Taken in by a pretty package

New looks for a Pepsi brand: the many faces of Mountain Dew. Lars Klove for The New York Times.

Is advertising art? Undoubtedly it’s an artful business. Advertising is a very artistic expression, reflecting its time and culture. But it’s art put to a specific purpose: to sell products. I enjoy vintage advertising while keeping a keen eye on new approaches. So when The New York Times chooses to highlight the latest trend, I pay attention. According to a recent article in The Times, manufacturers of consumer goods are using packaging, including bottles, cans, boxes and plastic packs, to improve sales by attracting the eyes of consumers, who often make most of their shopping decisions at the last minute while standing in front of store shelves.

Apparently manufacturers are putting more thought into package design (labels that change color with the temperature of the beer they contain, and toilet tissue sold in oval packages) and changing designs more frequently. According to Jerry Kathman, chief executive of LPK, a brand agency based in Cincinnati, “The media is fragmented, and we can’t find people — we can’t get them to sit down and listen to our argument on a television spot. The package can convey that argument.”

Kleenex boxes used to be square or rectangular but no more. Lars Klove for The New York Times.

Even Huggies’ Henry the Hippo hand soap bottles have a light that flashes for 20 seconds to show children how long they should wash their hands.

But is it “art” when the creator’s purpose is to promote sales of a product? Or should the purpose of “art” be solely to create aesthetic delectation and to raise the consciousness of the viewer? When is advertising great art?

For me the answer to the question is uncertain. I know that cows advertising Silk brand soymilk are cute and eye-catching, but don’t represent fine art. And that BMWs painted by renowned artists are great advertising, and also great art.

What do you think? 

~TAB 

Related MadSilence Posts:

Two parts art, five parts soda

Fast cars and fine wines…a connoisseur’s delight
Some things just shouldn’t be for sale

Related Links:

 

Silk Soymilk - Cow Family on You Tube
Product Packages Now Shout to Get Your Attention (NYTimes Blogs, August 10, 2007)
Advertising, Marketing, and Commercial Imagery Collections (Smithsonian Institution)
The Library of Congress American Memory Advertising Collection
The One Club (The world’s foremost non-profit organization for the recognition and promotion of excellence in advertising)
William F. Eisner Museum of Advertising and Design
Duke University’s John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing