Name the biggest brand you can think of  … Apple. Google. Netflix. Amazon.

Wait I forgot to mention … in photography, in Korea.

Or, how about in American in the 1950s?

You very well may have said: KODAK!!!!!

I recently became acquainted or shall I say re-acquainted with that famous and infamous brand while preparing this blog. I was in need of higher resolution photos than my iPhone could provide, and my wife bought me a … Kodachrome as Paul Simon might have sung about in an earlier era. In fact, that little Kodak camera snapped the pictures at the left.

So is Kodak back?  Well maybe, if the New York Times article is to be believed. 

The Kodak Brand Gets a Second Life - The New York Times    Consider this:

The Eastman Kodak Company, a brand as big in its heyday as Apple or Google today and whose sentimental ads left lumps in the throats of generations of consumers, has become a cautionary tale for companies slow to adapt to change. At its headquarters in Rochester, N.Y., most of the roughly 200 buildings that once stood on its 1,300-acre campus have either been razed or are occupied by other businesses.

But Kodak is having a moment again, mostly overseas, through trademark licensing agreements with manufacturers and retailers of a wide range of products.

The article goes on to explain that Kodak is smartly trying to align with the “creativity” elements of photography like movie film, fashion, and color rather than competing with your iPhone for images.

• Consumers: Enjoy a new related purpose for an older brand you might have nostalgia for
• Data:
  • Kodak revenue in 2025: $1Billion … Kodak revenue in 1990: $19 Billion
  • Kodak shops in Korea in 2025: 123 …. Kodak shops in America today: 0
• Bottom Line: If the growth in all things Korean continues, and the growth in retro continues among gen Z, I’d say Kodak is definitely on its way back. I can’t guarantee you’ll be getting a new Kodak camera like I did, but I bet they’ll be back in your life in some way soon.