Kodak Communication Strategy, Essay Example

Eastman Kodak is a technology company that operates in a highly competitive research and development -driven marketplace. It has made several changes to its corporate strategy in recent years, and today it is communicating its values and mission through corporate communication channels.

Heritage. Kodak has historically developed a strategy based on innovation, instead of focusing on one of its corporate values: heritage and reliability. This is one of the previous mistakes of the strategic management that the organization is trying to address today. The company today is trying to trigger emotions of customers, associating positive feelings with the brand. Previously, the company was not so successful in communicating the company image and values.

Integrated communication. In 2009, Kodak launched a new integrated communication and marketing campaign titled: “It’s Time to Smile”, a little too late and well behind the competition. Focusing on the communication aspect of the products, the new campaign targets customers who are looking for “experiences. Instead of focusing on communicating the features of the product, like in 1992, in the Kodak Photo Disc advertisement that appeared on the U.S. television (YouTube.com), today’s advertisements are based around the vision of sharing experiences. The company’s Facebook page is entitled: “Kodak Moments” and offers users tips for sharing moments, images and videos. However, it seems like the company still has problems with communicating the brand image and engaging customers. Kodak has only little over 700.000 Facebook fans, while less than 900 people talk about the brand.

Communicating the brand. The company does not seem to be successful in communicating its vision with employees and potential partners. While it supports several research initiatives and promotes stewardship, the company does not have a strong message on its website communicating the core values and mission. The message towards employees is simple: valuing the individual. There are no current programs for employees featured on the site. Likewise, in the website’s section: “Doing business with Kodak”, it fails to provide reasons for collaborating with the company.

Evaluation of Kodak’s overall communication strategy.

The Forbes Magazine (Kotter, 2012) confirms that the company has, in the past, made some poor strategic decisions, which resulted in the “fall of the empire”. It failed to communicate the company’s vision: tradition of culture for innovation and change. As Mourdoukoutas (2011) stated: “In every society, firms perform three functions, the social function, the managerial function, and the entrepreneurial function”. It is evident from the above review of Kodak’s poor communication and corporate strategy that it failed to serve all functions, especially the social function that relates to the firm as a social institution. The image of Kodak as a company is almost non-existent; and one of the main contributors to this failure is the lack of a well-developed communication strategy.

Conclusion

The company fails to have a celebrity spokesperson, a clear vision, mission, corporate objectives, strategies, corporate identity, corporate image, corporate reputation implemented in its corporate communication strategy. They do not engage in meaningful communication with the public. According to Cornelissen (2009, p. 5), the main purpose of corporate communication should be “establishing and maintaining favorable reputations with stakeholder groups”; a task that Eastman Kodak has – according to the authors –  failed.  Today, there is no sign of meaningful messages in social media marketing implemented by the company. Historically, when all competing brands (Fuji, HP and Sony) started to engage in an integrated communication strategy in the 80-s, Kodak was left behind. In order to recover, the company should develop an integrated communication strategy that includes mission, vision and reputation building as well as two-way communication with stakeholders.

References

Cornelissen, J. (2009). Corporate communication: A guide to theory and practice (2nd ed.). London: Sage Publications

Kodak. “Kodak Photo Disc Advertisement 1992” Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=min6vgyqgUg

Kotter, J. (2012) Barriers to change: The real reason behind the Kodak downfall. Forbes Magazine. 5/2/2012

Mourdoukoutas, P. (2011) The entrepreneurial failure of Eastman Kodak. Forbes Magazine. 10/2/2011