Modern Tendencies In Partnerships Between Art And Business In Russia

Abstract

The article reveals the general tendencies in the phenomenon of Art Collaboration in Russia during the 3-year period beginning in 2017. Its goal is to determine which types of brands and visual artists tend to collaborate and the objectives that they set for these interactions. The study analysed approximately 50 art collaborations involving Russian visual artists and/or Russian companies that took place in Russia. The origin, industries and price segment of brands that initiated creative partnerships with artists were defined. The study produced interesting findings: contrary to popular belief, mass-market brands cooperated with visual artists 4 times more often than luxury ones. The origin, age, gender and media of the collaborating artists were indicated. The study showed that brands tried to reach a young target audience, and that the artists engaged in creative partnership were therefore from a younger age group; nevertheless, they were strong art brands with a vast reference public. The study also showed the categories of art products that resulted from creative partnerships. The inquiry intended to determine whether there was any interrelation between the industry of the company and the artist’s media, as well as the type of art collaboration that resulted.

Keywords: Art collaborationbrandscommunication strategycooperationpartnershipvisual artists

Introduction

Recently, art collaborations developed into a leading trend in the field of communication. In the 20th century, the number of art collaborations was characterised by luxury brands (Chailan, 2018), so today we could indicate the significant change in this scenario. We can notice a considerable increase in the number of mass-market brands that initiate cooperation with visual artists and art institutions. The soaring interest in culture and contemporary art displayed over the last 10 years or so, as well as the tendency to personify corporate communications and customise goods and services, actively stimulate brands toward this pattern of partnership (Osipova & Osipova, 2019).

However, this cooperation between commercial and personal art brands can have both positive and negative consequences on brands’ reputation. Therefore, both companies and artists must take this into account and plan these kind of alliances with precautions, in accordance with their philosophy, core values, development strategy, and communication policy.

Problem Statement

Currently, even though art collaborations have been widely distributed, only a few aspects of this phenomenon have been scrutinised. However, general tendencies have yet to appear. The scientific reviews have defined the alliances of art and business as a popular type of partnership because a wide range of enterprises use this powerful tool for the expansion of retail brand personality (Zsolnai & Wilson, 2016; Kim, Vaidyanathan, Chang, & Stoel, 2018).

Also, since the Internet and social media play a significant role in people’s everyday life, they have become an influential communication channel for brands(Essamri, McKechnie, & Winklhofer, 2019). These tools have been a major asset to the development of brands’ awareness. However, fascinating creative entertaining content has more often than not surpassed direct publicity in the matter of its efficiency (Estes, Brotto, & Busacca, 2018). Given this, art has become a sought-after theme for both luxury (Blinicheva & Vankovich, 2017; Lebedeva & Stupnikova-Kal'tani, 2017; Kusova, 2018) and mass-market segments due to its emotional value (Starikova & Tiunova, 2017; Koronaki, Kyrousi, & Panigyrakis, 2018 ).

Some papers have focused on the figure of an artist who has been engaged in a partnership with a company. They claim that these collaborations have an effect on all stakeholders: they exert an influence on the image of commercial brands as well as on artistic brands. For artistic brands, which are smaller as a rule, a creative partnership with a brand can have a greater impact on image-making and reputation, especially if we talk about the early stages of their artistic career (Komarova, 2018). A strategic approach should be implemented while selecting a companion for partnership. Artists should base their choice on mutual recognition of values, respect, and above all else, that the art project to be created in partnership should satisfy all the criteria that define a true piece of art If these terms are observed, the product would have value (Trumble & van Riemsdijk, 2016).

As social media has become a very powerful tool for distribution of information, artists should use this communication channel wisely (Kartseva, 2018). Moreover, artists who position themselves as personal art brands, with their own philosophy, mission, values and a thought-through communication strategy can expand the range of their opportunities, including unlimited creative ones (Kalashnikova, 2015), as well as increase their target audience. It is significant that numerous papers have been dedicated to art techniques which are in demand in recent years among professional art communities and society. These works examined the implementation of various art genres in retail (Naletelich & Paswan, 2018). They also noted the ascent of street art all over the world (Molnár, 2018), as well as its influence on the society and the urban environment. They claimed that street art played a significant part in the modernisation of the urban habitat (Grigoleit, Hahn, & Brocchi, 2013) and in developing people’s interest in this particular area, to the point that street art objects could serve as tourist destination (Yan, Xu, Sun, & Xu, 2019). Recently, the value of art’s general availability has taken centre-stage; therefore, projects created with street artists emphasise the idea of the availability of art for each and every person, without the need to buy a ticket in a museum. Many people find this idea tremendously attractive, as when art objects are integrated into city streets, they assist in the humanisation of urban space (Drobysheva & Lapina, 2017; Rybinskih & Bragin, 2016). Several surveys revealed that the majority believe art projects of this type to have had positive impact on the urban space, and that those initiatives must be supported (Tanguy, & Kumar, 2019).

Currently, this paper is the first comprehensive study of art collaborations between visual artists and brands exemplified by the Russian experience to date.

Research Questions

The major research questions were divided into 4 categories:

Purpose of the Study

The represented research aims to examine the major trends in Art Collaborations from 2017-2019 in Russia. The determination of the potential impact not only on the commercial and personal art brands, their image, popularity, and communication, but also on the development of the art space of the region are important objectives of the study. The results of this research could be beneficial for companies to make decisions concerning this issue.

It is worth noting that this study is the first part of complex and multifaceted research which will focus on highlighting the similarities and differences in various geographical locations, such as Russia, Europe, and Northern America, and on defining the major regional tendencies.

Research Methods

Quantitative and qualitative research methods were implemented during the study. The data about art collaborations were collected from mass media, the official sites of the companies and the artists, as well as the statistics of official social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, and VK.com) of the stakeholders.

Findings

Conclusion

To summarise, the general trends in art collaborations in Russia from 2017-2019 were as follows. The majority of companies which initiated art partnerships with visual artists are representatives of global foreign brands with headquarters in the US or European countries, such as France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy and the United Kingdom, while the share of Russian companies only make up 1/3 of the total. In contradiction to popular belief, the main initiators of art partnership were mass-market brands, while the upmarket segment had only 14% of all collaborations.

Attracting young audiences 13-25 years old (millennials and Generation Z) as well as maintaining interest in their products and services were the major motives of commercial brands which initiated art collaboration with visual artists.

The most solicited partners among the commercial brands in the given period were gifted young professional artists under 30 years old who have produced unique pieces of art in the realms of street art, multimedia art, performance and painting, and had also had previous experience in art collaborations with other companies. Primarily featured were artists who created their brand with all the necessary attributes, like philosophy, mission, core values, uniqueness, and genuineness; artists who had already a numerous audience of followers in social media and whose numbers continue to grow exponentially; and artists who enjoy communication with their fans, posting, answering comments and regularly appearing in media space, attracting attention to their art brand.

The art collaboration phenomenon considerably influenced the cultural environment of the specific region, as well as the world cultural art space in general, due to the stimulation of the genesis of innovations in art media and art technology, which were manifest in the process of art collaborations. The soaring number of art collaborations and their patterns could significantly advance the tourist attraction of the region, and what is more to escalate the interest to the cultural events among locals.

In summary, it is worth saying that the key factor of the successful cooperation between commercial brands and visual artists is the shared aims, goals and values as well as mutual respect. Therefore the choice of the partner should be a well-considered decision based on the development strategy of both commercial and art brands.

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