Kodak Busts a Move

[bmattock]

News today from all over on Kodak...

1) Kodak lays off 1,000 at Lucky plant in China. Yawn.

2) Kodak introduces largest concerted media campaign ever (for them). Biggest marketing spend ever - they're busting the marketing budget and getting ready to spend like crazy. Pure digital, one message, trying to stay on target from one end of the spectrum to the other. This is the lead-up to Christmas sales, and Kodak wants it to be digital Kodaks under the tree this year. They want to be first out of the gate this year, so Christmas marketing begins today.

3) Kodak has decided to go 'gay friendly' (not that they were 'gay unfriendly') and market heavily towards gays and lesbians - even using g/l actors in nationwide TV campaigns that they feel will still sell well with conservative middle America. Normally passes over everyone's heads anyway - gays know they're being marketed to specifically, but the average citizen misses the special note and gets only the main marketing message. This is not new (Sears has been doing it for some time), but first for Kodak. Risky if some take offense, but probably no one will.

4) Kodak wins big with Walgreens drug store chains. They had Kodak digital printing kiosks, then Fuji pushed them out - now Kodak is in again, and they will jointly introduce (with rival camera maker HP) one-hour photo pickup from images uploaded from the Internet at all nationwide Walgreens. Well duh, WalMart has had that for over a year. Still, Fuji got spanked in this round.

Amazing the people who work in the industry and send me email so I can leak it out. This is fun! Oooh, I wanna be a 'industry insider!'

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

 

[MacDaddy]

...and I will continue to refuse to buy Kodak products for some of the reasons stated above!
Rob "MacDaddy" White

 

[bmattock]

...and I will continue to refuse to buy Kodak products for some of the reasons stated above!
Rob "MacDaddy" White

That's the thing with free markets - everybody gets to decide what they will and won't buy! I am trying to swear off Pepsi products because their COO called the USA the "middle finger" of the world and told college grads not to be like the US - disliked everywhere. I love my Dew - but I don't want to support them with my dollars. Argh!

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

 

[jdos2]

I welcome our new Yellow Box masters.

 

[dmr]

Jeez, if I stopped buying things because I disagreed with something somebody did or said, I wouldn't be buying very much. 🙂

I don't buy much Kodak film, but mainly 'cuz I prefer Fuji. Kodak is a good second choice. I have, however, enjoyed shooting Kodachrome lately.

 

[bmattock]

I welcome our new Yellow Box masters.

"Meet the new boss...same as the old boss." -The Who.

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

 

[Sean Moran]

Maybe now's the time to switch to Ilford?

Cheers,

Seán

 

[jlw]

Nah, let's switch to Agfa. That'll show 'em!

 

[jlw]

I am trying to swear off Pepsi products because their COO called the USA the "middle finger" of the world and told college grads not to be like the US - disliked everywhere.

And I heard he then went on the Phil Donahue show and said that he gives 10% of all their profits to Satan. No, wait, that was P&G... sounds kind of like the same type of story, though...

...otherwise, telling people to try not to be disliked everywhere sounds like rather good advice. (I probably should take it myself.)

 

[Sputnick]

They want to be first out of the gate this year, so Christmas marketing begins today.

Christmas marketing? We're not even in September yet!

<grumpy old fart mode = off>

 

[bmattock]

And I heard he then went on the Phil Donahue show and said that he gives 10% of all their profits to Satan. No, wait, that was P&G... sounds kind of like the same type of story, though...

...otherwise, telling people to try not to be disliked everywhere sounds like rather good advice. (I probably should take it myself.)

1) Not a rumor, she (CFO, not COO as I reported) said it. Pepsico even put an apology online for a brief period of time. I read both when they happened. I actually follow the news and can sift news stories from email rumours, amazingly. I know some folks can't tell the difference, but I can.

2) Nobody gets to insult my country and then expect me to take their 'good advice.' Good advice is to avoid insulting the USA when you earn a living as a CFO of a US corporation.

Since I have no power to fire the ingrate, I can only send the message of not buying the product.

That's it. Just a personal choice. Not asking anyone else to join in.

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

 

[BJ Bignell]

Christmas marketing? We're not even in September yet!

<grumpy old fart mode = off>

My grandparents have had the Sears "Wish Book" for Christmas for two weeks already. Christmas season is really ceasing to have any real meaning, anymore...

 

[nomade]

Kodak are the most available here, add this to the prices, mega sales, offers, gifts and stuff...Fuji superia for color, kodak for black and white..But mostly there'll be a kodak store nearer than the stores selling fuji and i'll get a kodak anyway..

Edit: kodak are the most expensive around though (that's why they make room for others) but there r always sales for that...2 films with the price of one, 20% off and bla bla bla...

 

[XAos]

I love my Dew - but I don't want to support them with my dollars. Argh!

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

You're local so you should know this - Sun Drop! Even a diet sun drop. whenever I go down east it is EVERYWHERE. I occasionally see it in this part of the state. It pretty much lives outside of the I-85 / I-40 to Raleigh corridor, in the land of RC and moon pies.

 

[bmattock]

I'll have to try to find some Sun Drop. All I see around here that is local is Cheerwine, which is some bizarre stuff! I think I like it, but I suspect it may actually be made out of that stuff they used to put in wax soda bottles. You remember them.

I loves me some RC cola. But I'm also a midwest boy from birth - so my wife got me some Sioux City Root Beer recently. A nice break from IBC, which is also excellent.

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

 

[back alley]

root beer is my favourite!

 

[egpj]

POSTOBON manzana and Britania soda. Nuthin bedda!

As for film, I have been a part of the Ilford collective for a couple of years now. The even sent me this little "Ilfopro" card. Can't charge anything on it and it is flimsy as a piece o'crap card can get but they took the time. (warm fuzzies and big hugs from Ilford).

 

[DerekF]

More OT chatter...

More OT chatter...

All these soda names being thrown around could pass for film developer brand names! 😛

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

3) Kodak has decided to go 'gay friendly' [...] (Sears has been doing it for some time), but first for Kodak. Risky if some take offense, but probably no one will.

Thanks Bill -- My girlfriend thinks that I just point out things that just make sense to me. I will e-mail this thread to her. BTW, I've noticed the same thing with (some hotel name) and (some Internet provider).

4) Kodak wins big with Walgreens drug store chains. They had Kodak digital printing kiosks, then Fuji pushed them out - now Kodak is in again, and they will jointly introduce (with rival camera maker HP) one-hour photo pickup from images uploaded from the Internet at all nationwide Walgreens. Well duh, WalMart has had that for over a year. Still, Fuji got spanked in this round.

Amazing the people who work in the industry and send me email so I can leak it out. This is fun! Oooh, I wanna be a 'industry insider!'

I don't think anybody should be an "insider". They are, like, part of the Machine, man. Do you want to work for The Man? Stick it to The Man, man!

Anyway, Kodak really continues to baffle me. They have so much knowledge in film, all that money, expertise, time invested in research for film, the envy of many, and they go ahead and squander it with their very mediocre entries into digital. I have seen many samples taken with various cameras using their sensors, from professional to "P&S", and it's appalling. The DCN was great under the right conditions, but outside the portrait studio, it's just as mediocre as, say, Vivitar.

Still, all the reputable photo printers have a Fuji printer. Walgreens has horrible customer service, uneventful at best, and Kodak riding on them is a bad bet.

IMHO, of course.

 

[RObert Budding]

I can usually find someone in any company whose views I disagree with. Why, I even disagree with myself sometimes. I'd have to become a suvivalist and move into the forest if I decide to stop buying products of companies who employ folks I don't agree with.

Robert