The aesthetics offers multiple, powerful, specific and tangible advantages to the firm such as: it creates fidelity; it expresses the personality of the firm and of its marks; it allows the establishment of superior prices; the aesthetics message penetrates the informational amalgam; it protects it from the competitional offensive; it induces the rising of productivity and the reduction of costs; it reduces the distances between the stages of the launch of a new product on the market and its maturity.transmitting messages, aesthetics in marketing

Flaviu Meghisan

Gheorghe Meghisan

English

Research Papers in Economics

 
AESTHETICS CONFERS VALUE TO THE FIRM 
 
Professor PhD Gheorghe MEGHIŞAN 
University of Craiova 
Lecturer PhD Flaviu MEGHIŞAN 
University of Piteşti 
 
Abstract: 
The aesthetics offers multiple, powerful, specific and tangible advantages to 
the firm such as: it creates fidelity; it expresses the personality of the firm and 
of  its  marks;  it  allows  the  establishment  of  superior  prices;  the  aesthetics 
message  penetrates  the  informational  amalgam;  it  protects  it  from  the 
competitional offensive; it induces the rising of productivity and the reduction 
of costs; it reduces the distances between the stages of the launch of a new 
product on the market and its maturity.   
 
 
From the moment when we wake 
up an to the end of each day of work, 
we are guided by sight, smell, hearing 
and  touch.  Our  personal  tastes  guide 
our decisions in choosing an apartment, 
decorating it, choosing clothes, buying a 
car. 
It is possible for a lot of marketers 
to ignore the things that confers value to 
clients,  what  namely  satisfies  and 
incites them. More often the firms give 
attention  only  for  quality  insurance, 
saving  costs  or  defining  the 
competences.  The  economic  process 
do  not  give  value  to  clients.  Not  even 
the trade marks themeselves do not do 
this  thing.  The  value  is  insured  by 
satisfying  the  needs.  Today,  lot  of 
clients  have  the  base  needs  satisfied 
and  the  value  is  easily  insured  by 
satisfying  their  needs  for 
experimentation, their aesthetics needs. 
Aesthetics is not esoteric, it offers 
to firms the chance to address to clients 
by  a  variety  of  sensorial  experiences. 
This opportunity does not limit to some 
sectors  (fashion,  cosmetics  or  luxury 
products  for  „topnotch”  segments),  it 
refers to any firm from any sector. 
Aesthetics is a veritable instrument 
of differentiation. The success of some 
firms to actual competitive markets can 
be  explained  not  only  by  the  products 
and  services  quality,  fault  less  skill, 
irreprochable  projection  and 
management  of  exception.  The 
concentration  to  elemental 
competences,  the  quality  and  value 
given  to  clients  where  not  enough  to 
create  an  irresistible  attraction  force. 
Each  firm  applied  an  strong  point  of 
differentiation,  using  aesthetics  to 
generate  positive  general  impressions 
on  firm  personality  or  for  respective 
markes. 
For  example,  McDonald’s  Corp 
applies  aesthetics  (uniforms,  cleaness, 
environment,  care  for  the  little  ones) 
accentuating  the  affective  contact  with 
the  clients,  children  (those  who 
consume) or adults(those who buy). 
In  80’
s  the  specialists  in  clients 
attitude  research  debated  a  new 
alternative,  the  „hedonist”  approach  or 
„sensorial experiences”. 
Any restaurant knows that besides 
the  cooks  merit  in  preparing  a  good 
roast meat, it must give a total sensorial 
experience: clean covers, ambiental set, 
proper music in damper. 
Philip Kotler in the nine edition of 
his  classical  book  „Marketing 
management”,  1997,  considers  that 
segmentating  the  benefits  –  a  clients 
classifying technique depending on the 
benefits that these search on products –   70 
represent  „a  strong  form  of 
segmentation”. 
The  „aesthetics”  term  was 
introduced in the eighteenth century by 
the  german  philosopher  Alexander 
Baumgarten  starting  from  the  greek 
term aisthetikos, that means „perception 
able, especially sensorial”. Baumgarten 
was  especially  preoccupied  for  the 
impact  of  physical  characteristics  on 
personal  experiences.  Afterward, 
G.W.F. Hegel limited aesthetics use to 
