Kodak, Shutterfly step into photo sharing
Kodak EasyShare Gallery and Shutterfly Inc., two online photo services known as “walled gardens” due limited sharing features compared to open environments like PhotoBucket and Flickr, are cracking the gates a little bit.
Kodak Gallery, based in Emeryville, Calif., and Slide Inc., San Francisco, Calif., announced a new service enabling the 60 million Kodak Gallery members to showcase their photos on social network sites like MySpace, Blogger and Facebook, using Slide’s portable Slideshow product.
The co-branded service, located at www.slide.com/kodakgallery, is the first phase in a deeper Slideshow product integration to be rolled out this year.
In other photo-sharing news, Redwood City, Calif.-based Shutterfly has quietly rolled out its own Shutterfly Gallery service. This service allows users to share completed photo books with the world at large; until now, users could share completed projects via e-mail links. Now users can set up profiles, post photo books for others to view, and browse other photo books. Photo books can be tagged, so users can explore books that way. In early January, Shutterfly completed the aquisition of Nexo Systems Inc., a privately held online sharing and group services company; Shutterfly officials say the Shutterfly Gallery was in development prior to that acquisition.
Borders plugs in media-mix ideas; Kiosk joins shelves at concept store
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| Within the Digital Center at the new Borders Concept Store in Ann Arbor, Mich., customers can mix and make their own CDs, download books and music, publish their own books, print photos, and create photo books. |
Eighteen months after the idea was born, Ann Arbor, Mich.-based Borders Group Inc. opened its first new concept store last week in Michigan. Grand opening festivities kick off Feb. 22. The 29,000-square-foot store is filled with new digital features unlike anything the bookseller has offered before, says The Ann Arbor News, like a kiosk where customers can mix and burn CDs, print photos, self-publish books.
The Ann Arbor concept store in Pittsfield Township is the first of 14 concept stores the struggling retailer will open this year, says the article. Borders is striving to restructure and brand itself as a center for “knowledge and entertainment,” increase sales and differentiate its 520 U.S. stores from its chief rival, Barnes & Noble Inc. Over the next 3 years, the nation’s second largest bookseller will put concept model features in all its stores, including two in Ann Arbor.
“This has been in the works for quite a while,” George Jones, chief executive officer of Borders, said during a media preview of the store last Wednesday. “We wanted to build something compelling enough to make a customer drive five or 10 minutes past a competitor’s store to get here.”
The music section has been downsized, and in its place is Borders’ digital center. The circular, oversized kiosk features several computer stations where customers can burn music CDs, download music and audio books onto MP3 players, create digital photo albums, and learn how to self-publish and research family genealogy. Staffers will be on hand to assist, says The Ann Arbor News.
Costs vary between different digital features, but a burned CD with seven songs and a case with cover art starts at $9.99; prints of digital photos are 29 cents each. So far, Borders’ library includes 2.4 million different songs and more than 15,000 audio books. The retailer has formed alliances with companies like Shutterfly, Ancestry.com, and Lulu.com to provide its digital services.
Jones said the amount of floor space dedicated to books has remained consistent in the new store, but the company decreased the number of titles it offers to make better use of space. Now, Borders stacks more books so the cover, rather than the spine, faces the customer, says the article. The new Borders also sells some digital cameras, memory cards, and more toys and gift items. Still, the selection doesn’t overwhelm the main attraction — books.
“We’ve stayed true to what our customers have always loved about Borders — deep and intelligent selection, knowledgeable staff, and a comfortable, welcoming atmosphere. Yet, we’ve brought a fresh new look and an exciting interactive dimension to the store with a Digital Center where customers can do everything from mix and make their own custom CDs, download books and music, publish their own books, explore their family history, and create photo books — all without being computer experts because we have trained people there to help every step of the way,” said Jones in a release.
Throughout the rest of the year, Borders will open 13 other concept stores in cities like Las Vegas, Nev.; New Orleans, La.; and Alameda, Calif. The company expects its concept stores to bring in more sales and profit than older stores, says the article.
HP, Nokia, Sony, others to step up fight against global warming
HP Co., Nokia, Sony Corp., and nine other global corporations said all necessary action should be taken to put a halt to global warming, and pledged they would step up their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, reports Reuters.
