PRN101A - Understanding Public Relations: Kodak Film Campaign Report

This report analyzes Kodak's public relations campaign, "Film is Not Dead," which aims to revitalize the film industry and increase Kodak film sales. The campaign addresses the challenges posed by digital technology and seeks to re-establish film's appeal to filmmakers and the broader audience. The report outlines the campaign's objectives, which include a 30% increase in film stock sales and a 50% rise in media mentions. The target audience consists of media professionals, including directors, cinematographers, and aspiring filmmakers. Key messages emphasize the superior quality, emotional connection, and unique experience offered by film. The suggested tactics encompass a multi-platform approach, leveraging social media, virtual events, and workshops to engage the target audience. The report stresses the need for a strategic plan to ensure the campaign's success, with measurable outcomes and a defined timeframe. The report also references the SWOT analysis and the client brief, which provided the context for the campaign's development.

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Executive Summary
Kodak being the camera giant in 1990’s claiming almost 90% of film and 85% of camera sales in
the U.S (Osterman & Romer, 2014) is now facing quite a harsh blow with the world going digital
with its camera technology. Thus Kodak today is much more concerned with reviving its
position in the market by bringing back the essence of film technology and aiming to increase the
sales of Kodak films by at least a margin of 30% in the next quarter.

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Table of Contents
Introduction:....................................................................................................................................3
Discussion:.......................................................................................................................................4
Objectives of the Campaign:.......................................................................................................4
Target Audience:.........................................................................................................................4
Key Message:...............................................................................................................................5
Suggested Tactics:.......................................................................................................................5
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................7
References:......................................................................................................................................8

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Introduction:
Kodak which is often credited for inventing the first photography film in form of a roll (Gershon,
2013) is facing serious market challenges in surviving and operating in this digital era
technology. Thus the market researchers have identified that lack of proper brand
communication has caused serious disturbance and has significantly harmed the market potential
of the brand. Thus the Public Relations Campaign by the brand name: Film is not dead basically
aims at bringing back the nostalgia of film technology and employing it in the movie making
industry which is constantly turning digital. The whole report will focus on strategizing a proper
communication plan for implementation of the campaign, analyzing its target audience, the key
objectives that the campaign is expected to serve along with ensuring future business prospects
of the brand.

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Discussion:
Objectives of the Campaign:
The most significant problem with Kodak was its rigidity to accept changes or bring
innovation. Being a pioneer in the film technology market, it required more conscious efforts on
the part of the brand to strategies and build a stronger communication strategy using the latest
available technologies to ensure an effective market reach (Parente & Strausbaugh-Hutchinson,
2014). Thus its Public Relations Campaign named: “Film is not dead” is an effort to reinforce
the importance of film technology and how it can be strategized and communicated using
appropriate communication channels and reach the potential mass market. The chosen
communication strategy can be a mix of social media platforms which are no doubt
interactive and is capable of reaching a huge number of audience at one go along with varied
outdoor events and workshops held by experts on the field of film and photography to attract
varied cinematographer and evolving photographers to understand the superiority of 35 mm
motion picture films over the digital technology.
Target Audience:
The main target audience of this campaign consist of media professionals who are
centrally attached with the filming industry like the directors and cinematographers along
with the aspirant film makers who are still learning the art of film making. The social
media platforms along with the outdoor events are used as the communication vehicles
for the campaign to engage the aspiring youth (Tiago & Veríssimo, 2014) along with

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professionals in this field of film making to bring a revolutionary change in Film making
business.
Key Message:
Major Highlights of the Campaign: The main essence is to create an emotional connect with the audience to revive the lost
essence of film technology and how it can produce superior quality of picture compared
to digital and at a much lesser investment (Christensen, 2013). The brand emphasizes of the aspects of color, brightness and sharpness of the images
which are much more better in a film image than a digital one
 Kodak’s Film is not dead campaign strongly believes in – less is more. The market
experts believe in capturing one memorable moment at a time which would be composed
after a lot of considerations and will be an exclusive one rather than clicking hundred
different picture with no variation
 The aim of every moment is to turn to a beautiful memory and last through a lifetime.
Digital does not make this happen, however an old snap of an individual’s childhood, in a
photo album is bound to stir better emotions
Suggested Tactics:
The PR campaign needs to well distributed across all social media platforms like
Facebook, twitter, Instagram, along with the company’s own website and on photo sharing
website like Flicker. There can be cross platform media communication (Killian & McManus,
2015). For instance Kodak can initiative a photo competition using their film technology which

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can be communicated using the social media platforms and creating virtual events on their
official Facebook page or Instagram handle. The winner’s shot can be uploaded on their social
media platforms to make it more engaging and interesting for their target audience. To make it
more attractive, the company can offer a free learning workshop experience for the aspirants who
want to make it big in the film making industry by inviting professionals who are masters in
using films technology and prefer it over digital

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Conclusion
Kodak Australia needs a more strategic plan of action to successfully implement this
public relation campaign. Every PR Campaign is aimed at achieving a set target within a specific
time frame. Therefore this campaign: Film is not dead has been given a very strategic marketing
approach with a well-defined target market, time frame and set objectives to achieve to ensure
the overall success of the purpose.

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References:
Christensen, C. M. (2013). The innovator's dilemma: when new technologies cause great firms to
fail. Harvard Business Review Press.
Gershon, R. A. (2013). A case study analysis of eastman kodak and blockbuster Inc. Media
Management and Economics Research in a Transmedia Environment, Routledge, New
York, NY, 46-68.
Killian, G., & McManus, K. (2015). A marketing communications approach for the digital era:
Managerial guidelines for social media integration. Business Horizons, 58(5), 539-549.
Osterman, P. M., & Romer, G. B. (2014). History and evolution of photography. In The Concise
Focal Encyclopedia of Photography (pp. 21-76). Routledge.
Parente, D., & Strausbaugh-Hutchinson, K. (2014). Advertising campaign strategy: A guide to
marketing communication plans. Cengage Learning.
Tiago, M. T. P. M. B., & Veríssimo, J. M. C. (2014). Digital marketing and social media: Why
bother?. Business horizons, 57(6), 703-708.