Kodak sponsorship with Disney Parks to end this year

[PhotoDave219]

Be pithy and snipe all you want, but I've run my own business for 30 years and I've watched the MBAs and legal advisers brought into many a company tank those places in precisely the way that Kodak tanked.

Kodak tanked because of short-sightedness, mismanagement, and the rise of cheap digital cameras. There's a lot of reasons why they failed but refusing to adapt to the changing market and not being on the cutting edge of photo technology is the prime reason.

 

[Patricia Melton]

Kodak tanked because of short-sightedness, mismanagement, and the rise of cheap digital cameras. There's a lot of reasons why they failed but refusing to adapt to the changing market and not being on the cutting edge of photo technology is the prime reason.

The saddest aspect of the Kodak story is that Kodak owned scores of digital patents.

In Rochester New York, they actually DID have a division developing digital photography patents...but MBAs in the c-suite decided this division was the redheaded stepchild of the company...instead of being the company's future.

They were making too much money off film at the time -- the MBAs argued -- so they held back on introducing the digital stuff because they wanted another year...and another year after that...of selling the film products. They could have been the industry leader into the digital age, but they did not want to be the ones to pull the lever to bring the end to film. So they just held back on all the digital tech they had developed...and allowed others to invent this stuff and put it into the market instead.

It was penny-wise and pound-foolish...because though they did end up getting a few more years of film sales, now the company will no longer exist.

They could have pulled the lever on digital products and completely reinvented the company...but their MBAs told them not to.

It's really very sad. Kodak did a lot of good in the city of Rochester. Lots of scholarships for kids to attend RIT and U of R and other schools with science-focuses. All of that is going away now too...because this company would not adapt and change when given the opportunity to do that.

 

[Hakunamatata]

The saddest aspect of the Kodak story is that Kodak owned scores of digital patents.

In Rochester New York, they actually DID have a division developing digital photography patents...but MBAs in the c-suite decided this division was the redheaded stepchild of the company...instead of being the company's future.

They were making too much money off film at the time -- the MBAs argued -- so they held back on introducing the digital stuff because they wanted another year...and another year after that...of selling the film products. They could have been the industry leader into the digital age, but they did not want to be the ones to pull the lever to bring the end to film. So they just held back on all the digital tech they had developed...and allowed others to invent this stuff and put it into the market instead.

It was penny-wise and pound-foolish...because though they did end up getting a few more years of film sales, now the company will no longer exist.

They could have pulled the lever on digital products and completely reinvented the company...but their MBAs told them not to.

It's really very sad. Kodak did a lot of good in the city of Rochester. Lots of scholarships for kids to attend RIT and U of R and other schools with science-focuses. All of that is going away now too...because this company would not adapt and change when given the opportunity to do that.

So what your saying is that Kodak's particular leadership team was short sighted, not that they floundered simply because they had MBA's. You see because those same MBA's very likely ok'd the research and development budgets, just didn't implement the new technology.

 

[DDPGambit]

Just a follow up to this, there are non-Kodak park maps out now. They just feature a big ad for Photo Pass on the back cover but otherwise are the same.

 

[invader]

Still had the Kodak logo and a big push of the Kodak brand when we went on Muppets yesterday.

 

[Jones14]

Just a follow up to this, there are non-Kodak park maps out now. They just feature a big ad for Photo Pass on the back cover but otherwise are the same.

The back of my park maps from two days ago (Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom) both have Kodak ads for disposable cameras on the back page, so they're not in guest hands just yet.

 

[RAXIP]

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

This takes me back to the days and Bill Cosby did all those Kodak ads in the 80's & 90's

 

[DDPGambit]

The back of my park maps from two days ago (Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom) both have Kodak ads for disposable cameras on the back page, so they're not in guest hands just yet.

I picked mine up at the Art of Animation lobby this afternoon. At Epcot this morning they still had Kodak maps.

 

[JimboJones123]

I really dig this design. Ditched the Kodak colors completely. Looks much better than those ugly Reds and Yellows.

 

[flavious27]

Wish that they would post these all over the parks.

 

[mharrington]

I really dig this design. Ditched the Kodak colors completely. Looks much better than those ugly Reds and Yellows.

You'd think they would probably get PhotoPass to sponsor the guide maps.

 

[flavious27]

You'd think they would probably get PhotoPass to sponsor the guide maps.

PhotoPass is a brand owned by Disney.

 

[Timekeeper]

Will Disney ever implement a policy that forbids PhotoPass people (or character greeters adjacent to the photographers) from taking pictures with the guests cameras?

 

[muteki]

Will Disney ever implement a policy that forbids PhotoPass people (or character greeters adjacent to the photographers) from taking pictures with the guests cameras?

Don't give them any ideas.

 

[PhotoDave219]

Will Disney ever implement a policy that forbids PhotoPass people (or character greeters adjacent to the photographers) from taking pictures with the guests cameras?

Those idiots are far from professional. Theyre not even allowed to change a setting on their cameras.

 

[FigmentJedi]

Those idiots are far from professional. Theyre not even allowed to change a setting on their cameras.

Yeah, a picture with me and Queen Amidala they took on Star Wars Weekends last year was pretty damn blurry. It was a rainy day, but this was after the rain was finally stopping.

 

[Genie of the Lamp]

Have the Kodak picture spots been removed in the parks yet?

 

[RSoxNo1]

Have the Kodak picture spots been removed in the parks yet?

They were there last month.

 

[juniorthomas]

Kodak tanked because of short-sightedness, mismanagement, and the rise of cheap digital cameras. There's a lot of reasons why they failed but refusing to adapt to the changing market and not being on the cutting edge of photo technology is the prime reason.

Not entirely unlike Amtrak (and the rise of air travel). Of course, the Government stepped in to fund Amtrak. No such luck for EK.