Can marketers learn anything from abstract art?
Stimulant's design director Nathan Moody thinks so; similar to contemporary art, the best experiential marketing should move consumers from awe to understanding - balancing accessibility with uncertainty.
Moody breaks down abstract art to not look like much to interpret but if a question forms in the viewer's mind, that's the moment when the dialogue between viewer and artist starts and disengagement follows. He finds this experience to be similar to that of the engagement in dialogue between brand and audience saying that if the engagement is too obvious or repetitive then curiosity along with the audience is lost.
The "Ooh-Aah Principle", coined by Data artist Jer Thorpe, makes people think "Ooh!" after engaging and then "Aah!" when the meaning of the work starts to sink in. From awe to understanding, engagement to epiphany - this is how the best experiential marketing, like abstract art, operates.
Brands need to be flexible, according to Moody, they need to build a series of small epiphanies and be original. It's the unexpected that will allow users to engage with a neutral curiosity. He leaves us with the assignment to visit a museum to see if that doesn't spark some ideas for audience engagement, which is interesting because of art's subjectivity.
However the assignment is a curious one, what correlations will you find?
Original source can be found on Campaign Live.
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