The most wonderful time of the year is also one of the best times to get nostalgic about vintage camera ads! Here’s one that reminds us of a Merry Kodak Christmas.
We’ve been taking you all on a walk down photography memory lane for a while now, and we can’t keep at it without sharing a vintage ad most fitting for the holiday season. This Kodak ad from the six decades past will get you either wishing for a Merry “Kodak Christmas” or in the mood to tick something off a film photographer friend’s emulsional wishlist! (see what we did there?)
“Kodak suggests a give and take Christmas,” the 1959 commercial began, then breaks into song about giving a Kodak to your loved ones to take photos with all year. A “Give and Take” Christmas was actually a clever way to describe the gift-giving season we all look forward to. Whatever gear-related stuff you give a photographer, it will surely be used to take photos of priceless moments for years to come!
The vintage camera ad shared by Classics Cast may only be about a minute long, but it’s enough to tell what has changed since it came out. First, as is the case with commercials like it, is how companies don’t make ads the same way these days. We don’t get seasonal marketing stuff like this anymore, but that’s more a testament to the signs of the times. Today, we’re more likely to be persuaded and get ideas about what to get our photographer friends and loved ones from an IG story or Facebook post hinting what’s on their wishlist.
Another is the feeling that cameras and films were a big part of gift-giving among families back in the days Now, there are certainly many gift options, and it’s probably more typical for family members to gift smartphones instead of a camera (because a phone can take photos anyway). But, if you have a serious photographer in the family, take some tips from Kodak and give them something they can use to take pictures you’ll always treasure. In fact, if you’re looking for a gift for a film photographer friend or family member, there’s a bunch of Kodak emulsions (Kodak Portra and Kodak Ektachrome E100 *hint hint*) that will guarantee a Merry Kodak Christmas!
