HONG KONG-(BUSINESS WIRE)-Following up on the June announcement that Summit Global Group signed an exclusive 5-year license agreement for use of the Polaroid Brand in a number of digital imaging categories, Summit Global today announced that they have obtained worldwide rights to distribute instant film also under the Polaroid brand. The exclusive license agreement with PLR IP Holdings, LLC, the owners of the Polaroid brand, is expected to generate 1.3 billion in retail sales.
With so much speculation in the media recently about Polaroid instant photography, Summit Global is proud to announce the re-launch of instant photography. Strategic relationships with Impossible Project and ZINK Imaging have been forged to compliment Summit Global’s worldwide activities in order to support this re-launch.
This landmark announcement ushers in the NEW with the OLD and brings back one of the world’s most iconic brands and prepares to once again capture the hearts and minds of people all over the world.
Summit Global held a media event in Hong Kong today outlining its plans to bring back instant photography using traditional analog film to capture not only the people that admire Polaroid but to introduce a new generation of consumers to the brand. “With significant marketing effort being applied to instant photography, both with the re-launch of instant film and through product line expansion of the digital formats we will introduce thePolaroid Brand to younger consumers and ready them for a lifetime of Polaroid experiences”, says Giovanni Tomaselli, Managing Director of Summit Global.
Summit Global outlined plans to bring back many of the famous film formats. “This is the beginning of our instant analog directive that will span a family of products and return Polaroid to a relevant industry participant”, stated Mr. Tomaselli.
Summit Global highlighted the exciting ZINK (ZERO INK) Technology from ZINK Imaging with plans to market a full range of instant digital products to the marketplace. Polaroid had already launched the Polaroid PoGoTM Instant Digital Printer, which uses the groundbreaking inkless printing technology that fits in the palm of your hand. Using your mobile phone via Bluetooth or digital camera via USB Cable, you can print photos seamlessly. “The fact that you can unlock all those photos from your mobile phone will be a great boost for instant photography”, says Mr. Tomaselli. The Polaroid “TWO”, the digital version of the traditional camera that produces instant digital photos was also showcased today along with plans to introduce, the Instant Digital Camera that produces 4″ X 3″ instant digital photos in 2010.
“Reconnecting consumers to the very soul of the Polaroid brand through the re-launch of instant photography will stimulate growth opportunities to diversify into exciting and relevant new product categories”, stated Scott W. Hardy, President of PLR IP Holdings, LLC.
Summit Global is driven to make the Polaroid Brand’s future as exciting as its past – Starting Now!.
ABOUT THE SUMMIT GLOBAL GROUP OF COMPANIES
The Summit Global Group is a world-wide consortium of leading design, development and distribution firms for imaging products. Headquartered in Salt Lake City, and with offices in New Jersey, Boston, Tokyo and Hong Kong, Summit Global manages the licensing, production and distribution needs for a global clientele. (www.thesummitglobalgroup.com)
ABOUT POLAROID®
Dating back to 1937 Polaroid is one of the most recognized consumer brands in the world. Best known for pioneering polarized lenses and instant photography, the Polaroid brand now extends into flat panel televisions, digital photo frames, digital cameras, an innovative line of digital instant products and more. Polaroid is registered trademark of PLR IP Holdings, LLC, a full scale global licensing and marketing company. (www.polaroid.com)
We are pleased to herewith announce a history making cooperation between Polaroid and The Impossible Project:
As we have created quite some buzz about Analog Instant Photography over the past 12 months, the Polaroid licensee – The Summit Global Group – now can’t resist any longer and announced at a press conference on October 13th in Hongkong that they will re-launch some of the most famous Polaroid Instant Cameras.
Therefore they are commissioning The Impossible Project to develop and produce a limited edition of Polaroid branded Instant Films in the middle of 2010.
The Impossible Project is proud and excited that its ambitions and all the relentless work that has already been invested are now becoming the foundation for Polaroid’s comeback as a producer of Instant Cameras.
Large-scale production and worldwide sale of The Impossible Project’s new integral film materials under its own brand will already start in the beginning of 2010 – with a brand new and astonishing black and white Instant Film and the first colour films to follow in the course of the year.
“A Photographic paper factory”? How did you manage to miss the big part of the story here?
The impossible Project formed because Polaroid abandoned their film and cameras. These guys took over an old Polaroid factory and the machines and have been trying for a year to make new film. This (along with a resurgence in the popularity of instant film – see http://www.savepolaroid.com/) inspired Polaroid to see value in it’s abandoned products and they commissioned Impossible to make new film for them. It’s a crazy story and this article completely leaves that out.
宝丽来相纸及相机即将于明年重新上市销售
宝丽来商标持有人Summit Global Group昨日在香港宣布，即将重新生产宝丽来胶片及相机，并于明年年中上市销售。这里是官方新闻稿(PDF)，我把全文贴在下面。
本月9号，最后一批生产的宝丽来胶片也正式过期，毫无疑问在这个时候宣布宝利来胶片即将重新生产的消息是令人欣喜的。根据商业周刊的报道，新的胶卷将与Impossible B.V.合作，在其位于荷兰的公司生产，而宝丽莱公司位于美国本土马萨诸塞州的两家公司依旧不会重新投产。另据每日电信报的消息，相机将在中国生产。
根据英国《摄影爱好者》杂志的消息，伊尔福公司的销售总监Steven Brierley也已证实他们正在与Impossible B.V.合作研发用于宝丽来相机的黑白相纸，但产品的具体商业化思路仍在讨论之中。
Impossible B.V.是一群热心人为了拯救宝丽来免于消亡而组织成立的一个公司，作为一个宝丽来的爱好者，如果你对于他们不熟悉，那么至少你应该知道the Impossible Project，这就是他们公司的网站。与Summit Global干巴巴的新闻稿相比，Impossible Project网站上的弹出新闻则充满了喜悦与兴奋：
这是一个感人的故事，在冷冰冰的数字年代，一群人通过他们的不懈努力，让宝丽来依旧焕发光彩。就好像一个读者在商业周刊新闻后面的评论：
其实我想这个故事或许值得拍成一部电影。最后贴个可爱的小设计，韩国设计师Jung Hwa Jin的宝丽来花盆。