Despite the technology driven aspects of modern marketing, the greatest principles of marketing and brands are founded on timeless human elements. That is why we can learn important lessons from larger-than-life individuals from the pre-digital era. The greatest teacher of social media branding has always been Andy Warhol.
“Being good in business is the most fascinating kind of art.”
-Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol had an obsession with mass production and consistently commented on an age when the western world had transformed into a predominantly commercially driven society. His work can instantly be recognised as the “Warhol” brand in both high art and popular culture – Pop Art. It can be argued that Andy Warhol was ahead of his time as he embodied (and perhaps artfully parodied) many marketing principals that are practiced today. He embodied his brand in the way that he dressed, worked and networked. His very face became the “logo” of the Warhol brand instantly associated with the pop-art movement.
The Pop art movement started in the mid-1950s and was considered to have reached its creative plateau during the 1970s – this movement was founded by a group of young aspiring artists who referred to themselves as the Independent Group (IG). It was part of the Institute of Contemporary Art in London.
The movement had strong opinions on commercialism, espousing an appreciation of popular culture (also known as material culture), appreciating without further appraisal of materialism and consumerism. Therefore, the artists embraced the concept of “bulk buying” as a response to good advertising.
The artworks typical of the Pop-Art movement were recognisable through elements such as:
- The representation of products and images in popular culture;
- Use of bright colours;
- 2 Dimensional designs;
- The incorporation of celebrities, fictional characters and cartoon icons.
These elements are identified throughout the design of advertisements as we observe them today. Advertising implements designs with bright colours and clever or ‘witty’ copy to attract buyers – these adverts are seen in mass media such as billboards, newspapers and magazines. Advertising and public relations make use of celebrity endorsements to leverage the credibility of the product or brand. Brands also often use cartoon characters as mascots in their brand building initiatives.
Even though the movement originated in London, it quickly spread like cultural wildfire to the artist quarters in New York where Warhol was working as a commercial illustrator for the Mad Men on Madison avenue. It is here that his art was strongly influenced by the advertising discipline. His overarching themes are obsessed with celebrities and the use of product and brand images and the visages of famous people in repetitive patterns. This was done without splitting the boundaries between private and public. These influences are current in digital marketing and integration of social media as we experience them today. For Warhol, his factory was his social media and he invited all sorts into his friendship circle, from well-known Hollywood celebrities to artists living on the street. His studio was more than just a physical space that he worked from, but it was also known as the “Silver Factory” – a hip hangout for celebrities, artists, free thinkers and any other individual that Warhol personally regarded as having “star quality”. Here Warhol made others famous just by giving them a place to collaborate, exchange ideas and play. By building a dedicated group of followers, Warhol almost prophetically instilled the principles of modern branding and equivalence can be drawn between that which Warhol created and what is regarded as the best digital marketing strategy used today.
In contemporary marketing, the biggest challenge is not always the value that can be milked from the biggest and flashiest advertising campaign nor the smartest copy or the most visually stunning design. Instead, what drives real value in marketing and advertising is using the best communication strategy. This communication must be created in terms of connecting with potential customers on a social level and speaking their language, superimposing a human element to the offer, but putting the overall relationship first. In the post-product age, where the new generation of buyers are resistant to traditional advertising, awe-inspiring and heartfelt communication should be the heart of any business venture.
