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(Near East) > Kodak's History |
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George Eastman - Eastman Kodak
In 1878 in Rochester, New York, the truly ingenious George
Eastman demonstrated for the first time an easy and revolutionary
technique: the use of gelatine dry plates, which simplified
the complicated technique of wet plates prevalent in his
day (spreading photographic emulsion on glass plates before
developing them).
Two years later, in 1880, G. Eastman started the mass
and standardised production of dry photographic plates.
This was the outset of an extraordinary business, which
quickly moved on to photographic film and, subsequently,
other groundbreaking achievements; all characteristic
of the resourceful entrepreneurship of its founder.
1888 - Appearance of the first camera
The first Kodak camera was launched in the United States
in 1888 and before long it was known to the whole world.
It was a simple, black wooden box with a 100?exposure
film, which rapidly became popular with amateur photographers.
The famous advertisement which accompanied the product,
"You push the button... we do the rest", encouraged
people to take up photography.
When the 100 pictures were taken, the amateur photographer
returned the camera to the company's specialised shop,
where the photographs were developed and the camera was
reloaded with a new 100?exposure film. So it was a simple
procedure, the user only had to press the button and Kodak
did the photographic processing.
In advertising
The company adopted ideas and concepts which were ahead
of their time. A typical example is the "Kodak girl"
which appeared in all the newspapers and magazines of
that time. Also, the famous motto "You push the button...
we do the rest", as well as numerous advertising
ideas, which made Kodak a brand name over the years.
Labour and business policies
The company introduced innovative processes in many areas,
such as staff rewarding schemes, international distribution
of products, productivity, as well as efficient use of
profits. It paid special attention to the commercial needs
of the customer, to research for new products and to respecting
and understanding the problems of its employees.
Today
Eastman Kodak is a multinational company, leader in its
field, with sales in almost all countries in the world
and manufacturing operations in Europe, Australia, Asia
and America.
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