Client: Eastman Kodak Company Todd Bigger (President) Website: https://www.kodak.com/us/en/corp/default.htm Address: 343 State Street, Rochester, NY 14650, USA
Designer: Jordan Mayers Website: https://jmayers.wixsite.com/portfolio Number: 443-955-9983 Email: j.mayers@setonhill.edu Address: 163z 1 Seton Hill Drive, Greensburg PA, 15601
Brand Brief
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History of Logos
Research and Information History
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Founded in 1880, Kodak revolutionized the photography industry, being the leader in film production and sales for 100 years. George Eastman started the company after becoming involved in photography and realizing how time-consuming the process was. He invented a dry plate formula and patented a machine for prepping large numbers of plates and Kodak was born. When dry plates were going out of style, Eastman pivoted the company. He realized that rather than just selling the dry plates, Kodak had started out to make photography an everyday affair. By 1889, Eastman had invented the first commercial transparent film role along with the Kodak Camera. The slogan, ‘You push the button, we do the rest’, demonstrated how Kodak was bringing photography into every household. As the demand for film grew, Kodak remained an industry leader by continually inventing breakthrough photography devices. In 1900, the Kodak Brownie Camera brought photography within financial reach of customers with the camera selling for $1 and film at fifteen cents a roll. In 1935, Kodachrome Film became the first commercially successful amateur color film. In 1975, Kodak invented the world’s first digital camera. Kodak continued to create new technology that improved the film industry. So, it was a shock in 2012 when the company filed for bankruptcy. Kodak had been the leading photography industry for years; for example, in 1976, they owned 85% market share on cameras and 90% on film. However in 2005, the digital camera started taking over the film industry. Kodak did not visualize digital cameras as the future, so they continued to promote their film. By 2009, they stopped making film; realizing too late they had missed the opportunity on the digital camera market. With major competitors like Canon excelling with digital cameras, Kodak switched to digital printers, but then had to compete with companies such as HP. In January 2012, Kodak filed for bankruptcy and announced that they were going to stop producing digital cameras, pocket video cameras, and digital picture frames, and focus on the digital imaging market.
Today, Kodak is a technology company focused on imaging. They provide hardware, software, consumables, and services to customers in graphic arts, commercial print, publishing, packaging, electronic displays, entertainment and commercial films, and consumer product markets. By offering services such as software and solutions, Enterprise Inkjet and print systems, and 3D printing technology, Kodak has entered a new market industry. Through a variety of marketing and partnership agreements, Kodak is helping customers around the globe sustainably grow their businesses and find suitable solutions.
Kodak works with businesses to facilitate the digital capture and administration of documents, optimize workflow, and manage documents to save time and money. They are also working on industrial solutions, including industrial x-ray film and Kodacolor: Directto-Garment ink; exploring options to create what’s next to bring tomorrow’s ideas to today’s market. Kodak film is still being used today to create movie masterpieces, including The Irishmen and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
Industry Analysis
The digital imaging industry is in the heart of technical innovation and development. The market is continually altered by government and business agencies to improve productivity and provide greater access to information. The digital imaging market is in a period of growth due to improvements such as improved reliability, error free image recovery without loss, the reduced requirement for physical 2016 storage, and elimination of environmental problems caused by film-based photography. The major Target Audience and trend in the industry is including Customers WiFi and photo sharing integration into cameras using digital imaging Kodak targets businesses, technology. With competitors such especially those in graphic arts, as Fujifilm, Canon, and Agfacommercial print, publishing, Gevaert in the manufacturing and packaging, electronic displays, industrial technology industry, entertainment and commercial Kodak must take advantage of films, and consumer product technology adaptation, expanding markets. They are focused on product lines, changing lifestyles providing solutions for today’s business customers. Their portfolio and strategic alliances. is based on deep technological Client Reputation expertise developed over the years Kodak is one of the most wellin materials science, deposition known companies for camera and and digital imaging science.
film technologies. Due to its lack of initiative on digital cameras, it fell behind in the general public’s eye. Today, it is still viewed as the company which brought cameras into every home producing a nostalgic feeling. There seems to be a consensus that the general public does not realize that Kodak is still in business. Since they have changed their products and services, Kodak has done a poor job of marketing their new brand to the public.
Marketing Information
Kodak is a virtual store and their best marketing appears on their website. Since a majority of their business is conducted online, Kodak focuses on their online presence. They have blogs, a Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Youtube, and LinkedIn profile. Twitter is their most popular social media platform with over 47,000 followers. In the past year, they gained followers at a steady rate and consistently disseminated content. Their Instagram is also highly popular and updated often with 625,000 followers. Kodak is successfully producing content for popular social media platforms. Their branding is consistent throughout their online presence, using the logo created in a 2016 rebranding. Kodak does need to work on promoting their current products and services, compared to competition like Canon and FujiFilm. Consumer consensus is unsure of the products they offer since they have changed their target market to the business sector.
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Strategy Kodak started losing money when they failed to remain current with technological trends and were surpassed by competitors like Canon, who took initiative and embraced new technology with digital cameras. This lack of action on new trends hurt Kodak tremendously. Since they pivoted to avoid bankruptcy, Kodak has become a resource for businesses to obtain hard and software, easily store and access files, and turn to for innovative solutions in the digital imaging industry. Kodak has not updated their logo and branding since 2016. They created a new logo in 2006, dropping the design and going with a wordmark. In 2016, they brought back the logo from 1987, changing only the orientation of the text, to promote nostalgia and better brand recognition. They are using a logo that was used when they filed for bankruptcy, sold or stopped some lines of business, and changed their portfolio of products and services. Currently, they use the same logo which they utilized for selling film and cameras. A rebrand will help bring Kodak into this new age of
technology while also giving it a fresh look for their changed and updated business, sparking interest in younger generations. Kodak is now working with partnerships, so a professional logo will give the company an official feel. With a variety of products and services offered, a logo that is able to represent the different facets of the business could help with the branding. Creating a new tagline will allow the company to show that they have updated their business. When George Eastman founded Kodak, he established six principles: a focus on the customer, mass production at low cost, worldwide distribution, extensive advertising, foster growth and development through continuing research, and treat employees in a fair, self-respecting way. The new image of Kodak will convey these principles while showing how the company has adapted into this new age of technological developments.
Challenges
• Making the brand recognizable as Kodak.
• Creating a consistent logo that works for all the aspects of the business. • Make the brand professional and new while remaining nostalgic.
• Find a way to improve marketing strategies to remain competitive. • Create a new tagline that incorporates all products and services. • Updating the website to incorporate new branding.
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Brand Attributes Innovative Technology Nostalgic Quality Professional Digital Flexible Trusted Global Sustainable Growth Reliable Fast Virtual Partnerships