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When you’re the world’s top name in film photography, it’s not easy to convince people that you can become a leader in cutting-edge digital technology. But with the help of Ketchum, Kodak was able to do exactly that when it launched its EASYSHARE-ONE wireless digital camera.
By 2003, many photography experts were openly skeptical that Kodak could thrive in the fast-moving world of digital pictures. Market research showed that while the 115-year-old Kodak was a respected name, the company was not seen as an “innovator.” The company asked Ketchum to help change that image with the 2005 launch of its EASYSHARE-ONE camera, which offered groundbreaking features such as wireless picture e-mailing.
Ketchum crafted a plan with the goal of reaching out to high-priority customers and influencers of public opinion. Ketchum identified two of the most tech-savvy locales in America, San Francisco and New York, to open “pop up” KODAK One galleries – hip, interactive, multimedia urban spaces that showcased EASYSHARE technology. Key opinion makers were invited to the gallery openings and numerous of-the-minute tools – from street marketing and media parties to blogs and podcasts – drove up interest and gallery attendance.
The galleries attracted some 13,000 visitors, more than double expectations, including well-known photographers and even pop star Carrie Underwood, and almost as many people visited the KODAK One site online. And among those gallery visitors, more than 80% identified Kodak as a digital innovator, which carried over into numerous media placements, including The New York Times, USA Today and Forbes. More than one-third of articles about Kodak in 2005 carried a message of “innovation.”
In 2005, Kodak was number one in the U.S. digital camera market for a second-straight year. For that same year, Kodak and Ketchum were presented a PRSA Silver Anvil award and a SABRE gold finalist award for the EASYSHARE-ONE public relations campaign.
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