Canon and Little League® Announces New Partnership with “The Great Wall of Fandom” Utilizing Canon PIXMA Printers and Cloud Technology at the Little League Baseball® World Series

MELVILLE, N.Y.--()--Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, today announced the launch of a multi-year partnership with the Little League International, which kicks off with the "Print to the Little League Baseball® World Series" event in South Williamsport, PA. From today through the end of the tournament on August 24, baseball fans from around the world can utilize Canon PIXMA Printing Solutions and cloud technology to share photos and words of encouragement printed on-site to create "The Great Wall of Fandom." With the new partnership, Canon becomes the official camera and printer sponsor of Little League Baseball and Softball, the world’s largest youth sports organization.

To celebrate the tournament and cheer on all of the competing teams, fans from around the world can submit their supportive comments and images via a custom microsite, thegreatwalloffandom.com. Canon will then print high-quality versions of the photos and messages on a Canon PIXMA MG7120 Wireless Inkjet Photo All-In-One printer, made possible via cloud connectivity, and the Canon team in Williamsport will add them to “The Great Wall of Fandom.” Series attendees will see the photos and messages posted throughout the tournament, and images of how the exhibition evolves will also be shared online daily for the enjoyment of supporters worldwide.

Brand ambassadors will also be available at the World Series sites using Canon EOS Rebel T5i Digital SLR and Wi-Fi® equipped PowerShot SX700 HS Digital Cameras to take photos of attendees and post the content directly to “The Great Wall of Fandom.” In addition, Best Buy has partnered with Canon to lend on-site support at the batting cage installation to answer any PIXMA printer or PPS questions.

“From input to output with Canon cameras and printers, the multi-year partnership with the Little League Organization will allow Canon to connect with a new generation of young families who want to capture and share quality memories of this exciting sporting event,” said Yuichi Ishizuka, President and COO, Canon U.S.A., Inc. “We are thrilled that the ‘Print to the Little League Baseball World Series’ initiative allows us to demonstrate the ability to print from virtually anywhere to anywhere via PIXMA Printing Solutions (PPS). Moreover, we’re connecting with fans who can’t be there in person, but want to show their support and encouragement for the players.”

While anyone can submit photos to “The Great Wall of Fandom” from virtually anywhere during each game, Canon will also produce keepsakes for on-site spectators and attendees of the Little League Baseball World Series by inviting them to pose in a Canon-branded batting cage located in the Family Fun Zone area, where on-site brand ambassadors will take photos using Canon EOS 5D Mark III Digital SLR cameras and then print the captured images directly on Canon PIXMA MG7120 printers as tokens of the attendees’ experience.

This year marks the 75th Anniversary of Little League, and part of its longtime success in providing a healthy, safe environment for 2.4 million children in more than 80 countries can be attributed to the assistance provided by sponsorships. Canon joins Little League as its 20th National Sponsor, which help Little League maintain low team affiliation fees and provide valuable training and educational resources to coaches, parents, umpires, and volunteers. Many of Little League’s national sponsors also participate in enhancing the fan experience at the Little League Baseball World Series Family Fun Zone.

“We are excited to welcome Canon as Little League’s newest national sponsor and to the Little League Baseball World Series this August,” said Liz DiLullo Brown, Little League Vice President of Marketing and Strategic Partnerships. “Little League is more than a youth sports organization, it is a youth leadership organization, and thanks to the support of our national sponsors, Little League is able to provide parents a healthy, affordable recreational outlet for their children.”

About Canon U.S.A., Inc.

Canon U.S.A., Inc., is a leading provider of consumer, business-to-business, and industrial digital imaging solutions. With approximately $36 billion in global revenue, its parent company, Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ), ranks third overall in U.S. patents granted in 2013† and is one of Fortune Magazine's World’s Most Admired Companies in 2014. In 2013, Canon U.S.A. received the PCMag.com Readers’ Choice Award for Service and Reliability in the digital camera and printer categories for the tenth consecutive year, and for camcorders for the past three years. Canon U.S.A. is committed to the highest level of customer satisfaction and loyalty, providing 100 percent U.S.-based consumer service and support for all of the products it distributes. Canon U.S.A. is dedicated to its Kyosei philosophy of social and environmental responsibility. In 2014, the Canon Americas Headquarters secured LEED® Gold certification, a recognition for the design, construction, operations and maintenance of high-performance green buildings. To keep apprised of the latest news from Canon U.S.A., sign up for the Company's RSS news feed by visiting www.usa.canon.com/rss and follow us on Twitter @CanonUSA.

About Little League®

Little League® Baseball and Softball is the world’s largest organized youth sports program, with 2.4 million players and one million adult volunteers in every U.S. state and more than 80 other countries. In 2014, Little League is celebrating its 75th Anniversary of developing major league people. For more information, visit LittleLeague.org, or follow the Little League on Facebook (facebook.com/LittleLeague) or Twitter (twitter.com/LittleLeague). Celebrate Little League’s 75th Anniversary online at LittleLeagueBigLegacy.com, official hashtag: #LittleLeague75. Follow all of the action from the nine Little League World Series at llbws.org or on Facebook and Twitter at hashtag: #LLWS.

† Based on weekly patent counts issued by United States Patent and Trademark Office.

All referenced product names, and other marks, are trademarks of their respective owners.

Contacts

Editorial Contacts:
Canon U.S.A., Inc.
Robert Luckett, 631-330-5205
rluckett@cusa.canon.com
or
GREY PR
Tim Robinson, 212-546-1346
trobinson@grey.com
or
Canon U.S.A. website:
www.usa.canon.com
or
For sales information/customer support:
1-800-OK-CANON
ccenter@cits.canon.com

Contacts

Editorial Contacts:
Canon U.S.A., Inc.
Robert Luckett, 631-330-5205
rluckett@cusa.canon.com
or
GREY PR
Tim Robinson, 212-546-1346
trobinson@grey.com
or
Canon U.S.A. website:
www.usa.canon.com
or
For sales information/customer support:
1-800-OK-CANON
ccenter@cits.canon.com