Failure™ Magazine

Instant History

The decline of Polaroid.

Written by Brian M. O'Connell   Filed under Business, History, Science & Technology

It appears instant film is set to go the way of the VCR and cassette player—another casualty of the digital revolution. The last wheeze of instant photography came earlier this month, by way of an announcement from Polaroid that the company is shutting down production of almost all of its film manufacturing lines. The decision to cease production is “due to dramatic technological changes in the photographic industry,” announced the company, “which will see the organization transitioning from its analog instant film business into new and innovative digital instant photography technologies.” Hello, and welcome to the 21st century.

Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of Polaroid’s demise has been the pace of its decline. In the years following World War II, Polaroid’s instant photography products helped the company develop a brand name recognized worldwide. In the 1970s, in particular, a whole generation became fascinated by the ability to turn white squares of paper into cherished family memories, and everyone from Andy Warhol to Kermit the Frog endorsed the products.

By the 1980s though, hostile takeover bids and wayward investing had crippled the powerhouse brand and almost guaranteed that the company would be caught unaware by the advancement of digital photography. Polaroid’s revenue peaked in 1991; just ten years later the company was forced to declare bankruptcy. Yet pop culture was still enamored with its instant photo technology. OutKast’s 2003 number one hit “Hey Ya!” featured singer André 3000 urging people to “Shake it like a Polaroid picture.”

“The company was just too slow to adapt,” says Barney Britton, technical writer for Amateur Photographer. “The future of film photography is that it will either become a niche market or be phased out entirely.”

That’s bad news for Polaroid’s worldwide labor force. Factories will close in Massachusetts, Mexico and the Netherlands, leaving a core staff of about 150 employees in Concord and Waltham, Massachusetts. By contrast, Polaroid employed almost 21,000 workers at the height of its success in the late 1970s.

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