A Tagline is Worth 1000 Words

As a kid my camera toting parents were heard often spouting the phrase, "Now that's a Kodak Moment!"  There was a time in my childhood when this tagline was uttered in rapid fire fashion.  During Easter biting the ears of my chocolate bunny, my little sister's dance receital, action shots on the soccer field or even a moment I'm still very fond of ... a self taken photo of my 1st pair of canvas nike tennis shoes.  This picture was worth 1000 words; exciting newness, classic design, beautiful laces untouched by a spec of dirt and kenetic potential to dominate any playground activity.  I couldn't resist!  This was a Kodak Moment indeed.         

Kodak recently filed Chapter 11 which could mark the end of the Kodak Moment.  This was a troubling bit of news because like my parents I find myself saying the familiar tagline when I snap a photo.  I said it just today when my dog "Doug" began playing with a soccer ball.  Luckily I had my iPhone at the ready when he placed his front paws atop of the ball and yawned.  I like to believe he belted out a mighty roar!  As you can see from the photo it was an incredibly cute shot.  After giving the photo a few special Instagram touches I said to myself, "Now that's a Kodak Moment." 

Intimidated?

Many articles that I have read regarding Kodak's bankruptcy filing indicated that the company failed to keep up with the fast-paced, ever changing times.  If you visit Kodak.com you will think otherwise.  You will be impressed, as I have been, at how well Kodak is positioned to manage modern day demands.  There are mobile apps, photo sharing, tips from the Pros, market segmentation and many other bells-n-whistles designed to maintain Kodak's relevance.  Obvious signs that they are not going away without industrious effort.  Not exactly the beaten-down titan riding solemnly into extinction.  Far from it.  Kodak should be applauded for continuing efforts to effectively evolve their brand of products and services.  Along the way they have had to make several extremely difficult sacrifices.   

Could it be they find themselves hanging by the thin thread of bancruptcy because they failed to evolve the one thing that helped their brand establish past dominance?  Clearly the tagline Kodak Moment did not wash away from our minds when we started using digital cameras and smartphones  to take our pictures.  What did go away was Kodak's use of a highly effective tagline and definining what a Kodak Moment looks like in 2012.  Maybe it's a soccer playing Shih Tzu, who knows?