BY DAISY HAWKER
NESCAFÉ advert featuring Van Gogh (2014)
Advertisers have been using art for centuries to flog everything from schizophrenia medication to chewing gum. But is it lazy? Is it ethical?
Artvertising is a term referring to the use of art as
advertising to persuade potential consumers to engage with a brand. The origin
of the term is unknown - it’s likely that it was a naming convention used
casually and then spread by people in the marketing industry. Ranging from
iconic historical fine art pieces used in ads, to art commissioned for use in
adverts, to adverts from the past now seen as art, “artvertising” can be seen
everywhere.
Fine art featured in print ads can make even the most
monotonous work eye-catching and memorable. For example, the Ministry of
Culture and Information in Ukraine created a COVID-19 informational ad
featuring Frederic Leighton’s iconic painting Orpheus and Eurydice (shown
right). The aim was to reinforce the concept of social distancing and the
painting fits in perfectly with this as Orpheus (the person on the left) pushes
away Eurydice and there is a COVID-19 mask covering his face, protecting him.
The ad stands out from typical pandemic informational ads and grabs your
attention.
Some would argue that Pears was the pioneer of the
artvertising movement. In a time when advertising wasn’t really a thing, Thomas
J Barrett, the chairman of Pears, decided to use art to get the word out about
Pears soap, creating an advert known as Bubbles. In his book Adland, Mark
Tungate explains: “Barrett convinced the popular artist Sir John Everett
Millais to sell him a painting of a young boy gazing at rising soap bubbles.
Not only that, but he persuaded Millais to add a bar of Pears’ soap to the scene.
Queasily sentimental, Bubbles became one of the earliest advertising icons, and
set the tone for a highly successful campaign.”
The public were able to purchase prints of the ad, and they were displayed on walls in homes around the world. Bubbles has become a widely recognised, famous advertising symbol and was undoubtedly a success.
The public were able to purchase prints of the ad, and they were displayed on walls in homes around the world. Bubbles has become a widely recognised, famous advertising symbol and was undoubtedly a success.
Andy Warhol, the American artist, producer and director,
famously painted Campbell’s Black Bean soup cans in 1962, however this was not
initially in collaboration with the food giant. In fact, the brand considered
suing Warhol until they recognised the amazing brand awareness the artwork
generated. In 1964 Campbell’s sent Warhol a letter of gratitude and crates of
soup, then later that year commissioned him to do a painting of their tomato
soup can as a gift for its retiring board chairman.
In 1985, Campbell’s commissioned him again to create a series of paintings of their dry-mix soups, creating the iconic Chicken Noodle soup painting. As Ed Carolan, the Vice President of Campbell North America explained, Warhol’s art did more than shift cans of soup: “Campbell’s Condensed soup is [seen as] an iconic brand. And thanks to Andy Warhol’s inspired paintings, Campbell’s soup will always be linked to the Pop Art movement.” Campbell’s still has a soup can painting displayed in its headquarters in New Jersey.
In 1985, Campbell’s commissioned him again to create a series of paintings of their dry-mix soups, creating the iconic Chicken Noodle soup painting. As Ed Carolan, the Vice President of Campbell North America explained, Warhol’s art did more than shift cans of soup: “Campbell’s Condensed soup is [seen as] an iconic brand. And thanks to Andy Warhol’s inspired paintings, Campbell’s soup will always be linked to the Pop Art movement.” Campbell’s still has a soup can painting displayed in its headquarters in New Jersey.
Another striking example of artvertising was an advert for
Zeldox schizophrenia medication. It features Van Gogh’s painting Self-Portrait
with Bandaged Ear displayed on a wall, with another version of the painting to
the right of it, showing the artist with his ear undamaged and a smile on his
face. The tagline is simply “For Schizophrenia” and there is an image of the
Zeldox pill box.
The art in the ad creates dark humour, making people laugh but also getting the message across: if Zeldox had been available, Van Gogh’s art (and life) would have been significantly different. The ad was ahead of its time - it was published in 2007 yet if it was published now it would have been just as successful. The use of art in this ad is carefully considered and strategic If Van Gogh’s portrait had been replaced with any other piece of art, the ad wouldn’t have been as effective as most people know the story of Van Gogh’s schizophrenia.
The art in the ad creates dark humour, making people laugh but also getting the message across: if Zeldox had been available, Van Gogh’s art (and life) would have been significantly different. The ad was ahead of its time - it was published in 2007 yet if it was published now it would have been just as successful. The use of art in this ad is carefully considered and strategic If Van Gogh’s portrait had been replaced with any other piece of art, the ad wouldn’t have been as effective as most people know the story of Van Gogh’s schizophrenia.
