'With the emergence of camera phones and other technologies used to capture pictures, Kodak has recognized the growing culture of digitalization and has evolved with it,' said Raymond Albert, Kodak Philippines country general manager.
Dubbing its new strategy the Kodak 360' experience, the company introduced its latest developments during a recent event, starting off with new offerings including the new dual-lens camera Kodak EasyShare V570. New services include: uploading photographs from mobile phones with the Kodak Picture Maker Kiosks; developing pictures at home with the Kodak printer docks; and sharing and developing of photos online at the Kodak Web site. The company also announced the newly-remodeled Kodak Express Digital Solutions Store which serves as a one-stop-shop for Kodak digital products and services.
The company also revealed its new official logo to signify the company's evolution into digitalization. 'We are transforming into a digital company so the logo change is fitting,' said Albert, describing the logo as simpler, with a more contemporary feel.
The 360' experience
'We're not just a camera (company), we also think of retail and the full circle of storing, retrieving, and printing -- be it at the (Kodak Picture Maker) kiosk, online, or at home,' said Albert. Consumers want to own their images and customize them as they want; they want easy quality, easy sharing, easy archiving, and portability, and this is what Kodak will give them, said Albert.
Now with more than 500 Kodak retail locations and over 380 kiosks in the country, Albert said the stores will keep on coming. The first newly-remodeled Kodak Express Digital Solutions Store is located in Glorietta in Makati City, offering a whole range of services catering to every consumer's need, allowing them to upload and customize their photos in the computers and print their images.
The Kodak Picture Maker Kiosk, found in almost all Digital Solutions stores, allows customers to print photos in as fast as eight seconds and supports almost all digital media formats, including wireless camera phone printing through Bluetooth and infrared technology. Kodak also relieves consumers of the need to drop by the store for printing because pictures can already be developed at home with printer docks or online.
Kodak Mobile, a feature found in the latest Nokia camera phones, also gives customers useful information on where they could have their pictures printed. The mobile market is, in fact, an increasingly promising market, said Albert.
'We are more than just a text messaging (short messaging service) country, we also like to print our photos,' said Albert. According to Albert, roughly 70 percent of pictures printed in the Kodak kiosks come are from mobile phones -- a statistic that Albert believes is quite unique to the Philippines.
Keeping it Kodak
Set to focus on the digital consumer market, Albert said the company does not want to come up with complicated cameras because they believe in making things easier for the consumer. The country general manager however expressed hope that the market will see Kodak not only as a camera company but the full-circle service the company offers.
'We hope that customers continue to entrust their pictures to Kodak, not only to take them, but to store, retrieve, and print,' said Albert.
Citing a quote from Kodak founder George Eastman, 'You push the button, we do the rest,' Albert said there is no stopping Kodak from emerging, growing, and evolving with the changing times. 'Keep it Kodak because we'll be here a lot longer,' said Albert.