• Promo, Thursday, August 17, 2006 12:31 PM

More than 20 Maria Sharapova look-alikes will descend on Manhattan during U.S. Open week to promote Canon USA's new line of PowerShot digital cameras. From Aug. 28 to Sept. 4, doubles of the photogenic 6-foot-tall tennis star will hand out 80,000 branded fans and 100,000 branded subway maps with information on getting to the U.S. Open. Canon's PowerShot.com Web site will direct consumers to the location of the Marias, and offers a sweepstakes prize--a trip for two to watch her play anywhere in the world. Canon's competitor Olympus swept up the camera category rights to the U.S. Open, so this shrewd promotion gives Canon a way to promote its sponsorship without being on the grounds of the U.S. Tennis Association's Tennis Center. Canon will set up an opening day tennis court on the flight deck of the Intrepid, featuring look-alikes of tennis stars John McEnroe and the Jensen brothers. The campaign will be supported by TV ads featuring the real Sharapova, magazine inserts and mobile billboards.

Read the whole story at Promo »