Henrik Hagtvedt and Vanessa M. Patrick
Executive Summary
Vast amounts of resources are spent on representing visual art in
conjunction with products, in the hope that the products will become more marketable as a result. However, there is little evidence to suggest that marketing professionals have been provided with the scientific basis necessary to use visual art strategically rather than purely on the basis of experience and intuition. Supplying this basis a complex endeavor, but the current research represents an initial step to analyze systematically the influence that visual art has on consumer evaluations of the products with which it is associated.
In this research the authors investigate the phenomenon of “art infusion,” in which the presence of visual art has a favorable influence on the evaluation of consumer products through a content-independent spillover of luxury perceptions. In other words, this influence does not depend on the content of the specific artwork—that is, what is depicted in the artwork—but rather on general connotations of luxury associated with visual art. In three studies, the authors demonstrate the art infusion phenomenon in both real-world and controlled environments using a variety of stimuli in the contexts of packaging, advertising, and product design.
Study 1 demonstrates the art infusion phenomenon in a real-world setting. In this study, consumers are briefly exposed to art or nonart images, which are matched for content, on the packaging of a product, and then they evaluate the product. Study 2 replicates the results from Study 1 in a controlled setting. In this study, art and nonart images, which are matched both for content and for connotations of luxury and quality, are presented in advertisements for the product to be evaluated. In Study 3, a positive art image, a negative art image, and a positive nonart image are incorporated onto the product itself. All three studies demonstrate the art infusion effect and show that the presence of visual art has a favorable influence on consumer evaluations compared with nonart images with matched content. Furthermore, the results reveal that products associated with art are perceived as more luxurious than those associated with nonart and that these perceptions of luxury mediate the influence of art on product evaluation, thus providing insight into the process underlying the art infusion effect.
The current research does not represent an exhaustive investigation of the influence of visual art on consumer perceptions and evaluations. Rather, it puts the spotlight on an abundance of opportunities for further investigation of visual art in the context of marketing. It also highlights the need for additional research in two related areas: aesthetics and luxury.
Biography
Henrik Hagtvedt is a doctoral student in Marketing in the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia. After studying painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence, Italy, he worked full time as an artist and exhibited internationally for several years. He also completed a Cand. Mag. degree in Art History at the University of Oslo, Norway, before completing an MBA at the University of Georgia and entering the PhD program at the same institution. Henrik’s primary research interests include the arts, aesthetics, and luxury. His research has appeared (or is forthcoming) in Empirical Studies of the Arts and Journal of Consumer Psychology.
Vanessa M. Patrick is an assistant professor in the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia. She received her PhD from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles. Her research interests include the study of affect (mood and emotions), aesthetics, and intertemporal issues in choice and consumption. Her research has appeared (or is forthcoming) in Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of Consumer Psychology, Journal of Retailing, and Empirical Studies of the Arts. Before obtaining her PhD, Vanessa worked for several years in advertising and brand consultancy. She worked in account management and planning at Ogilvy and Mather Advertising and J. Walter Thompson and as a brand consultant and project manager at DMA, a London-based brand management consultancy.
Journal of Marketing Research, Vol. XLV, No. 3, June 2008
View Table of Contents.