OVERVIEW
The SVA Masters of Branding Thesis allows eight weeks to explore brands that have fallen out of touch with culture. Our task was to identify the single most important issue facing Eastman Kodak today and reposition the brand so that it could regain its cultural relevance.
BACKGROUND
In 1887, motivated by the cumbersome and costly photography equipment that he purchased while planning a vacation, George Eastman, founder of Kodak, strove, “to make the camera as convenient as the pencil.” Through this, he didn’t just democratize photography, he almost single-handedly created the field of amateur photography. By 1976, Kodak alone represented 90% of the film and 85% of the camera sales in the U.S. With worldwide recognition and a rich history, Kodak regularly rated as one of the world’s five most valuable brands well into the 90s. Revenues peaked at nearly $16 billion in 1996 and profits at $2.5 billion in 1999. However, with the advent of digital photography, and subsequently smartphones, Kodak’s fortunes changed. While an innovative company, Kodak’s strategy was not forward thinking and they were unable to make timely business decisions. In 2012, this iconic American brand hit rock bottom when Eastman Kodak Co. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after being outpaced by new entrants and competitors such as Fujifilm. In an effort to rescue the company, Kodak sold a part of their patent portfolio, but fortunately retained access to most of it. The same included 1,100 digital imaging patents and was a step towards emerging from bankruptcy.
KODAK TODAY
CHALLENGE
We realized that Kodak needed to identify areas that could deliver consistent growth potential, while also unifying the oval brand. Though digital cameras may have irrevocable changed the film business, it has only gone on to do what Eastman did for photography, democratizing it and making it easier for people to record and share what they see or imagine. This ability to create and share stories is at the heart of humanity and at the heart of the Kodak brand. In order to move forward, Kodak needed to regain its cultural relevance by advancing from a single-minded brand that solely captured moments to a multi-faceted one that promotes meaningful and momentous experiences.
PROCESS
The team began by exploring the current Kodak brand, its place in the imaging industry, and its role within the culture of human storytelling throughout history until today. Next, we analyzed what competitive, analogous, and adjacent brands were doing in order to see what we could learn from them. This allowed us to identify patters and correlations, to understand how the core truth of Kodak has evolved over time, and how to identify which reality it needs to face today. Most importantly, we had to establish what Kodak does that no other organization can do, or offers. Also, from speaking with both past and current customers, we realized that the Kodak that people seem to know isn’t the Kodak of today.
Extracts from interviews
INSIGHTS
Images and imaging have played an important role in human history, helping to document moments and tell stories while simultaneously shaping and spreading culture. Much like humanity, storytelling and culture never cease to evolve, changing and taking on new forms that call for new ways of interaction. When we hear a story, our brain perceives the information differently than just processing language; rather it activates all parts of our brain. Stories connect with our emotions and personal experiences. Stories keep our imaginations alive.
As a society, we’ve moved from passive documenting to active sharing of our own stories and creating content, from capturing moments to elevating experiences.
BRAND POSITIONING
STRATEGY
The goal of our ‘Future in Focus’ strategy is to enable Kodak to regain its rightful place as an innovation leader by shifting the perception of Kodak from a film brand, that is out of touch with culture, to a brand that elevates moments and influences culture. The objective of this strategy is to make Kodak present whenever and wherever the discourse of innovation is taking place. Furthermore, it will move Kodak beyond product orientation by connection the brand to a higher purpose.
As part of this strategy, we also restructured and streamlined the Kodak organization into three primary business divisions: KODAK LABORATORIES, KODAK MOMENTS,and KODAK DEVELOPS. These are setup to drive constant innovation and encourage boundless imagination.
The first business division, KODAK LABORATORIES, exists to sustain a culture of curiosity and collaboration within the internal Kodak company culture. Through the initiative coming out of this division, we can spark a connection with a new generation; educating, inspiring, and entertaining through immersive experience in ways only Kodak can.
At the core of this business division, we are establishing KOLABS. These are physical spaces where Kodak employees are encouraged to exercise their curiosity and problem-solving skills.
The KOLABS also exist as a wide-reaching online platform, which aims to promote access to knowledge through open sourcing patents to a global audience.
KODAK LABORATORIES will also sponsor KODAKATHON competitions at university campuses across the United States, where the brightest minds are given access to Kodak’s old and new patents to create breakthrough technologies and products.
The second division, KODAK MOMENTS, is dedicated to showcasing how the application of Kodak’s patents and technologies can enhance everyday experience. The first development of Kodak moments is the KODAK CAROUSEL, a 360 degree pop- up experience that bridges the old Kodak with the new through an interactive store- like experience. Made out of flexible OLED Screens, it shows Kodak’s historic Colorama images on the inside and allows consumers to create their own stories on the outside display through the use of Snapchat Geo-filters.
We also realized that Kodak has 20 years of experience in the packaging industry, however, their consumers are unaware of this capability. Therefore, we developed KOTAGS, an electronically printed labeling system that prevents food from being subject to counterfeiting and eliminates drug safety concerns. This tactic would not only allow Kodak to merge its material science and deposition innovations with its expertise in packaging, but it will also tap into the philanthropic spirit of its founder George Eastman, who strongly believed that, “one’s reputation is being measured by how much one can contribute to the lives of others.” With our tagline “Smart Tags for Brilliant Smiles,” we created a relatable consumer facing campaign that will show Kodak’s effort to the public.
The 3rd new business segment of Kodak is KODAK DEVELOPS, which focuses on creating a better future for today’s youth through the democratization of education. It seeks to make tools easily and readily accessible to those who desire to further their learning.
Kodak will finance and lead its efforts to democratize education with the Eastman Kodak Foundation which is being established within Eastman's belief in mind that "the progress of the world depends almost entirely upon education".
The first initiative we imagined coming out of the Eastman Kodak foundation is KODAK GIRLS. Here we wanted to once again put a focus on independent and curious young women, that want to explore and change the world, just like the brand did almost 100 years ago with their "Kodak Girl" advertisements.
With our slogan, “Imagination Has No gender” we aimed to cross boundaries and to educate girls about career options within the STEM industries. We saw Kodak as a brand in the position to start a conversation around stereotypical myths that still exist when it comes to choosing a career path for young girls and boys. With our campaign we are showing girls nationwide that they can pursue any career that they can imagine.
Team members: Samantha Joy, Sarah Schmitz, Natalia Bednarek, Emeka Patrick