iMedia Connection: Kodak is remarkably evolving the way it markets the "Kodak Moment" to fit the digital world, thanks in part to new product lines that organically fit consumers' current needs -- i.e., technology and services for taking, manipulating, sharing, and preserving memories in photographic form. What marketing advice can you offer to help other legacy brands reinvent themselves, particularly those that might not have such a natural extension into the digital arena?
Jeffrey Hayzlett: Companies do their best when they get back to the core of who they are. The companies that lost their way and faced extinction only recovered when they woke up to the core meaning of who they are and became clear again about the value proposition they offer to their customers.
iMedia: The Kodak brand helped launch its evolved brand image with the extremely popular "Kodak Winds of Change" viral video. What was it about this particular piece of creative, as well as the video format, that convinced you that it was the right direction for the brand to take at that turning point for the company?
Hayzlett: That particular video was already laid out before I got there. I stepped in as it was being put together. And there were others, too, that never got out -- all of them designed to provide a guideline for the directions the company wanted to take.
But that video was a symptom, not a cause. A video will not change a mood, or provide real strategic direction. The things that will change a mood in the company are clear direction and a solid business plan. The groundwork was already there, and people were feeling better. The video was just the most entertaining part of the brand's greater change within.
iMedia: Photos and photo sharing are everywhere these days, thanks to services like Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, etc. As part of a company that has a huge stake in the photography industry, what are your guidelines for protecting, distinguishing, and maintaining the Kodak brand throughout all the many places and platforms where users create and consume photographic images?
Hayzlett: You can't control your brand. A brand is nothing but a promise delivered and you can do the best to control and shape that promise, but controlling the way your brand is used on the internet and in the age of social media? That's almost impossible. Instead you must realize that the customers are in charge of that brand perception and you must do your best to engage them openly and honestly in all the forums possible to get the outcomes you want.
iMedia: As CMO of Kodak, you oversee much of the marketing team's strategic decisions, including staffing needs. What are some of the key traits you look for a potential candidate to demonstrate in order to join your team?
Hayzlett: Of course it all depends on the job I am trying to get done, but I generally look for diverse candidates who are adaptable, are willing to admit they don't know what they don't know, who offer different perspectives on the company's past and current problems, and who have a high degree of reliability or potential to deliver results based on those perspectives. I like winners too -- but winners to me are not those who always get it done. Someone who delivers on every promise because they went the safe route is not as appealing as someone a little more aggressive who took a few chances and was on message but and maybe missed the mark now and then. Those people are willing to go for it.
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