The economy offered little to smile about in 2009. Despite new technologies, people were feeling less connected, as Kodak research discovered; people longed to share laughs, feelings and, yes, photos. So Kodak created 'It’s Time to Smile', a campaign to foster face-to-face connections and demonstrate that personal relationships are as central to Kodak as natural beauty is to Dove.The big idea emerged with the discovery of a little-known movement called 'Brightsiding' - people engaging in random acts of kindness. The team found two 'Brightsiders' at Purdue University, locally dubbed the 'Compliment Guys'- often seen on street corners, doling out compliments for hours to fellow students. Seeing a strategic fit between sharing compliments and smiles, and sharing photos, the team sent the duo on a 'Brightside Tour' to produce compliments and smiles on a national scale, amplified by a blog, a Twitter feed and YouTube.National media - including the Today Show and Fox and Friends - ate up the compliments. Nearly overnight, the tour brought personal connections and smiles to thousands, including fans at a Washington Nationals game, where the Guys broadcast compliments from the dugout. By year-end, Kodak had reason to smile, with a 6% jump in Q4 sales.

The team avoided many conventional PR approaches, instead rethinking how to preserve the authenticity of the Compliment Guys as spokespeople.• Pre-tour message-training became about listening to their authentic voice, rather than drilling and indoctrinating them in Kodak’s marketing messages.• In contrast with a previous mobile Kodak product tour, brand visibility for the Brightside Tour was limited to a few strategic spots on the RV, the Guys’ blog, and 'It’s Time to Smile' stickers.• We carefully vetted marketing partnerships, seeking only events befitting of the Guys’ true personality - including a high profile Washington Nationals game. • We built a custom blog (BrightSideTour.com) and created a Twitter feed, tour videos and YouTube posts – all matching the Guys’ quirky, no-glitz approach, and strategically underplaying Kodak sponsorship.• Every Kodak social media channel was used to amplify the Guys’ voices (1,000 Words blog, Twitter feed and Facebook fan page).

Drive visibility, favorable Kodak impressions: • Secured 143 million media impressions, beating objective by 377%• Achieved coverage on Today Show and Fox & Friends; top newspapers such as The Atlanta Journal-Constitution• The Cassandra Report, a trend tracker, declare 'human warming' trend, citing Brightside TourDrive consumer engagement: • Engaged 250,000+ consumers in 10 markets, double objective• Inspired consumers, journalists, and even copycat programmes. o Kathy Kemp (Birmingham News) declared, 'This campaign could turn into a revolution.'o AdMavericks named it 'avorite 2009 campaign': 'Word to Kodak for their subtlety. They make it not about them.'• Attracted 12,000+ visitors to BrightSideTour.com, 700+ Twitter followers in two weeks, and many comment, like Lisa’s: 'I am going to take your lead and try to dish out compliments daily when I return to work.'But, the biggest compliment to the team of all: Kodak’s 6% Q4 jump in sales.