Case Canon World Unseen – Stories of the Seas

Canon brought the World Unseen brand campaign to Finland as part of Canon's global environmental commitment. Avalon was responsible for localizing the campaign for the Finnish market, as well as the comprehensive planning and execution of the campaign's centerpiece: a photography exhibition at Helsinki Music Centre and its opening event.

Globally, Canon's World Unseen initiative leverages imaging technology to support coral reef conservation and restoration. In collaboration with Coral Spawning International and Nature Seychelles, the technology enables coral breeding work and supports reef recovery in Seychelles. Learn more about the international initiative.

In Finland, the challenge of the project was to connect Canon's international coral reef conservation theme with locally relevant storytelling for Finnish audiences. Canon and Avalon's teams jointly built a campaign concept that brought together ocean coral reefs and Baltic Sea key species, particularly the common eelgrass meadows. The story of "the Baltic Sea's coral reefs" was created in collaboration with the John Nurminen Foundation, making the global environmental protection theme personal and relatable to Finnish audiences.

The campaign's core lies in the World Unseen theme: it makes visible the world beneath the surface – ecosystems and phenomena that are vital but which few get to see. The Stories of the Seas campaign makes the invisible visible through technology, revealing the hidden beauty and vulnerability of both the oceans and the Baltic Sea.

The heart of the campaign was a photography exhibition held at Helsinki Music Centre from November 19–30, 2025, which Avalon designed and executed in its entirety. The exhibition showcased works by two leading Finnish photographers, Pekka Tuuri and Canon Ambassador Meeri Koutaniemi, depicting two different yet interconnected ecosystems. Additionally, works by young participants in Canon's Young People Program on water themes were incorporated into the exhibition.

The exhibition design included content production and visual design of thematic information panels that explained to visitors the significance of coral reefs and eelgrass meadows, the threats they face, and the ongoing conservation and restoration efforts. Each photograph received its own caption providing deeper context to the image. To ensure accessibility, the exhibition also featured an embossed print of Pekka Tuuri's photograph of eelgrass, making the exhibition's main theme accessible to visually impaired visitors as well.

The exhibition opening was designed as an impactful event that brought together media representatives, partners, staff, and other key stakeholders. Avalon was responsible for designing and producing the invitation materials as well as creating the materials package distributed at the opening.

Each guest received a carefully designed materials package that included an exhibition guide, a calendar featuring World Unseen photographs, a set of postcards, a canvas bag with the campaign logo, and lanyards with ID cards. The materials didn't just serve as mementos but continued the campaign's story beyond the event.

World Unseen wasn't just a physical exhibition – it was an extensive, multi-channel campaign that reached audiences through both digital channels and outdoor advertising. Avalon produced a comprehensive digital advertising package for the campaign, including materials for social media campaigns on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn, as well as Google advertising.

Video formats were specifically designed for outdoor advertising, bringing the campaign visibility to Helsinki's streetscape. All materials were tailored to different channel requirements while maintaining a unified visual identity and message.

One of the campaign's key content pieces is a nearly 10-minute documentary that explores the World Unseen campaign's core messages in depth and with visual impact. Avalon was responsible for the documentary's overall planning and scripting, building a narrative that naturally connects the international coral reef theme with local Baltic Sea conservation.

Avalon organized all filming and conducted expert interviews that brought depth and credibility to the documentary. Editing was done through subcontracting, but Avalon's entire team actively participated in commenting on the edit and carefully fine-tuning the final result, ensuring that the outcome perfectly matched the campaign's objectives and Canon's brand.

The project was executed in close collaboration with Canon Oy and numerous experts and stakeholders. The exhibition photographs were taken by leading Finnish photographers Meeri Koutaniemi and Pekka Tuuri. Marine biological expertise came from the John Nurminen Foundation, which served as an important source of information, particularly regarding the common eelgrass meadows. Coral reef expertise came from Canon's international World Unseen initiative and its partner Coral Spawning International.