The Kodak Growth Moment – Overhauling an Icon

By Bob Siegal, Prager and Fenton LLP

I write this blog post while sitting in the Phoenix Hospital ER, waiting for an orthopedic surgeon to treat my crippled hand. 

OK, I’ll be honest - I’m really writing this while sitting poolside at the Marriott, sipping a Mojito desperately trying to self-medicate while trying to write this blog entry using the frozen claw that my right hand has become. However, if I had a lick of sense I would be in the ER. 

Jeffrey Hayzlett took the stage this morning allegedly to give the above referenced presentation.  If the ANA were being accurate however his presentation would have been titled; “PITY THE POOR FOOL WHO HAS TO TAKE ACCURATE ENOUGH NOTES TO WRITE THE BLOG ON THIS PRESENTATION” – which would be me.

I cannot remember the last time I heard someone relay so much quality information, so quickly in such an entertaining fashion. So there I am writing away like some scribe on crack trying to capture all of Mr. Hayzlett’s musings when my hand completely seized. But I suppose I am getting ahead of myself – let’s turn the clock back a few hours…

So here is Kodak, king of an analog technology and a product line that has essentially become obsolete who along the way also created and owns a lifestyle concept and cultural icon - “the Kodak moment” - that is now entirely an entirely digital activity. What is a giant corporation facing extinction to do?
Kodak’s solution as to hire Mr. Hayzlett, who is undoubtedly the first CMO in American business to be engaged and given the mandate (recorded on video for all to see) by the company’s CEO to “Create Tension Inside the Company” (given this charge, perhaps he should change his title to Chief Tension Creation Officer) while reframing Kodak’s marketing department from an organization that sold a product – film - into a digital force selling Emotional Technology.

We learned a lot in his short presentation –
• Kodak holds 25,000 patents in digital technology
• 70% of Kodak’s revenue comes from digital products
• 2/3 of its income is from outside the US
• The majority of its business is from B to B NOT B to C.
Go figure.

We also learned of the Hayzlett proximity rule – “don’t make eye contact with him or you WILL get an assignment to do something”

We also learned about the transformation process and the underlying Kodak philosophies towards their business:
• People don’t take pictures, they capture memories, moments.
• The real Kodak moment is sharing our moments.
And my favorite:
• My memories are what make me, me. Its only when I share them that I become complete.

There was much, much more content; details on the transformation process, funny stories about bypassing the corporate infrastructure to make things happen quickly and efficiently, the emotional connection to consumers, being willing to put yourself out there to do what you know is right. But, the thing is it took me all afternoon to write this so I need to stop. If you want to see the rest of the story, the outcome of this work in progress, a stop at Kodak.com might not be a bad way to start.