Polaroid, the storied instant camera brand, has launched a full-fledged push into the Korean market with the global CEO's first visit to the country. In an era when smartphones and artificial intelligence (AI) lead image creation, the company plans to target demand from Millennials and Gen Z by emphasizing the value of the "analog experience."
Dan Dossa, Polaroid's global CEO, said at a press briefing held on the 1st at Parnas Mall in Samseong-dong, Seoul, "Today is effectively the day Polaroid relaunches in the Korean market," adding, "Only three countries—the United States, the United Kingdom, and Korea—are receiving concentrated global marketing campaigns for the new products."
On this day, Polaroid unveiled its first brand pop-up store in Korea and introduced the new "Polaroid Go 3rd generation." The pop-up store at Parnas Mall will run through the 16th.
The Polaroid Go 3rd generation is the world's smallest instant camera series. Compared with the previous model, it improves the aperture, exposure, and autofocus functions, and it touts its one-hand size and portability as key strengths. The domestic retail price is 159,000 won.
Polaroid is regarded as the original brand of instant cameras. Founded in 1937, it led instant photography culture, but it halted film production in 2008 amid the spread of digital cameras. Afterward, the "Impossible Project," which acquired the last remaining Polaroid film factory in the Netherlands, revived the brand, and today's Polaroid is the form relaunched in 2020.
Dossa said, "Today's Polaroid carries on the brand heritage, but it can essentially be seen as a new company," adding, "Making instant film and analog photography culture sustainable is our important mission."
Recently, Polaroid has been pushing the core brand messages "Best Summer is Analog" and "Be Pixel Imperfect." The aim is to highlight the appeal of instant photos—which have unpredictable results and physicality—over perfectly retouched digital images.
In particular, the company recently highlighted the importance of analog experiences in the AI era by unveiling an outdoor ad in New York that read, "Before data centers drink all the water, dive in."
Dossa said, "For young generations, analog does not simply mean film cameras," adding, "All activities that step away from digital devices to experience the real world—like walks, vinyl (LPs), board games, and stationery—constitute analog culture."
Market growth is also positive. According to the company, the global instant camera market is about $5.7 billion (about 8 trillion won) and is growing 8.3% annually. Sales growth in the Korean market recently reached 40%, and 63% of the main buyers were people in their 20s and 30s, Millennials and Gen Z.
Dossa said, "For the time being, we plan to focus on the camera and film businesses," but added, "Korea is a very important market, and we will expand the brand experience over the long term."