The Times of Its Troubled Life: A 2007 Visit to Kodak (Video)
In 2007, after its CEO, Antonio Perez, appeared on stage at the fourth D: All Things Digital conference, I was invited to visit the HQ of Kodak in Rochester, N.Y., to see up close the transition to a digital imaging company he was attempting.
At the time, I wrote:
“That shift has obviously been painful, including huge cuts in its employee base, due to the sharp decline of its market might. Since 2004, Kodak has cut its employee head count from about 64,000 to 30,600 as it has undergone a massive restructuring.”
Yesterday, Kodak gave up that effort and filed for Chapter 11 reorganization. Where it will go from here is anybody’s guess.
While the iconic company has tried to leverage its patent portfolio, suing Apple, HTC and Samsung, it needs more than just that as it seeks to remake its ailing business.
Here are the two videos I did with its execs of the ideas back then that obviously did not work out, as well as one of the classic “The Times of Your Life” commercials (I dare you not to tear up watching it, a potent memory of the emotional power Kodak once had over consumers):