Brand Failures
Brand Failures Brand Failures
272 Brand failures tive strategy if the brand is to survive in the long term: ‘Today, Kodak is competing not just with arch rival Fuji but with hungry Silicon Valley predators in search of a share of the emerging digital-photo market. The challenge facing the company is to transform itself into a high-performing organization, capable of holding its own with the likes of Canon and Microsoft’. However, the Kodak brand has been tied with conventional photographic film since it was introduced in 1885, and the reputation will be hard to change. Furthermore, numerous other photography brands have a broader, more digital-friendly reputation. Not only Canon, but Minolta, Sharp, Sony, Casio and many more. Furthermore, every time a technology makes a major advance, entirely new brands emerge on the scene. When the home computing market exploded, along came Apple. When mobile phone technology took off, along came Orange. Kodak itself was once a pioneering new brand for a pioneering new technology, famously promoted with the slogan ‘You push the button – we do the rest’. Now though, the brand name carries with it over a century’s worth of brand perceptions which are out of sync with the digital era. The question Kodak executives will resist, but ultimately may have to face, is whether it is time to push the button on the brand itself. Opinions from the marketing experts are divided. Dearlove and Crainer believe its former successes will be enough to carry the brand through claiming, ‘the Kodak brand is likely to survive in one form or another – it is too valuable to be allowed to die.’ Ries, on the other hand, believes Kodak doesn’t stand a chance: ‘The Kodak brand has no power beyond the realm of conventional photography.’ If Kodak is to stand a fighting chance it needs to make some tough and potentially risky decisions. It will find it increasingly hard to keep one foot in conventional photography and the other in digital. After all brands are built on ‘either/or’ rather than ‘both/and’ policies. As branding is a process of differentiation, Kodak must still preserve a unique identity in order to stand out from its competitors. At the same time, it must be able to form a brand image that is as cutting-edge as the technology it is starting to promote. This is by no means impossible. After all, providing photography survives in some form Kodak will have a fighting chance. Its strategic partnership with AOL for its ‘You’ve got Pictures’ service was certainly a move in the right direction.
Tired brands 273 It will, however, mean making some tough and difficult decisions. Among these will be the most difficult decision a brand ever had to make: should it divorce itself from its own heritage Although difficult, it is better that this decision is made by the brand on its own accord, rather than forced upon it at a later date by the state of the market. Whether it will be possible is another question entirely, and only time will tell. Ultimately, Kodak may be forced to create a new brand altogether. Lessons from Kodak Markets do not stay static. Markets are always in a constant state of flux, especially those which are based around technology. Brands have a lifespan. The Kodak brand has been around since the 1880s, making it one of the oldest technology brands in existence. Now, the brand may be reaching the end. ‘There is a time to invest in a brand and there is a time to harvest a brand,’ says Ries. ‘And, ultimately, there is a time to put the brand to sleep.’ Success is a double-edged sword. The more successful a brand becomes within one market, the more difficult it becomes for the brand to adapt when that market changes.
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Tired brands 273<br />
It will, however, mean making some tough and difficult decisions. Among<br />
these will be the most difficult decision a brand ever had to make: should it<br />
divorce itself from its own heritage Although difficult, it is better that this<br />
decision is made by the brand on its own accord, rather than forced upon it<br />
at a later date by the state of the market. Whether it will be possible is another<br />
question entirely, and only time will tell. Ultimately, Kodak may be forced<br />
to create a new brand altogether.<br />
Lessons from Kodak<br />
Markets do not stay static. Markets are always in a constant state of flux,<br />
especially those which are based around technology.<br />
<strong>Brand</strong>s have a lifespan. The Kodak brand has been around since the 1880s,<br />
making it one of the oldest technology brands in existence. Now, the brand<br />
may be reaching the end. ‘There is a time to invest in a brand and there is<br />
a time to harvest a brand,’ says Ries. ‘And, ultimately, there is a time to<br />
put the brand to sleep.’<br />
Success is a double-edged sword. The more successful a brand becomes<br />
within one market, the more difficult it becomes for the brand to adapt<br />
when that market changes.
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