the study of beautiful arts. The problem 
refering  to  the  way  that  we  obtain 
aesthetic  satisfaction  is  a  debate 
subject  in  the  philosophical  circles. 
Some  recent  works  and  researches 
regarding  the  visual  dates  supply, 
implicit  memory  and  automatic 
processing,  suggest  that  forms  and 
colors can affect us directly, without the 
necessity  of  conscious  processing  (1). 
Other  works,  studying  the  information 
processing  by  the  customers, 
concentrates  on  conclusions  that 
customers take when they are exposed 
to  visual  stimulus  and  other  sensorial 
stimulus (2). 
The  term  „marketing  aesthetics” 
refers  to  structural  and  referential 
qualities  of  an  organisation  or  mark 
aesthetics,  working  together.  Some  of 
customers perceptions are direct, while 
other  are  cognitive  mediated.  The 
satisfaction  can  be  gived  by  inherent 
qualities  and  structural  features  of 
product, also by communicated senses 
through  the  aesthetic  image  of  an 
organisation or mark. 
Marketing  aesthetics  is  made  of 
three  elements:  product  design, 
communicational  research  and  spatial 
design.  Each  of  these  domains  is 
characterized  by  dichotomies.  in 
product  and  graphic  design  is made  a 
distinction  between  function  and  form. 
The first one refers to practical benefits 
or  product  or  service  attributes,  and 
form  refers  to  product  or  service 
package.  In  communicational  research 
on  persuasion  is  made  a  distinction 
between  two  types  of  messages:  the 
central  message  and  the  peripherical 
message.  The  central  message  refers 
to main points or persuasive arguments, 
while  peripherical  messages  refers  to 
other  tangent  elements  that  are  not 
treated  like  main  components  of 
message  –  for  exemple,  those 
„surrounding  the  message”:  presenter 
attractiveness,  the  color  of  the  room 
from where the message is transmitted 
or  the  musical  background  of 
presentation. In spatial design is made 
a  distinction  between  structure  and 
symbolism.  Structure  is  bound  to 
aspects like the way that people interact 
with  the  surrounding  environment  on 
practical level: floors, elevators, signs of 
circulation.  Symbolism  refers  to    not 
functional  aspects  of  people  lived 
experience  in  the  respective  space. 
Marketing aesthetics transcend all those 
ill-assorted domains; it is made by a lot 
of  specialists  engaged  in  this  general 
areas. 
Why  it  is  sustained  the  idea  that 
the aesthetics is important? Because in 
gives  to  the  firm  multiple,  strong, 
specific and tangible advantages, such 
as: 
•  Aesthetics  confers  faithfulness. 
Aesthetics  is  one  of  the  „major 
satisfaction  agents”  from  the  customers 
univers  of  experiences.  When  the 
products  or  services  are  perceived  as 
undifferentiate  concerning  their  typical 
attributes,  intangible  aspects  like 
sensorial experiences, became the main 
points of sales.  
•  Express  the  personality  for  a 
firm or its trade marks, namely the effort 
to show what the firm does, what are its 
values  and  the  assumed  mission.  To  a 
mark, the task in similar, namely, express 
the trade mark character. In the context 
of an given market an certain firm there 
are  four  elements  (corporative 
personality  and  base  competences, 
products and markets served, corporative 
procedures and firm mission and vision), 
that compose the fundamental position of 
respective firm. Results that the task key 
of  an  aesthetic  strategy  consists  in   71
expressing  this  corporative  position 
under  asthetic  form  of  position.  The 
process  that  „transforms”  the  firm 
personality in its public face is aesthetic 
planning of identity elements. 
•  Aesthetics allows the settlement 
of superior prices. Nike practice at least 
150 $ for a banal couple of sport shoes, 
Honda S 2000, one of the most sportive 
convertible  cars  with  two  places,  serial 
produced, has the price of 31.500 Euros 
or Mercedes CL 600 that has a price of 
114.413  Euros.  The  aesthetic  context 
that  surrounds  those  trade  marks  (Nike 
suggest  performance,  Mercedes 
experience,  loftiness  and  safety),  so 
called „trade mark capital”, allow specific 
experiences , that clients can try through 
