Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/03/02

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Subject: RE: [Leica] [ OFF TOPIC ] Bitching against Kodak
From: Harrison McClary <mcclary@iname.com>
Date: Tue, 2 Mar 1999 11:24:17 -0600

>While I am not a bean counter, companies do have to be profitable, so they
>are a necessary evil.  I think Kodak suffered from diminishing market share
>in their core products. If not for the efforts of George Fisher they would
>be half the size they are.  Although I am sure the employees at Kodak may
>refer to him as a hatchet man, it was necessary as Fuji and others were
>killing them.


I think I posted this story about a year ago or so..but here it is again...

How Kodak lost the US Professional market as related to me by a
photographer who was there:

At the Olympics in LA Kodak was slow in putting in the bid to be the
"Offical" film of the olympics, figuring that since the Olympics were on US
soil they would be a shoo in for this role.

Fuji beat them to it and was the "offical" film of the games.  As the
offical film they could give away all film and processing to members of the
media.  They set up labs gave away hundereds of rolls of film.

Many Professionals who had never seen Fuji films got to use them and really
liked the films.  Not only was the quality better they were cheaper making
the bean counters happy.

Almost over night the pro news market in the US shifted from Kodak to Fuji.

It is my understanding the VP in charge of such things at Kodak lost his
job....


Harrison McClary
http://people.delphi.com/hmphoto
Preview my book: http://www.volmania.com
mail: mcclary@iname.com