Cisco to shutter Flip: What does this mean for PR and marketing pros?
The camera helped revolutionize corporate communications. Now, the company that bought Flip plans to shut it down.
On Tuesday, Cisco announced that it was shuttering its Flip camera business, which it bought from Pure Digital in 2009 for a reported $590 million in stocks.
“To many communicators, this will come as a huge shock,” said Mark Ragan, publisher of PR Daily and Ragan.com. “The camera was responsible for the ‘good enough’ video revolution that swept through the industry, allowing communicators to conduct roving reporter features and shoot video stories on the run.”
In just a few years, the Flip had become standard issue in many communication departments. Though the Kodak Zi8 had slowly eaten into its market share, the word “Flip” had become a part of the language of communication.
“I cannot believe the Flip is being shut down,” said Jackson Wightman, a PR pro in Montreal (and contributor to PR Daily). “This tool has played an integral role in my PR department. The ease of use and portability has made it indispensable.”
The stunning success of the Flip camera had been reported far and wide.
It was only three years ago that New York Times tech columnist David Pogue wrote a glowing review of the camera, reporting that it had grabbed 13 percent of the market share in the camcorder market.
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