The art infusion effect
Café Terrace at Nightby Vincent van Gogh (c. 1888) was found to make viewers rate silverware more positively in a study, but researchers say almost any painting would work.
It’s called the “art infusion effect” and is touted to be a uniquely powerful marketing tool.
The concept is simple. Add the image of a painting—almost any painting—onto a product, or into product advertising, and the consumer evaluates the merchandise as more luxurious. Always. And it seems to work on any product, from soap to silverware to spaghetti sauce, from politics to religion.
Why does it work? It appears that for the average viewer an artwork represents a quest for excellence that goes beyond anything strictly utilitarian. Art has connotations of excellence, luxury and sophistication that spill over onto whatever products it’s associated with. Interestingly, the appeal does not stem from the content of the artwork itself, but from the general connotations surrounding art.
“The art infusion effect is based on the human ability to recognize the creativity and skill involved in artistic expression,” said Henrik Hagtvedt. “It’s a universal phenomenon, and it stands out, even with all the stimuli competing for attention in contemporary society.” Hagtvedt is a visual artist and co-author of a study that finds that even a fleeting exposure to art makes consumers evaluate products more positively. The study will appear in the Journal of Marketing Research.
But is this finding really news? Certainly late 19th century Victorian manufacturers recognized the value of incorporating pleasing images into their advertising. Check out these Victorian trade cards:
Question: What do the results of this marketing study tell us about the relationship between people and art?
Answer: Apparently people are able to recognize the creativity and skill involved in artistic expression. It’s a universal phenomenon. We inherently perceive the universal and timeless characteristics of art. The statement, “I may not know much about art, but I know what I like” may have more validity than we like to admit.
Via World Science.
Related MadSilence posts:
Taken in by a pretty package
Some things just shouldn’t be for sale
~MadSilence
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Those business cards are wonderful!
Recently in my Archives class we were talking about a scenario where a small county archive was given a large collection spanning 100+ years from a local business but didn’t have room for it all. Everyone kept saying that they’d get rid of the business cards, and wouldn’t believe me when I kept arguing to keep them because of artistic/design value.
Wish we’d had an internet connection so I could have shown them what I was talking about.
Nice findings. No wonder my house is perceived more positively after I decorated my home with a couple of art pieces.
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