👉 Background: Fujifilm is the photography company that was started 90 years ago in Japan producing camera film. It quickly expanded into the health sector, with offerings like medical imaging, and pharmaceuticals.

👉 What happened: Fuji’s photography arm was thriving in the early 2000s, but once smartphones became popular, the demand for cameras took a nosedive. Now, the tide’s turned, and Fujifilm’s camera business is its biggest money-maker.

👉 What else: In fact, 36% of Fujifilm’s operating profit in 2023 came from its camera division, which is 9% more than the year before. This demand is all thanks to TikTok, which turned Fuji’s X100 digital camera into a Gen-Z trend.

What's the key learning?

💡A pinch of nostalgia and a dash of TikTok’s algorithm - and you could resurrect an entire industry.

💡When smartphones came about, camera companies like Fujifilm were as good as gone. But with the ease of smartphones, taking photos doesn't hold the same value it used to. That's why old school cameras have captured the attention of young people on TikTok.

💡Photography isn’t the only industry seeing a resurgence thanks to TikTok.

• Vinyl records surpass CD’s as the most popular physical music format.
  
• Print book sales have been growing by around 10% year on year.

This gives other almost-extinct companies some hope that they too can make a comeback.