Hasselblad Anniversary Campaign

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Challenge
Hasselblad, the well-known Swedish producer of camera equipment, has been through a swift transformation via the purchase of Imacon, which possessed the technology that could change Hasselblad from being the leader in analogue photography to being the leading supplier of high-end digital camera for professional photographers. Hasselblad has launched its digital cameras later than the competitors and, in many photographers’ eyes, Hasselblad was still associated with anachronistic, top-quality analogue equipment, which is no longer in line with what Hasselblad offers its market.

The campaign’s goal was therefore:
• To bring Hasselblad forward in the mindsets of professional photographers who buy new equipment for over 50,000 Euros.

• To give knowledge of Hasselblad features and thereby generate motivation to order a demonstration, dealer visit or brochure.

• To generate 500 product demonstrations/dealer visits.

• To sell 10,000,000 DK-worth of products to dealers, equivalent to approx. 5,000,000 DKK in contribution margin.

• To build up the database with profile data of professional photographers.

As well, the goal was to create a closer direct contact to the market. Hasselblad products are distributed via local dealers; thereby Hasselblad has no direct contact with end users and only a general, centralized control of dealers’ sales activities and market influences. With the campaign we aimed to build up a central database of the professional photographers, which would act as an index of qualified leads for dealers to follow up on. Leads generated from the campaign were distributed to the nearest dealer for follow-up.

Qualitative goals:
• Shift Hasselblad’s brand values to concrete advantages in the photographers’ work lives by treating product USP’s in a context where the photographers could immediately see the point.

• Promote product demonstrations/sales via dealers instead of professional photographers.

• Brand Hasselblad as the best in their field and strengthen knowledge of their development from an analogue to a digital platform.

• Strengthen mutual relations.

• Strengthen dealers’ motivation for dealing with Hasselblad via topics of high quality.

Solution
From individual interviews with photographers and analyses we found out that photographers are aesthetic, visual people who burn for taking good pictures. The only technical interest they take primarily involves what the camera can actually do in terms of light, flash, sharpness, speed, picture size, etc. Post-photograph treatment isn’t exactly the photographers’ biggest passion.

The strategy that has brought Hasselblad in the lead regarding digital photography, is the result of a close collaboration between Imacon, Adobe and HP – resulting in a unique workflow that, together with Hasselblad’s new digital cameras, ensure extremely good picture quality and an easy, manageable and integrated work process.

So to get the professional photographers to understand the unique, digital Hasselblad, we created a strategy that took advantage of photographers’ eagerness to take pictures – what is called “to capture” – as a stepping stone to work in the rest of the unique Hasselblad workflow to their understanding – WITHOUT going into digital-technical nerd mode.

The next strategic challenge was to be able to communicate with the professional photographers with respect for their self-image – there is a risk of accidentally talking down to them or being too mundane, also because we had to find a way to bring the messages out of a technical language and into the photographer’s own world.

“Help Peter take photos for an internationally-recognized chef’s cookbook”
The strategic challenges were solved via a creative platform that consisted of a story told in an online quiz universe with multiple-choice questions. The photographers were invited to consult Peter, a young professional photographer. The photographers needed to help Peter create a high-profile cookbook for a known chef – a job all photographers dream about. In the 4 quiz rounds, Peter received different tasks that generated questions that the participants were supposed to help Peter answer.

In every round the participants had a chance to win the camera that Peter used in that quiz round. For each round, quiz questions centered on the camera in question and the following workflow, which the photographers were led through.

To end the first round, the photographers gave their profile, including their level of loyalty toward Hasselblad, brand preferences, equipment portfolio and experiences with the work process in connection with photographing and picture treatment.

Immediately after the completion of each quiz round, participants received individualized emails with relevant arguments according to how they had answered, together with appetizers of what Peter’s next task would be. Everyone was also invited to the next round with individualized emails.

Online quiz story as qualifying lead generating
The story was used as a segue to recruit the photographers as leads for dealers: at every point of contact in the campaign flow, the photographers could order product demos, dealer meetings and product brochures. All orders went straight to dealers for follow-up.

The story in the quiz universe:
“A well-known chef wants to publish a quality cookbook about his famous cuisine. He would like your studio to take the pictures for the book. You select young Peter for the job. With your help, he could do fantastic work – and give you plenty of chances to win exclusive Hasselblad equipment.”

The quiz was built up around the unique USP’s of each of the Hasselblad cameras the participants could win. Every round had a photographic theme, for example interior pictures in reportage style, portrait pictures or food pictures. In every theme, the photographers worked through problems like sharpness, color management, etc. – each time in relation to how the cameras perform.

The campaign was executed in German and English.

Results
• 1870 ordered a product demonstration or dealer visit (+374%)

• 4807 ordered product brochures

• Contribution margin: 29,081,250 DKK (+582%)

• Campaign expenses: 1,500,000 DKK

• ROI: 19 (more than 5 times higher than the set goal)

Plus the value of a new database with 22,983 subjects with profile data, and the value of 22,983 photographers who have updated their knowledge of Hasselblad’s new digital position.