The statement by Antonio Perez about waking up at the helm of a 'digital' company in a year's time was
obviously not meant to be taken to mean that Perez sees Kodak as having no film products whatsoever by then. Such an interpretation cannot even be the literal, face-value interpretation, because there is no reason why a predominantly 'digital' company couldn't have other products too. It would also be absurd to think that Perez wants to see one-third of Kodak's revenue sources vanish within a year. The statement was probably merely meant to impress upon the fickle press the notion that Kodak is building momentum with digital products, rather than sitting on its laurels watching its traditional market shrink. Perception is almost as important as reality in the share price battles, and Kodak needs all the good press it can get.
Only the most insecure and over-sensitive reader could take great offense at the statement, but that actually describes the typical film enthusiast these days. So it's vital that Kodak proceeds on tiptoe when talking about these issues, instead of making PR blunder after blunder, to the extent that many long-suffering customers actually feel that Kodak personally dislikes them (which is also absurd, but again, perception is almost as important as reality).
Fujifilm takes a completely different approach to PR. Compare Perez's threat to the following statement:
Fujifilm is committed to providing a wide variety of films for the demanding professional photographer. The 2006 U.S. introduction of Fujichrome T64 Professional and Fujichrome Provia 400X Professional are a reflection of that commitment.
These are comforting words backed up by substance, and pretty credible substance too. Provia 400X in particular strikes me as a no-holds-barred attempt at making the best film possible. As a result, the only people who seem to dislike Fujifilm are those who are jealous of its success, and even they do not hold any real animosity in their hearts. Fujifilm is just too likeable for that. This is despite the fact that Kodak actually has more "traditional" products on the market than Fujifilm!
Kodak has made
and continues to make some of the finest "traditional" products on the market, and my experience of their technical support mirrors that of Helen. Kodak has also shut down production of products with cult followings, which inevitably hurts the brand even if it is essential for the viability of the company. But the way in which Kodak has managed public relations and public expectations has been woeful beyond description. For example, not a week goes by without a new rumour about the discontinuation of Kodachrome. Why on earth are we subjected to this?! It is entirely unnecessary. If the film is to remain for another while then Kodak should tell us that officially. If a decision to pull it has been made, then we should be told that clearly and unambiguously at the earliest date. Instead we get leaked emails and "insiders" and friends of "insiders" and probably genuine insiders too, all muttering dark rumours one way or the other, with the result that PKL and KL were discontinued and resurrected at least two dozen times, with varying degrees of official consent, until they finally lost the will to spring to life, genie-like, yet again.
Perez came from Hewlett-Packard, a company in a market where heads rule and emotion plays no role (with the possible exception of Apple). No-one ever bought an HP computer because they fell in love with it. Photography is different: people have a strong emotional connection to it, and in the case of professionals and enthusiasts, this emotional connection often extends to their chosen products. Perez is a fool to be unaware of the importance of nourishing those emotions.