On October 15th 201,1 Adam Biro was fishing off Cottage rock near the Hawkesbury River, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. That day he caught more than he expected: a still functioning Lumix FT10.The Lumix FT10 is shock proof, water proof, dust proof and frost proof. But was it lost proof? We aimed to find out, and by doing so create an unbelievable product demonstration brought to life directly by the consumer that then drove them to register their own products at MyPanasonic.com.au if this were to happen to them.

The search began through Panasonic's social channels, and was headlined across Australia and the world. Pictures from the camera were posted on Flickr, the drop location on Google maps, and other clues were released online to further the search for it’s rightful owner. And finally on November 18th, 12-year-old Emma was reunited with her beloved Lumix FT10.

Thanks to Adam and all who helped track down the owners - in less than a month - the story had made more than 4.4m impressions nationally with 45,000 unique views. Media valued at over $140K for zilch.

The search began through Panasonics Facebook page and Twitter feed - headlining across Australia and the world. Pictures from the camera were posted on Flickr, the drop location on google maps, and other clues were released online to further the search for it’s rightful owner.

And finally on November 18th, 12 year-old Emma was reunited with her beloved Lumix FT10. An unbelievable product demonstration brought to life directly by the consumer that then drove them to register their own products at MyPanasonic.com.au if this were to happen to them.

The Lumix Lost activity was the single most prominent story in the Australian camera industry during 2012.

It generated more than 300 media articles in local television, radio, online and print press – giving Panasonic a significant advantage in brand awareness and product messaging in the lead-up to the all-important Christmas-trading period. The story began with fisherman, Adam Biro, who had found the Panasonic rugged camera and sought to relocate it with the camera’s owner. To ensure the effort was considered credible, the story was initially seeded with industry and grassroots media – before gradually taking on a life of its own. The original story was published in 81 online and print publications, and was so successful that many social media commentators initially believed that the lost camera opportunity was real. Local social media experts such as Vuki Vujasinovic, founder of Click, commented in a number of publications that, “this is almost certainly a planned stunt by the Panasonic PR team … the fact that the supposedly accidental finding perfectly highlights the key features of the camera makes the whole thing just too convenient”. Other commentators such as Iain McDonald from digital agency Amnesia told the Canberra Times that, “if it turns out to be fake, it may turn out to be a PR disaster for Panasonic. If it’s real then it’s a great ad for the product.” Rather than detract from the story, the controversy helped drive the story to a whole new level. The public relations team built on the veracity of the story, through PR and social media opportunities with Biro, his family, Panasonic representatives and community members. Journalists were even offered the opportunity to examine the camera for themselves – which created another wave of coverage. Subsequently, the family who lost the camera was located. Of the media that had run the story, 93 per cent ran a follow-up piece – with many including evocative quotes from the owner of the camera, 12-year-old Emma Griffin.

This 'proof' of the story’s authenticity helped to quash any previous skepticism and lifted tonality of coverage for Panasonic’s tough cameras to record highs. During the quarter, articles on Panasonic LUMIX cameras were considered 18% more favourable than that of its main tough competitor Olympus – in a market were even a single figure advantage can have significant commercial benefits. In terms of volume, the activity more than tripled LUMIX’s media coverage return on the previous quarter. It helped deliver Panasonic the leading share of voice amongst camera manufacturers for the quarter, with a 37.3% share of all coverage for the period, importantly widened the gap between itself and the other leading tough vendor, Olympus, by more than tripling total coverage of its competitor during the period (423 v 130).Thanks to Adam and all who helped track down the owners, in less than a month, the story had made more than 4.4m impressions nationally, with 45,000 unique views. Featuring in the Sydney Morning Herald, Cnet, TechGuide, Gizmodo etc. Media valued at over $140K for zilch.