have its products placed in TV and film productions while Canon gets seen far more often in real-world, pro-shooter, situations.

Not just sports -- where almost every pro camera I see is Canon -- but even in Paparazzi huddles and the shooters that line parade routes. Almost all are Canon.

Canon's packaging goes a long way in this regard. Its ingenious cream-coloured, red ringed, design makes Canon far more noticeable.

Notice that in CSI you almost never so the actual Nikon trademark?

Looking forward to seeing your paper....! When can we expect it?

End of the semester. It's a paper for my Masters so it's got a lot of work, research, and length before it will be completed.

Stay tuned for my survey of brand loyalty between the two... I hope to post that right before Spring Break once I've finalized the questions I'm going to ask in Japan. I want to compare Japanese and American responses, could be interesting

claudermilk · February 18, 2008

TaDa wrote:

I don't know if your paper will cover sports, but Canon has Ice advertising around the New York Rangers logo at Madison Square Garden. So whenever a Rangers game is on TV, you see the Canon logo a bunch. This isn't the best picture of it, but you get the idea.

I'm pretty sure I've seen Canon ads on the boards in other barns as well, just don't recall whose. Then, of couse any time anyone's doing on-ice presentations if any photographers get in the shot, it's almost certain they're holding a Canon 1D-something-or-other, usually with a 16-35 or 24-70 on it.

Scott_Quier · February 18, 2008

If memory serves (but I'm getting older, so ...) I think I remember seeing both Canon and Nikon plastered all over the boards at various figure skating events - Nationals, Olympics, etc.

evoryware · February 19, 2008

Plenty of Canon stuff at Yankee games including a huge banner in left field. and during certain games, many cameras near both dugouts and outfield.

cmason · February 19, 2008

PBS offers a new HD show called 'Travels to the Edge with Art Wolfe". It is a show about a photographer photographing exotic and wild locations, and it is actually quite good, BUT, it is a HUGE Canon commercial throught the entire show.

http://www.travelstotheedge.com/

Gitzo should sponsor too, since Art Wolfe always has his camera on that Gitzo

Shima · February 19, 2008

evoryware wrote:

Plenty of Canon stuff at Yankee games including a huge banner in left field.

Your pic isn't displaying. Definitely seeing the theme here w/ Canon and sports though

Shima · February 19, 2008

cmason wrote:

PBS offers a new HD show called 'Travels to the Edge with Art Wolfe". It is a show about a photographer photographing exotic and wild locations, and it is actually quite good, BUT, it is a HUGE Canon commercial throught the entire show.

http://www.travelstotheedge.com/

Gitzo should sponsor too, since Art Wolfe always has his camera on that Gitzo

Very interesting...

On a side note, I was watching Without a Trace last night and they had this guy from the paparazzi who had gone missing... I kept watching all the cameras to see if a brand was readable, but the whole time you could never read a brand. Guess that show hasn't sold it's soul...

claudermilk · February 19, 2008

I've seen a number of shows that hide the logos. But for we addicts, it's not too much trouble to figure out what the camera is (if it's got a big white L on it it's too easy

). Kind of akin to gearheads watching & identifying some obscure car simply by it's taillight showing for a couple of seconds.

rebelxtnewbie · February 19, 2008

Not TV or Film, but the box for Girl Scouts "All About" cookies have kids using a Canon 1 series + 24-70 f/2.8 on one side and it looks like a 300 2.8!

Phyxius · February 19, 2008

NCIS is another CBS show with lots and lots of Nikon gear. Generally they have higher end equipment so it's a little easier to see the "Nikon" branding along with the actual body name no the strap.

Below are top grossing movies with Nikon and Canon from 2001-2007 from Brandchannel.com

Nikon-
2007--
I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry
Evan Almighty
Spiderman 3

2006-
Superman Returns
The Break-Up
The Pink Panther

2005--
Guess Who
Hitch * both N&C
The Interpreter

2004--
National Treasure

2003--
Kangaroo Jack
Underworld

2002--
Austin Powers in Goldmember
Red Dragon
The Ring

2001--
Rush Hour 2

Canon-
2007--
The Bourne Ultimatum

2006--
Hostel

2005--
Flightplan
Hitch* both N&C

2004--
Spider-Man 2

2003--
Cradle 2 the Grave
Freddy vs Jason
S.W.A.T.

2002--
Jackass: The Movie

2001--
Swordfish

Internaut · February 20, 2008

A Sony A100 (with nothing more than its kit lens) was quite prominent in Spiderman 3 in the hands of Eddie Brock/Venom - it's good to have IMDB to help with these details. It looked so out of place because the one time I've seen the press in any numbers (middle of a military coup), they all used Canons with not even a Nikon in sight, let alone one of the bit players.

claudermilk · February 21, 2008

Just got a new one last night in the Ducks game broadcast. A nice long close shot of a photog wielding 1D-something with a 70-200/2.8L IS on it.

Shima · February 21, 2008

Thanks everyone, feel free to keep these coming, I am reading them regularly!

xris · February 22, 2008

Not exactly TV and Film, but you'll find this thread interesting.

http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=84863

Shima · February 22, 2008

xris wrote:

Not exactly TV and Film, but you'll find this thread interesting.

http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=84863

It's still marketing so quite interesting to me! Thanks.

Elaine · February 22, 2008

Canon seems to be big on the tennis courts...remember those Andre Agassi commercials? And now Maria Sharapova for the P&S cams? I guess commercials aren't exactly what you're looking for, but I know Canon has a presence at major tennis tournaments.

ulrikft · February 23, 2008

Dexter uses a nikon camera

xris · February 23, 2008

No idea where this came from, or who took it, but...

KED · February 23, 2008

xris wrote:

Canon's packaging goes a long way in this regard. Its ingenious cream-coloured, red ringed, design makes Canon far more noticeable.

That is certainly true, and now that I am addicted to this stuff (and a Canon loyalist), I get a kick out of looking for those "white lenses" -- professional golf is another place where they can't be missed.

The thing is though, until you know about those white lenses, you probably don't even notice or have no idea what you are looking at brand-wise, so I'm not sure about it as a marketing thing. I'd wager that 90% of the people who are paying attention and "get it" are either Canon users (who don't need to be marketed to) or Nikon users (who can't be marketed to).

Camera Brand Sightings in TV / Film?

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