Polaroid Doesn’t Get Its Appeal
ckck:
Last week Polaroid along with their new “creative director” Lady Gaga introduced some new products and it couldn’t have been more disappointing. They didn’t even introduce any really new product (ignoring those ridiculous glasses that only Kanye West and Lady Gaga herself would wear). They announced a portable printer, which isn’t too different from one they already sell and they announced a digital camera with a printing capability, which they also already sell, though not in a pricier, Gaga-ized variation.
But the truly disappointing thing is seeing how clueless Polaroid are to what their actual appeal is in the 21st century. With these products they seem to think that people are clamoring for portable printing capability, and it’s not. Being able to instantly see your photo was the primary feature of a Polaroid camera 30-40 years ago, but now that you can instantly see your photo on the back of your digital camera, having an instant print is no longer the killer feature. No, what people love about Polaroid nowadays is that unpredictable chemical reaction that gave you something unique. Digital photos are too crisp and “perfect”, and it makes people long for that kind of imperfect perfection. Just look at iPhone apps like Hipstamatic, Instagram, etc. They all try to emulate that look, and they are wildly popular.
In fact, I dare say that Polaroid would’ve made a far better choice by simply creating an official Polaroid app instead of wasting their time on something that will never be broadly popular (not to mention, a camera printing a photo is nowhere close to being as magical as a real Polaroid camera ejecting the entire photo that slowly fades in). If they made an app good enough it’d sell like hotcakes just because it’s the official Polaroid app, and they could charge people more for it for that very same reason. There was some brief mention of some kind of app in their announcement last week, but no details were given and it came off as being more of an app to use with their printer than an app along the lines of Hipstamatic and Instagram.
I am happy to see Polaroid trying to resurrect themselves, but it really is too bad they’re so clueless.
