Abstract:

In this paper we examine use of art as a means of marketing luxury fashion brands with an eye to its impact on brands and the wider artworld. We argue that some ways of commercializing the artworld pose a potential threat to valuable goods art can provide in our lives. By commercialization, we mean the following: something is commercialized to the extent that it is developed for the express purpose of achieving financial gain. Our position is that commercialization poses a threat to these goods when the profit motive does not merely accompany but largely drives artistic endeavor such that mass appeal is the foundation on which the endeavor is created and optimized. This is a plausible risk when tastemaking luxury fashion brands pursue artistic partnerships as a means of selling goods, and we attempt to identify the terms under which these strategies may be employed – not only without imposing undue harm – but to the benefit of brand, artworld, and society at large. In seeking to resolve this tension, we argue that luxury brands ought to conceive of their artistic involvement through the lens of "brand purpose". Specifically, we claim that if luxury fashion brands are to shape their brand purpose around a commitment to artistic creation and fostering a vital art world that provides the individual and social goods we have discussed, they will need to adopt a clear set of values representing their core identity. We propose three here: expanding access to create, view, and experience art; fostering creativity by providing respite from the immediate demands of the art market; and supplying inspiration to influence the public conversation about important social issues through art. We close the paper by discussing the implications of these ideas for future research.

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Primary Track: Marketing and Retail

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Dr. Matt Johnson