Podcast Summary: On Strategy Showcase

Episode: Polaroid Chases a Comeback with the Camera for an Analog Life
Date: September 28, 2025
Host: Fergus O’Carroll
Guests: Patricia Varela (Creative Director, Polaroid In-House, Amsterdam) & Davila Banata (Senior Manager, Brand Strategy, Polaroid, Amsterdam)

Overview

This episode dives into Polaroid’s remarkable strategic and creative comeback, spotlighting the launch of their new "Flip" camera and "The Camera for an Analog Life" campaign. Host Fergus O'Carroll discusses with Patricia Varela and Davila Banata how the heritage brand leverages its analog, imperfect appeal to connect with new generations in a digital, AI-dominated world. The campaign positions Polaroid not as a nostalgia play, but as a genuine innovation for Gen Z, Gen Alpha, and beyond—tapping into desires for authenticity and tactile experiences.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Polaroid's Brand Evolution and Revival

• Historical Context: Once an icon of instant photography, Polaroid was nearly lost in the digital shift but was revived by "The Impossible Project," a group that saved the last film factory in the Netherlands.
  [05:44] B (Banata): “Really passionate people saved... the last film factory where they're developing the Polaroid film here in the Netherlands... That was the beginning of a resurgence.”

• Current Mission: Polaroid’s mission has shifted to "providing more cameras and making instant photography relevant in the 21st century."
  [07:06] B: "...our brand and the name is bigger than our company and... our mission is to provide more cameras and get more people instant photography and make it relevant in 21st century."

Audience Insights & Growth

• Who’s Buying: The company targets not only those nostalgic for the past but also new generations, including Gen Z and Gen Alpha, who see instant photography as innovative. [08:53] B: “An old person can use it, might love it, but also young people find it like super, super exciting... There's this term called Anamoya... younger generation have almost nostalgia to the times never lived.”

• Insight Shock: Fergus notes his surprise that for younger audiences, the instant camera is an innovation rather than a throwback.
  [10:07] A (Fergus): “That's a huge unlock... viewed by Gen Z, Gen Alpha as being an innovation, not an old product. That's really huge.”

Chemistry & The Beauty of Imperfection

• Image Quality: While the film quality has been improved, Polaroid retains a "dreamlike aesthetic," emphasizing that imperfections are a feature, not a bug. [10:45] B: “...the beauty of Polaroid chemistry is still keeping this dreamlike aesthetic. It's not, you know, perfect pixel image... the beauty... there is no filter. Right. It actually just captures life as it is.”

• Embracing Analog Values: The narrative and campaigns pivot on the appeal of real, tangible photos and the embrace of imperfection. [14:10] B: “People really kind of are craving for less pixel-perfect lives... Everyone is kind of a little bit sick of perfection.”

Deepening Brand Philosophy: From Nostalgia to Emotional Appeal

• Psychology of Use: Polaroid is not to replace the smartphone but to offer a meaningful, tactile way of capturing moments that matter. [13:12] B: “They're looking for more meaningful way to take pictures than just with their phones... this deep emotional value that you can hold to the physicality...”

• From USP to Emotion: While leadership initially focused on product USPs (unique sonar, sharp images), the creative direction steered toward emotional resonance, seeing usage as an "emotional choice."
  [17:02] C (Patricia): “There's nothing rational of shooting with a Polaroid camera, to be honest. It's everything about the emotional choice...”

Developing the Campaign: Strategy & Creative Journey

• Strategic Brief & Routes: Several creative routes were explored, ranging from product distinctiveness to a bolder brand statement. Both guests recall the "goosebumps" moment when the right campaign direction was realized.
  [19:58] B: “I just got goosebumps. And I was like, this is this. This is the route that we should go for, right? The bold one.” [20:22] C: “There’s ideas that are unstoppable, even if they're not fitting the brief... When you had this reaction from people, it was like goosebumps, you know, like physical reaction or you go for it...”

• Brand Platform:
  [19:23] B: “We aim to remind people that the best moments in life happen in real, tactile, analog, physical life. Right? So we champion real life.”

Creative Executions: Out-of-Home & Product Videos

• Creative Yin-Yang: The campaign features both product-centric (15s videos focusing on innovation and technical storytelling) and human-centric out-of-home ads, crafted for broad appeal and distinct jobs-to-be-done (awareness vs. consideration).
  [22:18] B: “We kind of had... a job to be done. Let's reach for completely new people, new audience, romanticize, attract them... But then for the rest... we also knew that we need... more commercial platforms and channels... something more product focused.”

• Out-of-Home as Analog Channel: Out-of-home was a conscious choice—not just for reach but as a symbolic analog medium, with placements near tech company offices to provoke thought in a digital context.
  [26:03] C: “We wanted to reach new audiences and that's why we have a big presence in the US... close to Google offices, in front of Apple Store, you know, kind of like trying to reach where the conversation was happening...”

• Notable Headlines and Taglines:

  • “Real stories, not stories and reels.”
  • “AI can’t generate sand between your toes.”
  • “Doesn’t connect to the cloud, does connect you to each other.”
  • “Remember that night we spent on our phones? Me neither.”
  • Tagline on all out-of-home: "The camera for an analog life."
    [26:51]+

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Generational Perspective:
  • [08:53] Banata: “Younger generation have almost nostalgia to the times never lived. And for them kind of instant photography is almost like innovation.”
• On Emotional Marketing:
  • [19:15] Banata: “We need to lead with emotion and figure out something that makes people feel goosebumps.”
• On Tactility & Reality:
  • [19:23] Banata: “We aim to remind people that the best moments in life happen in real, tactile, analog, physical life.”
• On Campaign Impact:
  • [25:01] Varela: “What we were trying to get is a reaction... And the positive reaction that we got, people were saying, actually, you're right, yes, I spend my life in my phone when actually I'm craving for a different thing.”
• On Creative Direction:
  • [20:22] Varela: “There’s ideas that are unstoppable... this one was like, really, are we saying this?... there was a lot of conversation. It was like love it and kind of like scary also...”
• On Placement:
  • [26:03] Varela: “We choose like really specific places close to Google offices in front of Apple Store, you know, like, kind of like trying to reach where the conversation was happening...”

Key Timestamps

• Polaroid’s Historical Journey: [04:57]-[07:14]
• Audience Insights & Gen Z/Alpha Appeal: [08:53]-[10:07]
• Imperfection as Value: [10:45]-[11:48]
• Campaign Brief and Internal Creative Process: [15:38]-[21:48]
• Brand Platform Statement: [19:23]
• Out-of-Home and Creative Execution Rationale: [22:18]-[26:03]
• Headline Review (OOH): [26:43]-[26:55]

Conclusion

Polaroid’s campaign “The camera for an analog life” reinvents its historical essence for a new era, making tactility, analog imperfection, and tangible memories desirable and even innovative for generations raised on digital. The strategic insight—turning what some see as a limitation into a unique selling point—propels both clever creative and deep emotional resonance.