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Advertising: Is It an Art, or Not?

By: Dwayne W. Waite Jr.

Can advertising be considered an art? This question is a loaded one, for people have very different definitions of what is considered art. If art is defined as a skill, then maybe. If art is defined as a craft or a work, then possibly. But with so much gray space, is there a way to get a yes or no answer? Probably not, but we can take a look at several key factors to help you make a better argument for or against advertising being considered as an art.

Expression
When we look at art or advertising, one thing to consider is what is being expressed. Art, as our society recognizes it, embraces self-expression. Our culture loves to see how tormented or beautiful souls translate themselves into words and images. The art we see around us helps define the values, the troubles, and the states our lives are in. Art is usually considered to be timeless, and what is being expressed doesn't have any ulterior motive. Can that describe advertising? In most cases, no. Advertising is meant to express a certain belief that a certain organization has to connect to a specific audience. Advertising, for the most part, has a timeline, and cannot be passed down from generation to generation. We always hear that advertising must be relevant and transparent; two characteristics that art does not need to pay attention to.

Persuasion
When it comes to storytelling or speaking, persuasion could be considered as a necessary skill for those arts to be perfected. Socrates and Aristotle spent much time about persuasion when it came to the art of oratory and rhetoric. But in today's times, can persuasion in art and advertising mean the same thing? Good art can move people to feel a certain way, or to look at a concept in a different way, and in some cases, it may move people to act. Advertising, however, is meant to cause people to act. Advertising, especially good advertising, has a call to action that causes people to get up and purchase the certain good or service. Or, more subtly, advertising should convince consumers why one organization's cause (good, service or idea) is better than anybody else. Yes, advertising can move people to think differently, but in the end its purpose to motivate those consumers to act.

Interpretation
Art has the privilege of serving up an interpretation, as well as giving those who view it the ability to create an interpretation for themselves. A painting could mean different things to different people. In a Shakespeare play, a character's motive or drive could be interpreted differently by those who read it. A speech or a paragraph of prose could stir up different emotions in different audiences. In advertising, giving people the freedom to create their own interpretation is not the goal. Advertising must be able to relate, but the audience is supposed to feel the emotion the advertising was designed to stimulate. As advertising is still a controlled medium, having free-form interpretation goes against what advertising stands for.

Purpose
Art can be created because it should be (the whole "ars gratia artis") or it could be commissioned. In the art world, there is a whole debate between those two forms, and we are not going to dive into that conversation. Advertising, however, is always defined as a paid form of messaging that always has an identified entity. No one creates advertising for advertising's sake. No one creates an ad or a campaign because society deserves to see it.

Conclusion
Is advertising art? In the way that this argument was formed, it would be concluded that it is not art. Advertising can use artistic and creative methods in order to accomplish a goal to influence consumer behavior, and that itself could be considered an art. Perhaps advertising could be described as an applied art form. Creativity is needed, and the ability to craft a message, to package the message, and to make it salient to specific audience makes advertising (especially good advertising) a skill to be admired.

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About the Author

Dwayne W. Waite Jr. is partner and principal at JDW: The Charlotte Agency, a marketing and advertising shop in Charlotte, NC. He enjoys consumer behavior, economics, and football.

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