Many trends and fads in life get lost in history completely. However, some survive the test of time by making a comeback. One trend that comes back in a full circle over time is fashion. But this post is not about fashion and its latest styles inspired by the past. Instead, we’re talking about photography, specifically film cameras’ comeback.
Today, it’s undeniable that the world has become a technology-reliant place. Eighty to ninety per cent of our daily activities revolve around technology, and without it, our work and future could be on the line. Since convenience has become one click away from our fingertips, immortalising the moments we value has become ordinary.
Photography before
In the past, people had to buy film rolls as their camera’s memory card. After that, they bring their rolls to professional photo printing shops for film processing. But when the 2000s came, this photography process suddenly faded due to digital cameras. Funnily, film cameras are in high demand again in today’s age of advanced technology.
More than a decade later, analogue photography has finally come full circle. But even though it’s popular again, it’s now harder to market film cameras in this digital world. Since people have become wiser and more careful with their purchases, it might take a lot to convince people to see the advantages of film cameras.
And so to start, here are points you can highlight in marketing film cameras today.
1 – Highlight its intricate manual process.
First, let’s start with its process. Today, technology companies release digital cameras yearly that offer photography features to make picture-taking seamless. It doesn’t matter if you’re familiar with photography–as long as you have a camera with the right specs, your photos will turn out perfectly.
But with film cameras, that’s not the case. It takes practise–and a hundred film rolls to master taking the “it” photos. Now, how do you market this point? By attracting people who are eager to learn and hone their photography skills. Professional photographers say that once you master how to shoot in film, you can shoot with any camera.
Since analogue cameras use manual settings, you’ll learn to work on your shutter speed, lighting choices, and aperture control. To appeal to starting photographers, highlight film cameras’ intricate manual process.
2 – Highlight the aesthetic of film photos.
Today, when people post photos on their social media pages, they ensure those photos aesthetically match their feed’s theme. Most people use a specific filter and vibe to their pictures so that their posts are in uniform with their feed’s aesthetics. And since film cameras are known for their dreamy and grainy feel, this point should be highlighted when marketing them.
When film cameras started to become popular again, people loved the dreamy and nostalgic feel of the photos. That’s partially one of the reasons it became a hit again. You can use printed photographs to attract people to buy film cameras.
Since social media has become a place where businesses can advertise their brands for free, your photos will serve as your advertisements. And since people love seeing striking pictures online, you can use film camera photos to your advantage.
3 – Share and educate people about the art of film processing.
One of the beauties of analogue photography is seeing your shots turn into an abstract print that you can keep. Today, since picture-taking has become digital and instant, we rarely consider going to photo shops for image printing. Since photo printing is the only way for you to see the photos you took with film cameras, it would be nice to educate people about film processing.
By sharing intricate details of how film processing works, you can stir people’s curiosity to try it and shoot with film cameras. You can start by posting video snippets of how professionals process negative films in dark rooms.
Since the process of seeing your hard work with film cameras takes a while, this is an advantage you can use to attract people to know more about film cameras. After all, it’s interesting to learn more about manual processes in a world of digital convenience.
4 – Offer promos and freebies included with the film camera, like photo albums and extra film negatives.
Since you need to process and develop film cameras’ photos, you need photo albums and frames to store them. And since customers always love freebies, this is a great way to entice people to buy them. But of course, don’t forget to be wise with your freebies. Using well-designed freebies that match the feel of film photography would be nice.
It’s nice to use photo albums as freebies since that’s one of the best ways to preserve your film photos. That’s also one less expense for people planning to buy film cameras. Aside from photo albums, you can also consider including negative film rolls.
The “freebie” strategy is a great way to attract people to buy film cameras. You don’t even have to start with your expensive models. You can use this strategy on your budget-friendly 35mm film camera that beginners can use.
5 – Use the idea of travelling to your advantage.
Last but not least is to use the ideal of travelling to your advantage. Since picture-taking has become one of the motivations why people love to travel, you should take advantage of this idea. With that, you can post travel photos taken using film cameras.
When people see how beautiful film cameras are for picture-taking, you stir their desire to own one. It could instantly become the reason to start a trend of bringing film cameras to people’s travels. After all, marketing is about targeting the needs and wants of the market.
If you’re running out of ideas for film camera marketing, look into the habits of people when travelling.
Create a need and desire for film cameras to attract them into buying one.
Marketing is a game of finding the perfect idea identifying with your market’s needs and wants. And since you’re marketing film cameras, you can use and look into the habits of people when posting online photos. You can start with these five points and expand on them once you try and establish your marketing strategies.
About the author:
Bianca Banda is a writer for DS Colour Labs Ltd (DSCL), a professional photography lab that offers a vast range of products and services for photo and print needs.
Bianca Banda is an ardent writer, aiming to share helpful information and ideas effectively and engagingly.
