How does visual fine art support improvement in marketing communication? Selected examples

Abstract

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study is to describe the potential role of visual fine arts in marketing as a suggestive instrument of marketing communication.

DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: The following research questions have been formulated: Can fine arts and other forms of visual communication be employed in marketing to involve people/customers and encourage them to perceive a message deeply to formulate their feedback for the sender of the marketing message? Why should people's experiences be considered a necessary component in marketing communication? To answer these questions, desk research and observation in museums and city space were implemented in this study. The presented examples of works served as a basis for an individual assessment of their impact on the process of marketing communication without suggesting generalization of the conclusions.

FINDINGS: The study results showed that visual fine arts could play an important role in marketing as a tool of marketing communication and of shaping customers’ feedback. People's experiences should be considered in marketing practices to stimulate recipients of the marketing message to deep processing and response. The novelty of the findings relates to the role of visual fine arts in a process of creating specific feedback between a recipient and the sender of the information in the effort of marketing communication.

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: This study has implications for how managers could encourage people to participate in the service market of visual fine arts by using the arts themselves. Furthermore, visual analysis of art in several Polish museums shows how visual fine art can influence understanding of its meaning in a contemporary society. The study's practical implications are connected with the possibility of using artistic works, exhibitions, and other events in marketing communication, mainly on the service market.

ORIGINALITY/VALUE: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first attempt analysed in the literature to discover a particular role of visual fine arts in search of a dialog between arts and society, including feedback in marketing communication.