The Demise of Polaroid Film

The recent announcement of Polaroid's decision to cease producing "instant film" is a stark reminder of the power of disruptive innovation. Digital photography is, of course, the ultimate "instant photography," but it is still somewhat sobering to see an icon such as Polaroid depart this market space. No matter that Tom Beaudoin, Polaroid's President, COO and CFO [& obviously a pretty busy guy], has said about the move that: "We're trying to reinvent Polaroid so it lives on for the next 30 to 40 years," it still is the demise of an innovation that we've always taken for granted that is a sobering wakeup call for the need to attend to innovation, and strategic revitalization.