However, not every example of artvertising feels as well
thought-through and the use of historical pieces of fine art in advertising
could have a negative impact on the piece of art itself. Henrik Hagtvedt, a
marketing professor at Boston College, observed: “Art is valued for its own
sake. If brands are associated with art in a tasteful way, consumers will
accept and even appreciate it. But as soon as the artwork is viewed as a mere
product-relevant illustration, they can take a critical view of its message and
it is demoted to the status of any other ordinary image.”
What’s more, if the artist has died, they are unable to consent to the use of their art in the ad which brings up a further ethical issue. An example of this is Tiffany and Co’s About Love campaign which features a never-before-seen piece of art by Jean-Michel Basquiat, purchased by Tiffany after hisdeath in 1988. Opinions of the ad were divided, with some people praising it, but others feeling that it distorts the artist’s anti-capitalist and anti-colonial views, especially considering the abuse of human rights within the diamond mining industry. Basquiat’s former flatmate said: “I was horrified. The commercialisation and commodification of Jean and his art… it’s really not what Jean was about.” Such use of could be considered appropriation.
What’s more, if the artist has died, they are unable to consent to the use of their art in the ad which brings up a further ethical issue. An example of this is Tiffany and Co’s About Love campaign which features a never-before-seen piece of art by Jean-Michel Basquiat, purchased by Tiffany after hisdeath in 1988. Opinions of the ad were divided, with some people praising it, but others feeling that it distorts the artist’s anti-capitalist and anti-colonial views, especially considering the abuse of human rights within the diamond mining industry. Basquiat’s former flatmate said: “I was horrified. The commercialisation and commodification of Jean and his art… it’s really not what Jean was about.” Such use of could be considered appropriation.
Artvertising brings some serious benefits: it can take an ad
from boring to brilliant. Some ads that include fine art are the most memorable
ads of all time. But from is using art in advertising lazy? Does using someone
else’s artwork in your ad make you an unoriginal or unambitious advertiser?
This makes us reflect on what makes a good ad. If more effort makes a good ad, then the best ads would be long form copy ads, the most intricately designed ads or short film ads, such as Apple’s The Greatest. If simple ideas make good ads, then the best ads would be the ads with little to no copy, minimal visuals or negative space, such as McDonald’s 2021 Happy Father’s Day ad. In reality, there is no formula for an effective advert. It may take more or less effort, an intricate or a simplistic idea. From this perspective, artvertising is not an inherently lazy approach.
The use of ‘real’ art in advertising raises another question of interest to creatives everywhere: is advertising itself art? The debate has been going on for years. If advertising is a form of art, then artvertising is not really a concept.
This makes us reflect on what makes a good ad. If more effort makes a good ad, then the best ads would be long form copy ads, the most intricately designed ads or short film ads, such as Apple’s The Greatest. If simple ideas make good ads, then the best ads would be the ads with little to no copy, minimal visuals or negative space, such as McDonald’s 2021 Happy Father’s Day ad. In reality, there is no formula for an effective advert. It may take more or less effort, an intricate or a simplistic idea. From this perspective, artvertising is not an inherently lazy approach.
The use of ‘real’ art in advertising raises another question of interest to creatives everywhere: is advertising itself art? The debate has been going on for years. If advertising is a form of art, then artvertising is not really a concept.
Mark Tungate argues: “If the history of advertising has one
overriding theme, it is this constant tug of war between two schools: the
creatives believe art inspires consumers to buy, the pragmatists sell based on
facts and come armed with reams of research.”
Faris Yakob from The Marketing Society adds: “Advertising is neither [art or science]. It draws from both but must also factor in the messy unpredictability of humanity.”
Some believe that art and advertising are separate entities that feed each other.
There is no clear answer, but I’ve reached the conclusion that advertising in itself is not art, but a practice that the creative skills used in art are essential for, as well as other skills such as human psychology, analytical skills and problem-solving.What can we learn from artvertising moving forward?
It is an excellent tool for a creative advert. A picture is worth a thousand words and referencing an iconic piece of art can bring depth and context to an ad. However, for ethical re
Faris Yakob from The Marketing Society adds: “Advertising is neither [art or science]. It draws from both but must also factor in the messy unpredictability of humanity.”
Some believe that art and advertising are separate entities that feed each other.
There is no clear answer, but I’ve reached the conclusion that advertising in itself is not art, but a practice that the creative skills used in art are essential for, as well as other skills such as human psychology, analytical skills and problem-solving.What can we learn from artvertising moving forward?
It is an excellent tool for a creative advert. A picture is worth a thousand words and referencing an iconic piece of art can bring depth and context to an ad. However, for ethical re
asons advertisers should be
commissioning current artists for their ads, or using art from artists that are
able to consent to its use. If their creative inspiration comes from an
existing piece of art and the artist has passed away, they should consult
people close to the artist to discuss the ethics of the ad, preventing any loss
to the art’s value or changing its meaning.
But if done well, as well as creating memorable and
effective ads, artvertising can keep people talking about a piece of art that
may have existed for decades, putting it in a different context and reviving
its popularity and relevance.