In a “Tokyo Declaration” issued by the dozen companies partnering with conservation group World Wildlife Fund (WWF) for emission reductions, they said they will expand the scope of their activities by involving their business partners and customers.
At a Climate Savers summit held in Tokyo, HP officials pledged to reduce emissions from operations and the use of its products by 6 million tons below 2005 levels by 2010. In addition, the company committed to reduce energy consumption by 15 percent in its operations from 2005 levels, while achieving a 25 percent reduction in the energy used by its products and operations combined below 2005 levels by 2010.
“HP has been an environmentally-sensitive company for decades; it’s simply part of our culture and DNA,” said Mark Hurd, chairman and CEO, HP, in a release. “We take a leadership role in climate change initiatives like WWF Climate Savers, and we will continue to seek innovative ways to reduce our carbon footprint.”
At electronics and entertainment conglomerate Sony Corp., for example, one potential step would be working with transportation companies that handle the distribution of its products to help cut their emissions, a Sony official said.
Sony Chief Executive Howard Stringer said that despite the problems and crises that political and business leaders face today, they need to start acting immediately on the issue of global warming to avert the crisis of tomorrow.
“I went to Davos last month, originally expecting climate change will be the main focus of the World Economic Forum,” Stringer told a news conference. “Instead, participants, unsurprisingly, were more preoccupied with the global financial meltdown than the meltdown of icebergs and glaciers.”
Besides HP, Nokia, and Sony, companies that signed the declaration include athletic shoes and clothing maker Nike Inc., and Novo Nordisk, the world’s biggest maker of insulin, reports Reuters.
Canon reports record net profits for fiscal 2007
Canon Inc., Tokyo, Japan, reported consolidated net sales for its FY07 ended December increased 7.8 percent year-on-year to ¥4.48 trillion (US$40 billion), operating profit rose 7 percent to ¥756 billion (US$6.87 billion). Net profit was up 7.2 percent to ¥488.3 billion (US$4.44 billion).
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Sales of the camera business segment grew 10.6 percent to ¥1.15 trillion (US$10.4 billion) and operating profit rose 14.4 percent to ¥307 billion (US$2.79 billion). Within the camera segment, sales of digital cameras increased 13.3 percent while sales of interchangeable lenses grew 11.8%. Sales quantity of digital cameras increased 17 percent to 24.6 million units. The ratio of DSLR cameras among all digital cameras were 13 percent, or 3.2 million units on a unit basis, and 38% on a value basis.
Total sales of the office equipment segment were up 9 percent to ¥2.936 trillion (US$26.7 billion) and operating profit was ¥650 billion (US$5.9 billion) or up 8.5 percent. Sales of its computer peripheral devices including inkjet printers among the total sales of the office equipment business segment were ¥1.538 trillion, up 9.9 percent.
At the same time, Canon announced its forecast for fiscal year 2008. Group total sales are expected to be ¥4.72 trillion (US$42.9 billion), up 5.3 percent and operating and net profits are estimated to be ¥800 billion (US$7.27 billion), up 5.7 percent, and ¥520 billion (US$4.72 billion), up 6.5 percent, respectively. Total sales of its camera business segment are forecasted to be ¥1.233 trillion ($11.2 billion), up 6.9 percent. On a unit basis, Canon intends to boost digital camera sales in 2008 by 20 percent to 29.4 million units.
Fujifilm Holdings reports increases in revenue, net income
Fujifilm Holdings Corp., Tokyo, Japan, reported revenue of ¥2.1 million (US$19,549) for the nine months ended Dec. 31, 2007, an increase from the ¥2 million (US$18,617) for the same time in 2006. Net income for the nine months ended Dec. 31, 2007 was ¥103 million (US$958,411), a large increase compared to the ¥48 million (US$446,638) reported in 2006.
The company saw revenue of ¥2.7 million (US$25,117) for the year-ended March 31, 2007, and projects revenue of ¥2.8 million ($US26,057) for the year ended March 31, 2008. Net income for the year-ended March 31, 2007 was ¥34 million (US$316,368), and ¥120 million (US$1.1 million) is predicted for the year-ended March 31, 2008.
Fujifilm reported a growth in color paper sales, reflecting a rise in prints of photos taken by digital cameras and cameraphones, says the company. Fujifilm also saw strong sales of digital cameras, but declining demand for color films and digital minilabs, which resulted in adecreased revenue for the Imaging Solutions segment. The company, however, did report some challenges in the digital camera market in light of competitive camera releases from other companies.
