At what point does something move so far away from the original source that it exists in name only?
Or, to put it another way, when all original components, meaning and context have been replaced – rather like a legacy rock act still performing, yet with none of its founding members – is it reasonable to still refer to it in the same way?
Those third-party manufacturers who have licensed the Kodak name to slap on brand new "Kodak cameras" with a rather baffling degree of success of late, would obviously say yes. But in my eyes, they’re not Kodak products.
The name is one thing, but what they’re selling is another, trading on the goodwill once afforded the brand when it was wholly Eastman Kodak.
And it held much kudos. A quarter of a century ago I was thrilled to be invited to Kodak’s UK HQ. I can’t remember which camera or instant printer was being launched at the time, but what I do remember is our driver claiming that he used to regularly drive for Elvis Presley.
Just like the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll bestrode popular culture in the 20th century, the original Kodak was the biggest brand in photography.
But, as I say, its best years were already more than a quarter of a century ago. And, like anything in life, as memory of the original fades, then surely the tie we have with it breaks.
I was moved to ponder the above by the news that Cewe is in the process of acquiring the Kodak Moments retail print business, most identifiable via its digital kiosks, from Kodak Alaris – itself a Kodak licensee, since Eastman Kodak filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January 2012.
It got me thinking that if the deal goes through, it will be yet another degree of separation from the source.
Cewe is presently suggesting that it plans to keep Kodak Moments’ 60,000-strong global photo kiosk network branded as such, rather than automatically assimilating that worldwide footprint into the Cewe family.
It’s yet another instance of a brand that once outwardly meant something becoming a zombie brand. Outwardly alive, inwardly dead. See also the recent reappearance of Minolta-branded compact cameras.
Add in Sony currently seeking to take over lens specialist Tamron, and it appears we’re entering a period of mergers, acquisitions and consolation for the photo industry, in which once powerful and unassailable brands are unassailable no more.
I’d view this as an inevitable result of a market that is contracting – in that reduced demand can no longer support a broad number of competitors.
But for those of us who spent the past 20+ years watching these businesses grow and reporting on them, it feels like a bit of a shame. As well as reminding us of the fact that nothing lasts forever – and, ultimately, our own mortality too.
Just like Elvis, it feels like Kodak – as it originally was – has now left the building.
