Brand Eulogy: Kodak

Been a while since I've last dropped a Dinger so I figured I'd include the brand eulogy I recently wrote for Kodak as an exercise in strategic curiosity. While I don't believe Kodak has officially died as a brand yet, its lackluster efforts to shift towards the digital landscape has rendered them a part of history. The eulogy is as follows:

Brand Eulogy: Kodak

Today marks a tragic loss in the world of photography as a pioneer of the industry has finally laid to rest. After 123 years, the Eastman Kodak brand (commonly referred to as simply Kodak) has snapped its last picture, and shuttered its last actuation. The death marks an inevitable shift towards all media into the new digital age. Kodak fought a valiant fight but just couldn’t execute the strategy to remain relevant among consumers throughout the shifting media landscape. To appreciate the life of the brand we must take a brief look at the long, often arduous road traveled by the pioneering company.

The brand, founded in 1889 by George Eastman, was a staple in the traditional film photograph world. From its early beginnings as a dry plate company in Rochester, NY, Kodak evolved into the leader of the film and camera sales market. By selling inexpensive cameras Kodak made its big money by selling consumables – film and paper. They even introduced mass-market photography with the unveiling of the Kodak Brownie. A Harvard report shows Kodak’s market share in both film and camera sales were upwards of 85% as late as the mid-1970s. As a cry for a more efficient means of photography erupted among the public, Kodak watched its share of the market drop as competitors like Fuji, Sony, Canon and Nikon made a much swifter transition into the digital age. Though the capabilities were there, the Kodak executives couldn’t imagine a world without traditional film and their poor foresight forced the iconic brand into Chapter 11 bankruptcy in early 2011.

Many will miss the Kodak name, as the nostalgia of the brand will remain with the purists of the film world. It is survived by competitors whom took an early grasp on a shift in consumerism and digital prevalence. Rest in Peace Kodak – you are gone but not forgotten.