An apple would fall at the exact same speed in any part of the world governed by the law of Physics, however, marketing is about making the fallen apple unique and appealing to people who receive the message, that a new product has become available to them, provided that some may already have access to a garden of apple trees. That is, to create values for the customers that match with their needs and wants.
Consumers prefer products that are made to look beautiful and aesthetically pleasing. Artistic product designs can improve product evaluations and even compensate for moderately lower functionality (H. Hagtvedt, 2014) Many products and services are packaged or advertised with art. Starting in 1985 with Andy Warhol, Absolut transformed its plain glass medicine bottle into a canvas for famous artists including Keith Haring, Damien Hirst, and Romero Britto. Unflavored vodka is functionally a simple commodity, ethanol and water. By infusing visual art directly onto the packaging and ad campaigns, Absolut transferred the luxury, prestige, and sophistication of the fine art world directly to the liquid inside. Blind taste tests frequently reveal that consumers struggle to distinguish unflavored vodkas. The artistic packaging compensates for the lack of functional differentiation, allowing Absolut to command a premium price and high brand equity as people associate value with the brand’s identity on top of its physical products. (Gemini,2026)
The emphasis of marketing is on creating exceptional experiences that somehow elevate people beyond their ordinary states of being. The aim of marketing is to alter consumers’ desired states, making them unsatisfied with what they already have, thereby creating the motivation needed to initiate a buying decision process. Cosmetics companies had understood influence from the celebrities on young women, followed by a change in the women’s individual perception of beautifulness, which shape their buying decisions. Cosmetics brands promote their products with celebrity endorsement by producing appealing visual assets through photography and videography which constitute an art.
Marketing is an art because marketers try to influence people’s purchasing decisions by stimulating their 5 senses. Moreover, the execution part of marketing is about designing, copywriting, photography, videography and editing.
For example, for skin care cosmetics, marketers present different ingredients such as aloe vera for Clinique”s 100H Moisture Surge and mushroom for Origins Mega Mushroom Treatment Lotion, which are the best-selling hero products for these brands, in an appealing way with bold colours and close-up shots of the key ingredients. Aurally, marketers use soothing sounds such as running water to highlight the moisturizing effect, accompanied by soothing music and natural sounds such as wind breeze or birds chirping to let the listeners to calm down and relax after a busy day. Olfactorily, most skincare and cosmetics product have a pleasant smell that is soothing during application, which is a marketing point to persuade users into making the purchase. Moreover, sellers offer testers in store for users to try, not only for skincare products, but also perfumes. Physically, for example, moisturising products have a gel-like structure, and feels comfortable when applied.
Data science can be used to study complex consumer behaviours, but although economic and statistical models can be used to study past trends and predict future behaviours, consumers’ responses to a new product’s advertisement in the future can be unpredictable. Because consumers’ purchasing pattern is possibly shaped by a few factors. For example, depends on how much product they use on a daily basis, their pattern of replenishing the stock is different. When there is a limited time discount offer, consumers may make an impulse purchase and buy in a quantity more than necessary or stock up their favourite product for the future. When there is a new product released from their favourite brand, consumers may be inclined to try it out. Unlike festive occasions where most people shop for gifts, consumers shop for gifts for people around them during their birthdays which does not follow a pattern that is predictable by scientific models.
Just like an art, marketing is a form of communication where messages sent to each individual would be responded differently, towards the ultimate success of value creation and building of consumer relationships.
Bibliography
H. Hagtvedt, V. P. (2014). Consumer response to overstyling: Balancing aesthetics and functionality in product design.
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