Kodak Destruction Part 2

The Rise of Photography

Let’s go back in history and take a
look at the rise of Kodak…

Back in the late
19th century,
the Eastman
Dry Plate
Company
produced the
first cameras
that were not
aimed for
professionals.

The first simple
roll film cameras
that this company
produced were
called Kodak. The
cameras were so
successful that the
Kodak word was
incorporated into
the name.

The Eastman
Kodak
Company was
founded in
1892.

By targeting
non-
photographers,
Kodak created
a huge market.

George
Eastman,
Kodak's
founder, coined
the famous
advertising
slogan: \"You
press the
button, we do
the rest.\"

The slogan
came to
define
Kodak and
was used
during most
of the 20th
century.

The simple ’point
and shoot’
Brownie camera
allowed
consumers to
take their own
pictures. They
could then mail
the roll of film to
Kodak, which
would develop it
and return the
photos by mail.

Before Kodak, people could not
afford or manage to take photos
regularly and document their lives.

Kodak brought photography
to the people, just like Ford
brought cars to the people.

Kodak became a household name. Kodak
moments, Kodak days, ’to Kodak’, the
company defined consumer
photography and the brand became
very strong.

People loved to take photos, and as
they became richer, they took more
photos…

And thus,
Kodak made
more money
and kept
growing, and
growing.

The company was so
dominant that it became a
verb, ’to Kodak’, just like
Google has become a
verb today.

Simple, cheap photography
turned out to be a
business idea that worked
globally and thus, Kodak
took on new markets and
kept growing.

In the early days of
globalization, Kodak
established its first
wholly owned subsidiary
in 1897, in France.

An image of the Kodak Park in
Rochester, 1938.

Needless to say, George Eastman
made a great personal fortune from
the success of Kodak.

Som photos from his house
in Rochester (NY)…

The company helped set the standard of
35 mm film, and introduced the 16 mm
format format for amateurs.

In 1935, the KODACHROME Film was
introduced and became the first
amateur color film success.

Color film
was the
next big
thing.

Along with this, the
consumer cameras were
further developed.

In 1962, sales
exceeded 1
billion USD and
John Glenn
became the first
astronaut to
orbit the earth.
Of course this
Kodak moment
was memorized
with Kodak film.

In 1957, the Kodak Brownie Starmatic was
launched. Over the coming five years more
than 10 million of them were sold!

But even
greater
revenues
were made
by selling
film.

Just like Gilette made great money by selling
razor blades, Kodak made great money by
selling film. The main source of profit was
not the razor or the camera, it was the
continuous consumption of blades and film.

Film could be bought
and finished everywhere.

With signs,
Kodak also
sought to
encourage
people to
take a lot of
photos…

In the 1980s and 1990s Kodak
launched even simpler cameras…

Targeting those people who
only needed a few photos
and not a camera.

The number of employees
increased steadily over time:
1927 20 000
1946 60 000
1955 73 000
1973 120 000

In 1981, the company had a
turnover of more than 10
billion USD.

In the 19th and 20th century Kodak
became a true American classic.

It was founded
by an
energetic and
visionary
entrepreneur,
and created
joy and
memories for
millions of
people.

Kodak was a true American dream.

George Eastman and the
Kodakers did to photography
what Henry Ford did to cars.
They made it available, usable
and affordable for everyone.

The next slideshow will look at the dawn
of digital imaging and how Kodak
handled this disruptive threat.

Image attributions

Christian Sandström
www.christiansandstrom.org