Nikon 100th Anniversary Launching a global campaign featuring Marilyn Monroe's legendary single shot

Optical equipment manufacturer Nikon has designated the year starting July 25, 2017 as its 100th anniversary year and is conducting various communications initiatives.
As part of this, from February to late March 2018, it launched its first global unified campaign, "The moments. / The moment I fell in love.", using the legendary photograph of Marilyn Monroe (1926–1962).

The photograph was taken by the master commercial photographer Bert Stern (1929–2013), who was a devoted user of Nikon cameras.

In 1962, a photo session between the two was arranged for a prominent fashion magazine. As it took place just six weeks before Monroe's death, it became known as the "legendary session" and is remembered as "Marilyn Monroe/The Last Pose."

Over 2,500 photos were taken during the three-day session. Among the vast number of films left behind was one image showing Monroe holding Stern's beloved Nikon F camera, displaying an innocent and charming expression.

The company launched a Japan-originated campaign featuring this photo as its key visual, primarily through digital advertising across 12 countries including Europe, the US, and Asia.
Banner ads appeared on major search engines like Google and Baidu, while articles detailing the story behind the legendary shot ran on sites like GQ and Wired. Notably, a 30-second commemorative video released on YouTube garnered high view counts and sparked buzz across various countries.
In Japan, the campaign garnered significant attention through full-page color advertisements in national newspapers and video broadcasts on Train Channel.