Kodak Unveils Changes in Basic Film Line : Photography: Generics and others have cut into the company’s profits.

Eastman Kodak Co. is changing its consumer film product line, adding a discount brand and changing its Gold and Ektar labels in hopes of fighting competitors who undercut its prices.

Kodak said Wednesday that it will reformulate the top-of-the-line Ektar film and rename it Royal Gold. Kodak Gold will also be reformulated and repackaged.

The discount film, called Funtime, will be offered during fall and spring, when sales are traditionally slow.

Kodak devised the strategy to encourage sometime buyers of its film to become more loyal to the brand. The company’s profit margins have been slipping, partly due to pricing competition from generic brands as well as from Fuji Film, Konica and others.

The company announced its plans at a news conference at which it also introduced 30 new products, including cameras with flash attachments designed to reduce “red eye.”

Kodak also demonstrated computer kiosks that allow customers to add graphics and text to photos. They will be deployed to retailers later this year.

The company’s stock closed up 50 cents at $43 on the New York Stock Exchange.

Analysts gave the strategy on film brands mixed reviews.

“It’s a good way to differentiate without antagonizing customers,” said Sharon Dorsey Wagoner, an analyst at Argus Research. “This should be a positive for Kodak, customers and retailers.”

“I just don’t think that’s going to help their numbers,” said Alex Henderson, an analyst at Prudential Securities Inc. “The basic problem is their prices are too high and people can come in underneath them and still make a profit.”

Alex Wasilov, Kodak’s general manager and vice president of U.S. marketing for consumer brands, said the strategy fits the way research shows consumers approach film. They’re willing to pay for higher-quality film for special events, such as holidays, weddings and graduations.

Rochester, N.Y.-based Kodak will roll out a new advertising campaign for the Gold line during the Winter Olympics, suggesting that people buy it because they never know when a “Kodak moment” will come along. Ads for the Royal Gold line will say it is the best choice for special occasions and enlargements.

The company will not advertise Funtime, which will be available in just two speeds and sold in early spring and early fall. It will cost about 20% less than the Gold line, Wasilov said.