Canon: Printers in Concert

The phrase "work of art" typically doesn't conjure up images of office electronics, working together in perfect harmony. But as the latest spot from Canon illustrates, this isn't your typical printer. To demonstrate the efficiency and reliability of their imageCLASS printers, Canon had a 19-person orchestra perform a special arrangement of Beethoven's 7th Symphony, reading from sheet music that was printed on stage in real-time using 19 imageCLASS printers placed in front of each musician. The performance hadn't been rehearsed - in fact it was the first time the musicians and conductor had ever performed together in this ensemble. The spot represents a new approach to B2B marketing, merging art with business and tech to enhance and even beautify the perception of everyday office occurrences, like printing paper or making copies. To pull it off, the printers had to print a combined 70 pages over the course of the 90-second arrangement, in complete synchronization in front of a live audience at the iconic United Palace Theater in New York City. This feat required absolute precision timing and utter dependability from the new line of printers in a high stakes environment. A single mistake could throw the entire piece off course. Canon's 'Printers in Concert' is the first execution in their new campaign and branding initiative, "A Different Class of Printers: imageCLASS" that strives to elevate the brand in the competitive office-supply market and was created in partnership with advertising agency 360i.