Briefing
George Eastman put the first Kodak camera into the hands of consumers in 1888. Ever since a ‘Kodak Moment’ became a popular expression. For over 100 years, Kodak was at the forefront of every major innovation in photography. Its wide range of cameras ensured billions of ‘Kodak moments’ were captured. Turning Kodak into one of the most beloved brands in the world. However, even though Kodak invented digital photography, they were too slow and too late. A mistake that led to other brands becoming market leaders. Kodak was suddenly seen as irrelevant, obsolete and even extinct. A brand of the past. Which is why Kodak asked us: how can we prove that Kodak and its rich history is still relevant today? How can we create a renewed emotional bond and how can we get Kodak back into the current cultural conversations?
Solution
First, we took medical advice from the two leading Belgian professors at the university of Leuven and Liège. They made clear that dementia is not only a disease of the memory, but also a disease of communication, leading to social isolation. We then did several in-depth workshops with researchers and caregivers from the various dementia associations in Belgium, to find how we should develop the tool in such a way that it would be focused on being a true enrichment of the existing ‘photo reminiscence therapy’, inciting patients to have longer and deeper conversations. Then, we went into testing the tool with dementia patients and their caregivers, and kept updating it (mostly focused on making it increasingly easier to use) until all parties were convinced of its added value.