Jenny on the Blog
Kodak is da bomb.
If you had asked me a year ago if I would ever utter that sentence, my answer would likely have been a befuddled, “Um—no.”
I mean, let’s be honest: Things were looking a little bleak awhile back for the Rochester behemoth. Not only did digital throw a wrench into the gameplan for the company’s legendary film brand, but it called into question Kodak’s entire stature. The company had suddenly become a dinosaur in a digital technology landscape, a silver-halide throwback that was now forced to compete against a slew of shiny new gizmos and gadgets.
The company tried to compete, but it was initially an awkward sight to see—kind of like a favorite uncle who insists on sporting a Speedo long after he should have settled into his Land’s End swim trunks. Digital cameras were introduced, photo sharing debuted à la the Kodak Gallery—but it still seemed a Herculean task to break free of its comfy-old-couch reputation.
But things (and times) have changed. First, a hilarious Kodak ad made the rounds on YouTube. Kodak had a sense of humor, and they were finally showing it off.
Being the reality-TV addict that I am (some people drink—I drink and watch trashy TV), I was pleasantly surprised to next see the Big K featured on this season’s The Celebrity Apprentice. Contestants had to hawk Kodak’s mobile printing solution, the Easyshare all-in-one printer, to passersby, translating to supergenius TV promotion for the brand (though I would still love to know how Kodak execs felt when Gene Simmons told them they don’t know their own brand as well as he does). Kodak even devoted a mini-site to its 15 minutes of reality-TV fame.
Now the Rochester photo titan has fully entered the social-networking scene by naming Jennifer Cisney, a longtime employee, as its Chief Blogger. Cisney will provide oversight for Kodak’s two blogs, A Thousand Words, a blog featuring personal stories by employees, and A Thousand Nerds, talking about technology and innovation.
This is an important development in a couple of ways. First, Kodak is now speaking the language of the next generation of photographers. By entering the social-networking arena, the company can ensure that photography becomes the shared, global phenomenon that it’s meant to be, not just a random smattering of pixels trapped in the black hole of a memory card.
Second, Chief Blogger Cisney (which could serve as a really cool rap name if she wanted to upload an original hip-hop MP3 to accompany her posts) will, according to the company’s official release, “serve as the company’s eye and ears online, listening to customer feedback and sharing ideas and tips related to Kodak’s products and services.” Big Brother-esque? Who cares? If it helps me take better pictures and hooks me up with the best Kodak product to help me do so in the process, that’s all right by me.
Kodak also took this forward-thinking step with the right person in mind—Jenny Cisney is a well-regarded blogger and loyal Kodak employee (one of the comments on the Thousand Words blog regarding her appointment exclaimed, “Jenny as the new chief blogger, [how] great is that! We now will have to start calling her CB! She’s hip, cool…and dynamite—notice they both come in small packages! She’s all those things but more importantly, she’s all Kodak!”
Of course, I hope for her sake Cisney takes the time to read the New York Times article I came across yesterday about “death by blogging.” Two prominent technology bloggers actually allegedly “blogged till they dropped,” with some attributing their deaths to constant stress and deadlines of an “around-the-clock Internet economy.” Somehow I doubt Kodak’s C.B. will forgo all her basic human needs to talk all things photography, but let this serve as fair warning.
The company finally gets it, showing that you really can teach an old dog new tricks—and meaning that Kodak could very well steal Best in Show.