Multi-stakeholder brand narratives: an analysis of the construction of artistic brands

Abstract

In the case of visual artists, the product they create is inextricably linked to their identities, personalities and career histories in terms of how the art is produced, presented, consumed and positioned and valued in the market. Although artists’ branding initiatives are considered relevant to branding and marketing theory, identifying how these are constructed and managed and identity negotiated through this process is an area that needs further development. This research therefore uses a multi-stakeholder approach to branding theory to examine contemporary artists’ careers to understand how value is added to their ‘product’. Qualitative analysis of artists’ biographies and career histories in the London art market illustrates how value is co-constructed through relationships in a temporal manner that must be strategically managed.

Keywords:

• artists
• art market
• branding
• stakeholder
• brand narrative
• biographical methods

Notes

¹ Damien Hirst, for example, spent £500,000 buying back a medicine cabinet he had sold to Saatchi for £500 (Robecchi, 2010).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Chloe Preece

Chloe Preece is a lecturer in marketing at Royal Holloway, University of London. Her research is in the field of marketing, specifically marketing within the arts and creative industries. To date, this research has focused on production and consumption issues in the visual arts and how this translates into social, cultural and economic values.

Finola Kerrigan

Finola Kerrigan is a senior lecturer in marketing at the University of Birmingham, where she teaches and researches marketing and consumption, specifically in relation to arts and culture.