Kodak Promotes "Socialization" at Wedding & Portrait Photography International

LAS VEGAS, March 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Consumers crave immediacy – the opportunity to instantly showcase images, share them with family and friends, and gain immediate responses.  At Wedding & Portrait Photography International (WPPI) 2013, Kodak is demonstrating how professional labs and photographers can leverage Kodak's solutions to create new ways for consumers to share content and meet their demand for immediacy and feedback, or what Kodak terms, socialization.

"Meeting consumers on their terms is table stakes today," said Christopher S. Van Zandt, Vice President & General Manager, Paper & Output Systems, Americas Region, Personalized Imaging, Kodak.  "We have focused our development teams over the last year on how to leverage that initial customer interaction to further educate and sell customers professional output products such as heirloom albums ('stories') and high-quality prints ('memories')." 

At the core of this concept is KODAK PROFESSIONAL Digital Print Production Software (DP2) version 15, its industry-leading workflow software, which offers the widest range of professional output in all categories of socialization, stories, and memories. In KODAK DP2, v. 15, Kodak introduced QR codes and ANIMOTO Video Slideshow features, which enable professional labs to create visually exciting soft-copy offerings that complement individual prints and high-quality premium output, like photo books and albums. This path to a comprehensive solution expands opportunities for professional labs to interact with photographers and in turn, creates more ways for professional photographers to engage their clients. Kodak is demonstrating examples of QR codes, ANIMOTO Video Slideshows, and how they connect with premium output offerings in its booth # 1607 at WPPI.

"Our industry faces an inherent challenge in finding the best path to engage consumers in the services of a professional photographer," said Van Zandt. "If we offer consumers something compelling, such as a digital slide show, that is efficient to produce and marketed at an attractive price, we've secured the initial engagement. Then we have the opportunity to present consumers with additional products that complement and enhance how they initially intend to use their photographs.  This may be a book or album that better tells the story or a few selected prints on professional media.  In the end it's not whether you lead with the professional album or a significant print order. The goal is to meet the consumer need on their terms and then work to expose them to additional options."   

Also in the Kodak booth, the company will showcase its full offering of solutions for professional photographers and professional labs, including its portfolio of high quality media, led by its ENDURA family of media, and the portfolio of KODAK PROFESSIONAL Films. Booth visitors can obtain free samples of the KODAK PROFESSIONAL Media and Films, including PORTRA, TRI-X, EKTAR and T-MAX, as well as information on how to download the KODAK PROFESSIONAL Film App from iTunes. The app, for use with iPhones, provides information on where to purchase and process KODAK PROFESSIONAL Films, as well as how to get the best results with these films.

In addition to its booth activities, Kodak will sponsor presentations by dynamic wedding and portrait photographers who are finding new ways to drive their businesses. Presenters connected to Kodak include:

• Alisha and Brook Todd, March 10; 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Master Class, Wedding Basics to Make You Basically Awesome              
• Kenny Kim, March 10; 3:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m. Master Class, Destination Wedding Photography Demystified
• Kay Eskridge, March 11; 8:30 a.m.-10:00 a.m. Platform Class, Beyond Boudoir

For more information on KODAK PROFESSIONAL Media and all KODAK Product offerings for the professional markets, please visit www.kodak.com/go/professional or follow us on FACEBOOK at www.facebook.com/KodakProfessional, on http://1000words.kodak.com for "Wednesday Works" and "Film Fridays," and on Twitter @kodakcb.

About Kodak's Personalized Imaging Business
The Personalized Imaging business leverages Kodak's unique imaging heritage, expertise and ongoing innovation to provide customers and end-consumers with high-quality products and services to meet their individual needs. The Personalized Imaging business consists of Retail Systems Solutions, the world leader in retail photo kiosks and dry lab systems, offering retailers a competitive advantage in the photo services market; Paper & Output Systems, offering photo specialty retailers, professional and wholesale labs, and photographers the broadest portfolio of traditional photographic paper and workflow solutions; Film Capture, offering consumers and professionals an award-winning range of still-camera film products; and Event Imaging Solutions, offering theme parks and other venues a total solution in souvenir photo operations. 

(Kodak, Kodak Professional and Endura are trademarks of Eastman Kodak Company.)

2013

SOURCE Kodak