What I don't see: advertisement/marketing for film

FrankS

FrankS

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Why aren't the companies selling film, promoting it (more)?


Or am I just not seeing the commercials?
 
FrankS said:
Why aren't the companies selling film, promoting it (more)?


Or am I just not seeing the commercials?
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Well, film is a niche product, and not really in a competitive market - no brand/maker would benefit by pushing another out of business. As such, it is among the products which everybody in advertising nowadays considers better promoted through (on- and off-Internet) viral marketing.

That notion may be wrong - perhaps there is a Bonanza out there in getting Joe Average back to film - but as long as virally marketing film is a obvious success on a small scale (as evident by Lomo) while mainstream sales are still plummeting, companies that have no money to burn will go the safe (viral/internet) way rather than buy expensive ad space...
 
I always thought if Kodak could have came up with some funny commercials and a couple of big celebs getting on board they would have faired differently.
 
Freestyle, Ilford, and others advertise on web sites. Precision advertises film processing/scanning services here.

As always, the advertiser has to optimize for their market. You won't see film ads in Time Magazine or on NBC.
 
When the sale of film was a viable, profitable business, Kodak, Agfa, GAF, Fuji, Konica and others used to advertise in big spreads in all the photo magazines and many others.

Those days are long past. My local photofinisher tells me that D&P (develop and print) sales are down to less the 5% of what they were 5 years ago. His photofinishing business is now almost completely digital. Film is barely cost recovery for most dealers nowadays. There's little value in advertising except in niche markets.
 
Hopefully Kodak can sell of their photo division to a parent company who will spend a little bit of money on a few new cheap Instamatic cameras built in the US and take Lomo's made-in-China business away.

Here in Portland bookstores and camera stores stock horribly overpriced Lomo cameras and film. Kodak could own a significant portion of that market.

The digital camera store in the mall actually has a decent film selection, but its in a drawer, behind the counter. With no signage at all.

Why doesn't Kodak have a "Kodak Film Sold Here" sign hanging up in the window or even on the counter?
 
Kodak was advertising it's Portra film in Rangefinder Magazine but since their bankruptcy I haven't seen anymore ads.
 
Your not going to either, the day's of film has past for the main
stream, but for us diehards no, we just have to keep it going
keep walking around with our Nikon and Leica film camera's
or what ever you use to keep it going!

Range
 
Film is currently laying on it's back with it's legs in the air waiting for the killer blow!

Digital is using film's mystique very effectively by offering us cameras like the X100, Xpro and now the OMD ... and software manufacturers are offering plugins that emulate emulsions that have fallen from grace like leaves in autumn.
 
KM-25 said:
It was a thread about Kodak that has totally vanished....there is a big technical problem going on within this site...:(
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I think there may be some DB corruption going on. I've noticed more than a few of these issues the past few days.
 
The lack of ads tells you how important film is to the world-wide still photography market.

People who use film don't need ads. They are grateful for anything that comes their way.

Everyone else is too busy using iPhones or DSLRs. In Japan the mirrorless market is strong.

It sucks to be in a minuscule demographic.
 
back alley said:
no mystery...the op deleted it.
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That's a shame, Audrey from Kodak wanted to read it...all I am trying to do is help chart the way forward for film. I happened to still have the page that Dylan Hope wrote a great response on, he is more than willing to see it go to Kodak, so I quoted him and sent it...

This is one of the reasons I try to limit my participation on these sites, my living depends on using film, I take it very seriously and put a lot of thought into what I write as did many on the thread...what a waste.
 
back alley said:
no mystery...the op deleted it.
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Seems kind of stupid that an OP (in this case, "Franko") can do that once people have started posting to it. Say there's a 3 page thread and the OP just doesn't want to see it anymore, so delete it? It's beyond them at that point.

KM-25 said:
This is one of the reasons I try to limit my participation on these sites, my living depends on using film, I take it very seriously and put a lot of thought into what I write as did many on the thread...what a waste.
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Seriously, wasted mine and other's time too.
 
It is a waste of their money to do mass market advertising as film is not a mass market product anymore. If you are a film user you will find where to get and they know that.

Bob
 
Keith said:
Film is currently laying on it's back with it's legs in the air waiting for the killer blow!

Digital is using film's mystique very effectively by offering us cameras like the X100, Xpro and now the OMD ... and software manufacturers are offering plugins that emulate emulsions that have fallen from grace like leaves in autumn.
Click to expand...

You don't even need SW, Keith. Film emulation is build into camera firmware straight away, even the cheap ones. Fuji has had a "Provia" and "Velvia" setting in their digicams for quite some time.
 
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