Nikon reports 9-month net profit up 30 percent
Nikon Corp., Tokyo, Japan, reported its operating profit and current net profit in the third quarter (October-December 2007) rose 13 percent to ¥40 billion (US$380.9 million) on 13.7 percent increased sales of ¥266.4 billion (US$2.5 billion). As a result, its operating profit in the 9-month period from April through December rose 28.4 percent to ¥103.5 billion (US$985.7 million), and net profit grew 30.9 percent year-on-year to ¥60.5 billion ($576.1 million) on 13.3 percent increased sales of ¥712.2 billion (US$6.8 billion).
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The operating profit of its imaging company in the 9-month period was ¥69.4 billion (US$660.9 million), up 76 percent year-on-year, on sales of ¥449 billion (US$4.3 billion), up 30.8 percent from the sales in the same period a year earlier.
During the 9-month period the company shipped 2.32 million units of DSLRs and 6.73 million compact digital cameras, up 62 percent and 44 percent, respectively. Interchangeable lens sales more than doubled to 3.4 million units from 1.67 million units a year earlier.
Nikon revised point-and-shoot digital camera and interchangeable lens shipment projections upward for the whole year to 8.3 million and 4.3 million units, compared to the original projection of 8 million and 4 million units. DSLR shipment projections remained unchanged at 3 million units.
In memoriam: Charitable donations in memory of Dana Condello
· As reported in a previous Photo Marketeing Newsline, Dana Condello, a veteran of the photographic industry, passed away on Feb. 6. Those who have inquired about Condello’s favorite charities may direct their donations in his memory to the following: Dayle McIntosh Center, 13272 Garden Grove Blvd., Garden Grove, CA 92843 and Laura’s House, 999 Corporate Drive, Ste 225, Ladera Ranch, CA 92694. The Mission of the Dayle McIntosh Center is to advance the empowerment, equality, integration and full participation of people with disabilities in the community. Laura’s House is an organization reaching out to victims of domestic violence.
People on the move
· Pakor Inc. , Maple Grove, Minn., appointed Mark La Course as its National Sales Manager - Professional Markets. La Course will be responsible for overall marketing and sales of systems designed for the studio photographer wishing to control their own output of both silver halide and inkjet papers and consumable products to the portrait and commercial imaging lab segment. La Course has more than 20 years of experience in the imaging industry and has held several key positions with various companies such as Ilford Imaging USA, Colex Imaging and Lucht Inc. Pakor is a provider of traditional and inkjet imaging products and solutions for the imaging industry.
Industry notes
· If you attended the PMA 08 Official Business Session featuring Dr. Andrew Lippman, founding associate director of the Media Laboratory at MIT, you know he’s an expert on the science of viral communication. In a recent DIMAcast, PMA magazine Senior Editor Jennifer Kruger interviews Dr. Lippman, who covers a great deal of different territory on this topic. Next week, be sure to look for a new DIMAcast, presenting an interview with Michael Tapes, whose new tutorial explains why photographers should be shooting RAW instead of JPEG — and why RAW actually lends itself to a much easier workflow.
· If you felt like you wanted to be in more than one place at a time during DIMA 2008, now, you can hear some of the sessions you missed online with DIMA 2008 Replay. The link leads to a list of DIMA 2008 sessions. Choose the one you want and an online player will stream the audio.
· Don’t forget to read the February PMA Washington Report online now. This month’s Washington, D.C., news includes information about the stimulus bill that has been signed into law, which will include the issuance of tax rebate checks to millions of U.S. consumers. The February Washington Report also discusses part of the stimulus package that includes incentives for small businesses. Section 179 of the Internal Revenue Code allows small businesses to write off certain otherwise depreciable expenses in the first year. For 2008 only, the amount is increased to $250,000. Find out all the details by reading the Washington Report, which is available to all PMA members and non-members.
