Manufacturers discuss change at 2014 PMA@CES Visionaries Panel

[PPFA NEWS LINE]

Left to right: Visionaries Ron Gazzola, Manny Almeida, Antonio Neves, Mike Kahn, Brigitte Peleman-Vantieghem, and Steve Tiffen

Taking part in this year’s 2014 PMA@CES Visionaries Panel were Manny Almeida of Fujifilm; Steve Tiffen of The Tiffen Co.; Brigitte Peleman-Vantieghem of Unibind; Mike Kahn of Sony; and Ron Gazzola of Samsung. Moderator Antonio Neves of THINQACTION questioned the panelists on a number of topics. Here’s what they had to say on the subject of changes in their business and the industry over the past year. For more coverage of this and other PMA 2014 Conferences and 2014 PMA@CES sessions, be sure to read the March/April issue of PMA Magazine.
The last year has been fairly stable after a period of significant change over the previous 3-4 years, Manny said. At its peak a few years ago, 850 million rolls of film were sold in the U.S., and almost that many were processed. This year, there were 15-18 million rolls processed. When that massive decline began, many people panicked, thinking it spelled the end for the industry. But the industry didn’t end; it merely changed. Those who have changed with it now have many avenues for success. “Fujifilm has transitioned, and today we make hundreds of products in our labs. If you embrace the changes, there is a lot of opportunity.”
Steve agreed, adding that the imaging industry goes through dramatic changes every 7 years or so. “Think back to the 126 and 110 format cameras. The single use camera. The advent of digital imaging. The DSLR becoming a consumer camera. Change is constant in this industry, and I believe in change. We need to watch for the changes as they come, understand them, and adjust our business to them.”
He said being able to reinvent and adapt your business requires an entrepreneurial spirit. “Change is going to be there. The pitcher will throw you the curve ball. The only question is, how do you adapt your swing to hit it out of the park?
Over the past year, the most significant change Brigitte has seen is the demand for personalization. *“Personalization is where things are going in photo books, with voice and video inside the photo book. We have seen the women we are targeting with photo books becoming more and aware of what’s possible, but that awareness is still not where it should be. The retailer can make it very easy now for the consumer to have something truly unique. You give a book to grandma, and she can hear the voices of her grandchildren in a recorded message inside. We’re going to see this demand for personalization growing more and more.”
Mike said this past year, several industry groups have joined forces to work toward creating a toolkit to help retailers tell the story of moving the experience of photography from 5 inch screens to things like 8x10s and photo books, with better quality hardware and better quality output. Educating the consumer to what’s possible has become more critical than ever. “The things we know and take for granted in this industry are things our customers don’t know,” he said.
“Last year we introduced the QX10, which is basically a digital camera that attaches to any smartphone. It allows users to take photos with the cameraphone, but to shoot with a better camera,” he added. “Popular Photography calls this the ‘camera for the future.’ We need to stop thinking like a 100 year-old-industry, and start thinking of our customers needs for the next 100 years.”
Ron noted, “It’s been a year of great growth for Samsung. Innovations like our Galaxy camera allow people to take a high quality photo and share it instantly on an Android platform. This is what consumers want today. Delivering our technology into the marketplace to help consumers take great pictures and share them is our biggest accomplishment this past year.

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