Who doesn’t remember the great Kodak Commercials? The ones with the True Colors song playing in the background. They were so vivid, just as the roll of golden colored film in my refrigerator door.
It’s hard to believe that such a leader in both profits and brand awareness is rumored to be filing Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the coming weeks. How could this have happened to one of our nation’s leading companies?
At AlphGraphics, we spend a lot of time not only working on client projects, but also investing in our future. We take focused time (as we are during our staff planning workshop this Saturday), to review our accomplishments from the past year and draft new goals for 2012. Among these new objectives, there are always at least a dozen or more training opportunities, researching goals, and new topics to explore over the next year. Why? We know that to stay relevant, we need to be thought leaders. We want to know our customers’ needs even before they do, so that we have bigger opportunities to help them achieve their goals.
It’s obvious, and unfortunate, that Kodak failed in this way. They seemed to get stuck on their film products that soon became antiquated for the customer. By the time they realized it, their competitors were miles ahead and Kodak just couldn’t catch up.
I think this article does a great job at summarizing Kodak’s rise and fall. But, the main message is, how can you and your organization stay ahead in this busy marketplace? At AlphaGraphics, we don’t know a lot about cameras, but we can certainly help with your strategic market plans to make sure your thinking ahead and anticipating your consumers’ next move.
Written by Liz Payne,
Assistant Manager,
AlphaGraphics in the Cultural District
