At Kodak, Some Old Things Are New Again

Eastman Kodak, which once considered itself the Bell Labs of chemistry, has embraced the digital world and the researchers who understand it

New York Times, May 2, 2008 — Steven J. Sasson, an electrical engineer who invented the first digital camera at Eastman Kodak in the 1970s, remembers well management’s dismay at his featMy prototype was big as a toaster, but the technical people loved it,” Mr. Sasson said. “But it was filmless photography, so management’s reaction was, ‘that’s cute — but don’t tell anyone about it.’ ”

Since then, of course, Kodak, which once considered itself the Bell Labs of chemistry, has embraced the digital world and the researchers who understand it.

The Power of Suggestion

Forget focus groups. These days, big brands are all involving customers in all stages of the marketing process

Deliver Magazine, December 1, 2007 — Whenever Jeff Hayzlett, chief business development officer and vice president at Eastman Kodak Company, goes into retail printer outlets, he’s struck by an absurdity that has become the norm in his industry: In many stores, rows of inkjet printers sit out on open shelves for all to see and touch — while the small ink cartridges that are used to fuel them are secured behind locked cabinets.

As obvious and wrongheaded a message as this sends — that the costly cartridges are more valued than the printers themselves — Hayzlett says consumers have been saying as much for years. Incredibly, he says, many in the industry still aren’t paying attention.

“Our customers were very clear in telling us they were fed up with the cost of inkjet... continue reading

There's Nothing New in Desperate Marketing

Prophet, April 23, 2007 — Two Brands: Burger King and Ford followed different paths in their quests to grow-and stand as case studies of why the best marketing comes from innovation, not desperation.

Kodak Bucks Industry Trend as It Enters Printer Market†

Strategy Calls for Selling Ink Cartridges for Cheap to Change Consumer Habits

Advertising Age, March 7, 2007 — Did you know printer ink is three times more expensive than premium champagne? Kodak plans to help consumers come to that realization this month with an aggressive "Think ink" marketing strategy as it enters the highly competitive inkjet printer and cartridge market.

The Perils And Payoff Of Changing A Brand

CBS News, February 18, 2007 — It has to be the most overused phrase in marketing: "New and improved!" But in business new isn't just a selling point, but it's a mantra. Companies walk a tightrope to balance the need to be the newest, the freshest; the best while staying stay true to the product that put them on the map. For example, the packaging for a Cheerios box has changed, but what's inside box is pretty much the same as it was back in 1941, when General Mills launched "Cheery Oats."

Mistakes Made On The Road To Innovation

Led by CEO Antonio M. Perez, Kodak is struggling to reinvent its business model. It's not alone

BusinessWeek, November 27, 2006 — When Eastman Kodak (EK ) vowed in 2000 to become a leader in digital cameras, the idea seemed ludicrous. The old-line Rochester (N.Y.) company had film and print all through its DNA. Yet by 2005, Kodak ranked No. 1 in the U.S. in digital camera sales. Its digital sales surged 40%, to $5.7 billion, even as its film-based businesses fell 18%. The key: product innovation, something Kodak knew how to do oh-so-well. The company designed one award-winning breakthrough after another to make digital photography nearly as simple as pointing and clicking.

Kodak bets old strategy can go digital

New York Times, January 26, 2005 — For decades, Eastman Kodak thrived on a classic business model: sell lots of cameras at low prices to chalk up outsize profits on the inks, chemicals and papers used for making prints.