hearing,  sight,  smell,  feel.  As  result, 
attractive  identity  as  aesthetic  point  of 
view, allows the settlement of an superior 
price. 
•  The  aesthetic  message 
penetrates the informational mixture. The 
surrounding  environment,  routinely, 
becomes  more  loaded  whit  messages. 
Costumers are bombarded whit logo and 
messages.  An  attractive  aesthetic 
message  makes  one  way  through 
agglomeration  because  uses  a  distinct 
symbolism that represent the firm.  
The  repetition  enlarges  the 
durability  of  those  visual  signs  in  the 
customers  mind  and  products  are 
recognised and selected immediately in 
the moment of acqusition. 
•  Aesthetics  allows  protection 
face  to  competitors.  The  trade  marks 
are legally protected against duplication. 
It is possible for an competitor to imitate 
the  entire  complex  of  sensorial 
elements and success firm aesthetics.  
•  Aesthetics  induce  to  the 
productivity  growth  and  the  reduce  of 
costs. The employees need less time to 
create  new  presentations  and 
messages,  because  the  advertise 
notices  and  promotion  materials  have 
constant  elements,  they  don’t  have  to 
be reprojected for every new campaign. 
•  Decrease  the  distance  among 
stages of launch of a new product and 
maturity. 
•  Aesthetics  motivates  the 
employees,  attracts  first  class  creative 
personnel and adorn the place of labor. 
The  important  trade  mark  images 
are  created  through  an  attractive  and 
good  strategic  organised  aesthetics. 
Without a clear identity it can not exist 
attraction,  no  higher  prices  or  fidelity 
possibilities.  It  exists  just  the  suicidal 
variant  to  do  competition  only  through 
prices.  Michael  Porter  affirmed:  „a 
strong feeling of identity is as important 
as  unconditioned  devotion  face  to 
financial  results  of  strategic  unit  of 
activity”. 
Some firms finded in identity crisis 
adopts  an  old-fashioned  image  and 
create  an  undesirable  joinder  in  trade 
marks  and  organisation  image, 
meaning,  they  appear  in  dissonance 
with contemporary reality, from desire to 
seem innovator. Other successful firms, 
manifest  maintaining  the  image  and 
identity on active markets. For exemple, 
Petrom,  („motion  essence”)  maintains 
identity and aesthetics in whole national 
network of on-sale points. 
The  entrance  of  new  actors  on 
competitional  scene  generates  new 
identities. Any firm must check the way 
that  their  identity  interacts  with  the 
competition  one.  Norms,  behavior 
attitude  can  evolve  in  time,  enforcing 
the identity changes, especially in case 
of  trade  marks  fated  to  some 
demographic  segments.  For  exemple, 
the  messages  addressed  to  teenagers 
behave  a  permanent  update  because 
the  successive  generations  of 
teenagers  have  different  attitudes  and 
tendances. 
The  firms  that  approach  new 
markets must determine if it must create 
new images. More, image management 
became  more  accessible  and  cheaper 
because of made informatics programs. 
Identity management is a larger domain 
than  brand  management.  Product  and 
marketing  managers  spend  a  lot  of   72 
energy  to  establish  prices,  promoting 
products  and  their  advertise,  but  they 
don’t vise long term strategic elements 
that causes the brands survival, namely 
the identity and image of a brand, less 
than  firm  image.  In  a  opinion  survey 
realized  in  1997  by  the  studies  firm 
Louis  Harris  &  Associates,  the 
consumers  where  asked  to  say  the 
name  of  the  best  American  products. 
The public remembered an unexpected 
big  number  of  names,  they  were  not 
necessarily  products  (General  Motors, 
P&G,  Johnson  &  Johnson).  The 
conclusion?  –  a  strong  brand  image 
helps the product. 
 
 
REFERENCES 
 
[1]  Anderson,  John,  Cognitive  psychology  and  its  implications,  San  Francisco, 
W.H.Freeman and Co., 1980. 
[2]  Gibson,  J.  James,  The  perception  of  the  visual  world,  New  York,  Houghton 
Mifflin, 1950. 
[3] Schmitt, Bernd and Simonson, Alex, Marketing aesthetics, Teora, 2002. 
[4] Wyer, S. Robert and Scrull, S. Thomas, Handbook of social cognition, Hillsdale, 
N.Y., Erlbaum, 1984. 
 

AESTHETICS CONFERS VALUE TO THE FIRM

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