Canon inspires Vietnam with innovative solutions

How has belt-tightening by local customers affected these launches?

The world photographic and digital imaging market has seen a slowdown over the last five years, however, Vietnam has proven to be a special market. Although the nation’s economic growth remains less than 10 per cent, the local demand for digital imaging products has experienced strong growth. From what we’ve seen, it’s clear that Vietnamese people have a real demand for high-quality digital imaging products such as ours. This is demonstrated by the fact that Canon’s revenue grew 127 per cent in the Vietnamese market during the first half of this year, with our cameras and lenses performing particularly well. What’s more, we have seen a growing number of enthusiastic participants in Canon-led initiatives such as photographic training courses and contests around the country.

We believe there are several reasons for this. First, the increase of the middle and high income brackets in Vietnam has strongly supported our business. Second, Canon Marketing Vietnam has worked tirelessly to connect photographers, through activities such as the Canon PhotoMarathon amateur photography competition. We are seeing a significant change in Vietnam: people are understanding more and more how photography makes their lives better. This change helps our company to grow stronger in the market. Last but not least, distribution network is working very efficiently and effectively. This is vital, as the distributors connect our company with customers and help them to discover our products.

At Canon, we take great pride in being able to provide a range of quality products and solutions that are suitable for the broad needs of Vietnamese users.

Canon’s latest EOS 7D Mark II

Canon PhotoMarathon is one of the most successful social activities by Canon in Vietnam. What are your thoughts about the 2014 marathon that took place in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City a month ago?

This is the ninth year of the contest, but every year we find a number of new young and talented photographers. This year nearly 3,000 and 5,000 participants in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City respectively broke the attendance record for any Canon PhotoMarathon across Asia. This is an astounding success. This year’s record number of participants is truly a gift for the organisers. Not only does the contest contribute to the growth of Vietnamese photography, but it also proving to be a beneficial and healthy platform for young people to become involved in.

Through the Canon PhotoMarathon competition, we have sought to express our belief in Vietnamese photographers, support them and give them the opportunity to have new experiences, to be confident in exploring their abilities, and to further grow their passion for photography. They are the ideal representatives to promote the beauty of the culture, country and people of Vietnam to the international community through photography. This is in line with Canon’s philosophy of Kyosei, which means ‘living and working for the common good’.

People are increasingly taking photos from their smartphones. Do you think this trend could affect your sales target for professional cameras?

The growth of smartphone cameras is actually a positive development for us, as it has helped many people to discover their interest in photography. This in turn has helped to expand the camera market. We acknowledge that many people use smartphone cameras as a first step, and then they turn to our cameras for a better imaging experience. This is evidenced by increased uptake on our DSLR range, which caters to photographers who want to take the next step in their imaging journey. While it could be said that smartphones do pose a small challenge, I personally see more opportunity from their rise in popularity.