The rise of fine art in advertising
AI saturation, Psychology & Marketing
In branded content, we are seeing a rise of artist collaborations wherein the physical process of creation becomes the advertisement. From luxury brands like Hermés and Porsche, to newer companies like Squarespace and Doordash, campaigns are shifting away from soul-less, AI-generated, and hyper-commercialised messaging as they actively work with animators, illustrators, confectioners, and even pasta chefs.
This shift stems primarily from digital-fatigue: in in age of AI-perfection where ostentatious advertising seeps into our daily lives, we crave imperfect authenticity, humanity, and genuine connection. This is explained by the concept of enantiodromia that suggests things naturally transform into their opposites when they reach their extreme. In other words, AI and technology will not eradicate artists. Rather, it will empower them - heightening the value of human-made art: something so undeniably and human in it’s esscense.
Already, 34% of consumers trust brands less when they use AI in their advertising and nearly 40% of Gen Z consumers feel negatively about AI generated content.
Fine art is the perfect differentiator. When brands turn the process of art-making into content, it substantiates their authenticity, worth and brand values: not stooping so low as to artificially generate their marketing messaging or indolently stitch together meaningless slogans and exaggerated imagery.
For a marketing to have a genuine impact in today’s world, it shouldn’t feel like an advertisement at all. Instead, effective branded content is fundamentally built upon the concept value co-creation, essentially disguising marketing as entertainment, education, or engagement as opposed to another profit-driven company trying to sell you something. Branded artist collaborations do just that: providing an immersive viewer experience that is both entertaining and emotional.
Take BOSS’s collaboration with paper artist, Julia Yus (@paperjulia) as an example. With 15.7K likes and over 500K views, this behind-the-scenes glimpse into Yus’s process remains one of the brand’s most-liked reels on Instagram. Complemented by crisp ASMR-style sounds (that quite frankly AI-content struggles to replicate), intricate cuts and meticulous artistry testify the human-made nature of this project, encouraging the audience to construct their own associations with BOSS as a brand in relation to the fact. In other words, the process acts as a kind of proof of BOSS’s authenticity, luxury image and commitment to artistry.
Another important consideration is the psychological principle of the effort-heuristic, a cognitive shortcut in which people tend to judge the quality, worth and value of a product relative to the perceived effort that went into creating it. In this way, behind-the-scenes frameworks not only elevate the product or brand as they are deemed worthy of becoming art, but also foster perceptions that justify this high value byway of spotlighting process.
Moreover, a recent trend has emerged where companies are reverting back to hand-painted murals as opposed to high-gloss printed ads. In a world where billboards and posters are so customary they seem to blend into the physical world completely unnoticed, a person spray-painting an entire advertisement is what catches attention. Once again, the creation of the ad becomes the marketing.
The reason why this form of advertising works so well is because it catalyses social media activity. Passerby’s become invested in seeing the image come to fruition day-by-day, snapping and sharing pictures. Netizens commend the brand’s unique approach to outdoor advertising in comment sections. Once the mural is finished, influencers and the like flock to pose in front of it as they would with any other a urban graffiti backdrop.
This desire for human artistry and connection has spread beyond advertising, extending into branding and graphic design as well.
Take this viral Paper magazine cover featuring Ayo Edebiri as an example. This textural, sketchy design aesthetic plays into editorial maximalism and nostalgia - drawing inspiration from 90’s paper dolls. As broken down in detail by this article, the creatives behind the shoot intended to parallel painterly sketchbook pages and expressive fashion illustrations, where a seemingly two-dimensional cut-and-paste effect impeccably conveys this undeniably three-dimensional analog quality.
Whilst AI has transformed the value of human-made art completely, as brands begin to use art as a medium of proving humanity, authenticity and brand worth, the realms of advertising and art become more and more indistinguishable.
An article on the New York Times interviews Eric Felisbret, a street artist, who believes murals are redefining New York’s art scene to serve commerce. '
“The mural may look similar to street art, but it’s selling a product. There’s a loss of space for artists that just want to paint for art’s sake rather than painting with the goals of a corporation in mind.”
- Eric Felisbret
At the same time, the use of fine art as a selling point provides much-needed opportunities for artists.
I’m curious to know what you think. Will AI heighten or diminish the value of art? Does the gravitation towards human-made aesthetics stem from AI and digital fatigue? And what does the trend of art as advertising mean for artists?
New word unlocked: enantiodromia 🌞