· Toshiba Corp. , the company that created the high-definition DVD format, said it will no longer develop, manufacture or market HD-DVD players and recorders, reports The Wall Street Journal. The decision gives Sony, developer of the competing Blu-ray high-definition DVD format, exclusivity in the market. Toshiba’s announcement follows a string of decisions by major retailers — including Netflix, Best Buy, and Wal-Mart – to exclusively back Blu-ray. The company also was hurt by major movie studios’ decisions in the format war; four of the six big studios backed Blu-ray, with HD-DVD winning the support of only Paramount and Universal Studios, says the article. Toshiba said about one million HD DVD players had been sold globally since they first went on sale in March 2006, including players that can be attached to Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox 360 videogame console. But that was still far short of Blu-ray’s 6.3 million players, according to the Blu-ray Disc Association. That figure includes sales of Sony’s PlayStation 3 videogame console, which contains a Blu-ray player, says the article.
· Sprint Nextel Corp., Overland Park, Kan., will combine its operational and corporate headquarters at one location in Overland Park, Kan., reports The Associated Press. The company’s corporate headquarters have resided in Reston, Va., since 2005. According to Sprint Nextel, the consolidation will require the relocation of only a few executives. The move will enhance operational performance by further involving senior leaders in the company’s operations, as well as reducing travel expenses and better using real estate assets, says the AP. The company currently employs about 4,400 associates in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, and about 13,300 associates in the Kansas City metropolitan area.
· For the second year, LOOK3 Festival of the Photograph will convene for a 3-day program of exhibitions, outdoor projections, workshops, interviews with famous photographers and special events in Charlottesville, N.C. This year’s festival will take place June 12-14. On each evening of the Festival, National Public Radio’s Alex Chadwick will host conversations and big screen projections with the three featured photographers. LOOK3 Festival of the Photograph’s name signifies 3 days of peace, love, and photography.
· Irvine, Calif.-based ScanMyPhotos.com is offering free photo scanning to members of four social networking sites: Facebook, MySpace, Blogger, or Flickr. Social network members have analog photo snapshots stashed in shoeboxes, too, and many want to also use these photos online. Free scanning applies only to current members of Facebook, MySpace, Blogger and Flickr to scan up to 1,000 4-by-6 non-copyrighted photo snapshots, plus pay standard shipping and handing fee of $19.95. The offer is only valid only for direct mail customers in the United States, and is limited to one complimentary scanning service per person/address. The offer expires on Feb. 29. Full details are available at http://scanmyphotos.com/requirements.html.
· Yahoo! Inc., Sunnyvale, Calif., recently notified to roughly 1,000 employees worldwide that their positions are being eliminated, according to a person familiar with the matter, reports The Wall Street Journal. The company, which has about 14,300 staff, had late last month announced the plans to cut about 1,000 positions. At the time, it said the cuts would take place in mid-February, and that some of the affected staff would have the opportunity to find other posts at Yahoo in its priority business areas.
· Shutterfly Inc., Redwood City, Calif., has partnered with CK Media LLC, Golden, Colo., to deliver an exclusive line of products and services targeted at introducing photo books to traditional scrapbookers. The strategic partnership consists of: Eight new photo books designed by Creating Keepsakes celebrity designers, with the first two from Ali Edwards and Jessica Sprague; An online destination at www.shutterfly.com/inspire offering to guide scrapbookers through the creation of photo books ;Classes taught through Creating Keepsakes University (CKU) and CK Conventions (CKC) that introduce scrapbookers to Shutterfly’s online photo books and digital scrapbooking print solutions.
Hoffman Estates, Ill., which owns the Kmart and Sears retail chains, announced it is cutting about 200 headquarters jobs as Chairman Edward Lampert tries to bring its overhead costs in line with falling sales, reports The Associated Press.The 200 jobs, which are in support functions, represent about 4 percent of Sears’ 5,000 headquarters employees, said Sears spokesman Chris Brathwaite. He declined to be more specific. Sears notified employees of the pending cuts in a memo Tuesday from interim CEO W. Bruce Johnson, reports the AP.The job cuts come as Lampert, a billionaire investor, looks for a way to turn around the company created when he engineered Kmart Holding Corp.’s purchase of Sears, Roebuck and Co. in 2005. Late last month, Sears unveiled a restructuring that divides the company into a five independently run businesses. Support is one of the five business areas being created under the new structure. While Brathwaite declined to disclose the support functions targeted in the cuts, Sears described the new support unit as housing such functions as marketing, store operations, customer strategy and finance.<<back to top
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