Rogue Elephant: Death by Tradition is an account of the adversities and deep-rooted values that brought down a legendary and once mighty photography giant.
Each day of our lives is in some way connected with tradition. Whether celebrating a birthday, commemorating a holiday, or exchanging wedding vows, our lives would be vastly different if it were not for the practice of tradition. Simply said, we live in union with traditions of the past.
However, when it comes to business, the notion of holding on to a previous time can spell certain death, as the ability to adapt to present conditions is a fundamental requirement for survival.
This book will examine how one company held on to its belief in a product line that lost its appeal to a changing world market. This company once had no competitor that could rival its most valued commodity and proved time after time that it could survive even the worst of economic times.
The world of photography changed rapidly at the end of the 20th century and shortly thereafter, so did the economy. Kodak found itself in a multi-crisis and by the time the company reacted, it was too late.
35mm Film was no longer the vitality of photography for Kodak, or the world, and it could not be revived. But Kodak stayed the course, ignoring earlier warning signs, and didn’t react pragmatically like many of its competitors.
There were smaller and lesser-known companies that were more nimble and adapted to the change to digital photography faster, which also helped them survive the recession that began in December 2007.
There were some empty efforts by Kodak at adopting the new digital technology, but it seemed that Kodak’s heart waned right along with the glory days of its beloved 35mm film, a product that made the world smile for so long.
Kodak Chairman and CEO Antonio Perez found himself and his company in deep trouble. His concerns were well-noted, as revealed in this book, but appeared misdirected. By every indication, Kodak’s leadership was torn at the prospect of letting go of the traditional film business and making a legitimate move to digital photography. The very foundation that the company was built on had been badly shaken, yet Perez’s response to the crisis seemed more like an evacuation plan from a burning building than a well-conceived plan of action to save the company.