Art and Brand Identity: Turning Art Into Business

Abstract

This thesis research was conducted in order to construct the brand communication image and implementation for the company Aeffe Moncco. The necessity appeared due to the difficulty found to enter the Finnish art market, while the artist not being a Finn or not having a degree in arts from a Finnish institution, would have problems to participate in the main art events and exhibit in the main galleries in Finland. Therefore, this research is directed to find different ways of promoting and communicating the Aeffe Moncco brand in Finland and globally that does not depend or rely on exclusively taking part in Finnish art events or exhibiting the art in Finnish galleries. The theory research framework used was of secondary research, and amongst the authors’ literature used, are David Aaker and Philip Kotler, which are some of the main authors in marketing and branding. From Kotler was approached and studied the marketing communication tools, marketing communication channels, and other aspects of marketing. The structure used from David Aaker are the foundations of branding and brand communication, such as brand identity, brand essence, brand image, brand perspective and a branding system implementation. The method chosen for this thesis is the one of case study, which was chosen given the fact that this was a research with a holistic and unique background, since when dealing with art companies and artists, there is no guideline to follow, every artist and art company are different and have their own characteristics, therefore, the case study isolates the subject of the research, Aeffe Moncco, and enables the analysis of the company and its individuals necessities and differentiators, while addressing the aim of the research and the questions proposed for it. The results reached are of social channels as the main vehicle to promote and communicate the brand; it is a tool that has global reaching power and it is simple to use and adjust according to the necessities of the users, since the users themselves are the ones who choose the content and create the brand image through it. The other result achieved with this thesis was the creation of a portfolio of Aeffe Moncco, which has all brand elements imbedded in it, while clearly stating the brand core values and identity, moulding the brand image while doing so and achieving the aim of the research, which was to construct an image and identity for the brand Aeffe Moncco.