Kodak clearly lived on past traditions, yet they seemed to have difficulty reflecting on an earlier time when they were a marketing marvel. By all appearances the leadership had forgotten about the days when Kodak was a relentless advertiser, tapping into the hearts of America and the world with its nostalgic ads. And what about Don Draper, the adman in the ‘60s who could fascinate an audience and make us appreciate a new Kodak product like only he could?
I thought it would be great if Kodak would consider trying similar strategies to pitch the so-called “New Kodak”, so in 2010 I contacted the Sr. Director of Marketing and shared some thoughts about how we might recapture some of the glory days when Kodak advertising was second to none.
I suggested the idea that marketing feature Steve Sasson in TV and other ads. Steve Sasson is the inventor of the digital camera, and still a Kodak employee.
It appeared to be a no-brainer to me - after all, we had the inventor of the digital camera in our midst. What a powerful message to the world it would have been to know that a Kodak employee was actually responsible for ushering in this new era of photography. Some who follow social media are aware of who Steve Sasson is, but my pitch to the Director was to make him a household name by utilizing mainstream media. My thinking was that Kodak would once again rise above all in photography, as this information could have been huge in terms of credibility.
Just as Don Draper pitched for Kodak in the ‘60s, Kodak again had the opportunity to reinvent itself utilizing Steve Sasson effectively as the new Draper. But the idea was all that it turned out to be. The Sr. Director stated that he liked the idea and would discuss it with his team, but in actuality, that was the end of it.