This paper presents a comprehensive marketing strategy plan for the Eastman Kodak Company, examining the firm across multiple analytical dimensions. It covers Kodak's internal workforce development programs and employee relations initiatives, customer segmentation in professional and consumer photography markets, competitive positioning against Japanese rivals such as Canon and Sony, projected market growth in digital products, and environmental and corporate responsibility commitments. The paper also identifies key opportunities — including expansion into Asian markets, health imaging, and infoimaging — alongside threats such as the decline of silver halide technology and intensifying competition in the digital camera industry. The analysis reflects conditions circa 2004–2005, during Kodak's pivotal transition from analog to digital imaging.
Eastman Kodak Company has come a long way since it was founded by George Eastman in 1888 with the slogan "You press the button, we do the rest" — a tagline that placed the first simple camera in the hands of everyday consumers. Since those early days, Kodak has been a frontrunner in introducing new products and processes to make photography easier, more useful, and more exciting. Today, Kodak is recognized not just for photography but also for images used across a wide array of recreational, medical, business, entertainment, and scientific applications.
Its market increasingly encompasses what is known as "infoimaging" — a term describing the use of technology to combine images and information, building the capability to profoundly transform the way people and businesses interact with one another. In its pursuit of excellence in quality, Kodak continually expands the ways in which images touch people's daily lives. Kodak is ranked as a leading multinational company whose brand is recognized in nearly every corner of the world.
As part of its commitment to keeping employee expertise current, Kodak maintains a strong dedication to "continuous renewal" for its workforce. The company believes that in order to remain a market leader, it must employ a workforce with leading-edge competencies. This ideal is embedded in the corporate value of Continuous Improvement and Personal Renewal, which is considered a critical component of success at Kodak. A formal Employee Development Plan Process is administered in which employees may choose their desired level of participation and then take responsibility for driving their own independent development. This process helps employees document career ambitions and create training plans.
Training is delivered through a variety of methods beyond the conventional classroom environment, including on-the-job learning, coaching, special projects, assignments, and e-learning.
The various programs and initiatives Kodak has established for managing employee relations include the following:
Resolution Support Services (RSS): Established within Global Diversity and Community Affairs, this service supports employees in appealing management decisions to resolve workplace problems and promotes best practices throughout the resolution process.
The Kodak Work/Life Program: This program helps employees balance their professional commitments with personal, family, and community responsibilities. It offers support such as flexible work arrangements, back-up care for elderly relatives, and seminars on managing stress and legal issues.
The Employee Assistance Program: Provides guidance and direction to staff members and their dependents who are experiencing personal problems that cannot be efficiently addressed on their own.
In terms of leadership, a key executive was appointed Vice President and General Manager of the Digital Imaging Services Group within the company's Digital & Film Imaging Systems (D&FIS) business unit. In this role, the executive oversees the Kodak EasyShare Gallery — the company's online photo sharing and printing platform — as well as Kodak Mobile Service, a mobile photo-centric picture sharing offering. The Kodak EasyShare Gallery at the time had 20 million members and more than one billion images stored. Senior leadership expressed strong confidence in this appointment, noting the executive's genuine passion for technology and its practical application to enhance how people live, communicate, work, and play worldwide, along with a clear recognition of Kodak's powerful global brand and its resources to make technology accessible to consumers across the globe.
"U.S. digital camera shipments versus Canon, Sony, and Fuji"
"Digital revenue growth projections and portfolio expansion"
"CSR policy, opportunities in Asia and digital, threats from substitutes"
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