The Death of Polaroid Film as it Relates to Internet Marketing
I just found out from a news site that Polaroid is going to stop selling it’s famous instant film, thus closing the books on an amazing era in the world of photography. I remember growing up seeing folks use the original style Polariod cameras where you had to pull the film out, peel off a cover and wait for the black and white picture to appear – like magic.
And in typical fashion, EVERYBODY shook the darned picture to help “dry it off” or “help it develop faster” – which didn’t do a thing except make the photographers look like they were trying to cool off with a tiny hand fan.
Later I remember my Mom and Dad buying on of the famous SX70 series that took a big, fat cartrige of film and used a flash bulb strip. Later they moved up to an advanced version with an internal flash and a really cool auto focus system that used a sonic transducer to “echo locate” the distance of the subject. I can still hear that “tic tic tic” sound when it was trying to focus.
In any event, they were bulky, they were loud, they were heavy – but they were wonderful.
(sigh) I guess I do feel a little sadness to hear that this amazing and cutting edge form of photography is going to fade into history. I can remember the sound and the smells that those Polaroid cameras made when taking a picture … and I still have a couple of photos that my mother took of my son when he was born on one of those famous “white framed photos” that belched out of the instant camera.
It’s a bit of a shame, but … honestly … I’m not sad! WHY?
Because life is all about PROGRESS!
If it were not for the concept of “instant gratification” that the Polaroid camera created – we would NOT have the joys of the digital camera! EVERY modern advance is based on some form of old technology or technique! Modern technology stands on the shoulders of the technology that comes before it.
Yes we are losing a wonderful technology with the passing of “instant film”, but we should all THANK this “grand old technology” for ushering in the world of instant digital photograhy that is not only superior, but (thanks to the internet) can be shared with the world via the internet with pushbutton ease!
We all need to embrace change, but remember the past … since it was the past that led us to this future.
I will always whistfully remember the old “instant film days”, but look forward to what the world of digital photography can bring our families. Even though digital cameras are everywhere, I’m still amazed at how they have spread in society and due to the fact that there is no cost to buy or develop film, photographers can take more risks in shooting a picture and potentially get more amazing shots.
Now how does this all relate to the world of internet marketing?
As someone who has been using the internet as a marketing device since the days of 300 baud modems, I realize that even THIS industry is always in a state of flux and improving every day. And we must always remember the lessons of the past and move into the future that is filled with exciting possibilities and new technology to meet the needs of the world.
Remember the sound a modem made when connecting?
Remember big, old 8 inch floppy disks?
Remember how EXPENSIVE all of this technology was?
But remember how all it all seemed like “magic”?
I do! But would I go back to using that technology? No way. BUT I respect what it helped spawn.
In the old days we had message boards to communicate with. Later we had these things called “web pages”. Then we started to have email marketing. And all of those were very techy and “expensive” to use.
Today’s marketer has a range of tools and systems to help build their business that are not only easier to use than what we had in the past, but much if it is free, and most if it is extremely easy to use. This is putting the power of this great marketing media called the internet into the hands of more and more people – empowering them to become “virtual entrepreneurs” – and changing the economics of the world.
All because technology advances and opens up new markets and creates new ideas. Just like Polaroid did for the world of photograhy!
SO – let’s all move forward and never forget our “old friends” and thank them for introducing us to the “new friends” that can take us into the future!
Thank you Polaroid! Thanks for the memories that many of us have sitting in a shoebox!
Below I have included a video that talks more about this. Watch and remember!
