Is Advertising Art?

Oh Grand and Glorious Southern Guru, I am perplexed. What ails thee, my peabrained little grasshopper? My sleep has been short, my walls have been climbed, my hair has been pulled.

I must know the difference between advertising and high art. Oh Great Creator, please give me the answer.

Stir no longer, little vacuous one. Art is in the eye of the beholder, and yes, advertising can be high art.

But Holiest of the Holy, whilst I acknowledge there is a role for subjectivity in the appreciation of art, and that art and advertising similarly use form, colour and symbol to convey messages, and that both can be aesthetically pleasing and accessible, and that both share the goal of changing behavior and attitudes, and that both often highlight the tension between reality and ideals and can shape aesthetic tastes, does not an adequate answer to my question depend upon a precise definition of the term art?

Are there not different degrees of creativity and originality? Are there not different types of art?

Surely Majestic One, advertising is not "high" art, but rather popular, propagandistic art?

Not so, little inchworm. Art is a function of apprehension, ergo, there is no difference between "high" and "low" art.

But Mighty Aphrodite, do not ads see the world only through a blinkered lens: as products and services, as target markets and audiences? Do they not promote only consumerism and uphold only the status quo? Are not their motives restricted by budgets and deadlines, and by the necessity of pushing product?

How can ads experiment with ideas for their own sake when fettered by this capitalist manacle?

Do ads not craft specific messages for specific audiences at specific times?

Is not their goal to elicit singular responses?

Do they not aim to please, to arrest the intelligence and to allay our fears with easy solutions, and are they not primarily concerned with positive reactions?

And does not the prerequisite of mass appeal demand mediocrity? Does not art allow for a delight in, and the free play of, ideas for their own sake? Truly outstanding art rarely secures immediate popularity, n'est-ce pas Mon Dieu Seigneur?

Does not art encourage many ways of looking at the world?

Is it not often purposefully ambiguous and open to conflicting interpretation?

Surely, oh Towering One, artists do not worship audiences in the way advertisers do?

Do they not intentionally break boundaries, counter the status quo, and question accepted beliefs?

Many spend decades deconstructing society, transcending political, economic and religious systems, do they not?

You listen not, my pint-sized parvenu. Art is in the eye of the beholder. Hence an advertisement, even if it's only one in a million, can be high art.

But Lord of the Rings, is it not the sale that motivates the creation of advertisements?

Does this not put advertising solely in the realm of the shallow and material?

And thusly, are not ads only original in the context of commerce? And furthermore, did not the great Canadian literary critic Northrop Frye suggest that ads are farcical, ironic and trivial (and that their prodigious power rests here precisely because we view them as a joke, without analyzing their bountiful effects)?

In short, Monsieur Le President, are not advertisements viewed primarily with scorn?

And does not true art inspire awe?

And does it not create new ways of looking at the world and increase our depth of understanding about the meaning of life?

And, as such, does it not reside squarely in the realm of the deep and spiritual?

And does not great art burst forth with such stunning originality that it changes the way we see the world and ourselves?

And are great artists, those rare geniuses, not moved by more than the simple desire for coin, and do they not dwell deeply on the profound questions of man's universal condition?

And is not the equating of "high" art with advertising symptomatic of decadent, hollow, bankrupt, violent societies, which value material goods, "happiness" and facile solutions above all else?

And as such, All Knowing One, is this not an equation we should actively oppose?

Get not thy knickers in a knot wee Gordian. Your philosophizing incites me to slumber.

Nigel Beale is an Ottawa, Canada based writer.

---

What To Do With Your Business Cards

Without a plan to distribute your cards, there's no need... Read More

Advertising Your Holistic Business

The most basic answer is the same answer as to... Read More

Indoor LED Displays

To promote the audience, staff, customers and other people the... Read More

Predictions for 2010

2005 puts us at the mid-point of the first decade... Read More

Send em to the White Pages

Your business is listed in the Yellow Pages whether you... Read More

Not Another Calendar! - Choose Advertising Specialties That Sell

As I was searching through a kitchen drawer the other... Read More

Marketing Messages with Add Zest & Appeal

Boring is one thing you can't afford to be when... Read More

Lamination of Signs

I suspect that everyone has an idea of what lamination... Read More

The Seven Second Race: How to Draw Attention Your Ad

You've decided to launch your advertising campaign but you have... Read More

Ten Secrets for Getting FREE Advertising

The opportunities for getting free advertising for yourproduct or services... Read More

The Motivational Triggers That Make People Buy

In order to sell more products and service, you need... Read More

Cinema Advertising is Big Business, So Mergers are a Natural

Cinema advertising has always been an effective marketing tool for... Read More

15 Tips for Better Yellow Page Ads

Yellow Pages advertising is one of the most popular forms... Read More

The Only Bad Advertising Is No Advertising - Or Is It?

Depending on whom you ask, you will get told many... Read More

Secrets of Getting Free Advertising

The opportunities for getting free advertising for your product or... Read More

The Man With The Grasshopper Mind

The title of this article also happens to be one... Read More

Offline Advertising Tips

Since most of us are always online and our business... Read More

God Bless The Refrigerator Magnet!

Ah, my very favorite promotional product of all, the refrigerator... Read More

Power Headlines for Promotion Success

Do you send email to your Online audience to let... Read More

When Times Get Tough... or When to Really Advertise

The Pundits say the economy is slowly, but surely, recovering.... Read More

Imaging Isnt Everything

Many home improvement contractors attempt to use advertising to expand... Read More

Online vs. Offline Advertising

Let's face it. Email marketing and publishing have became very... Read More

Is Your Yellow Pages Ad Putting Cash in Your Pocket... or Sucking Cash Out?

Any idea? It's a question that more than a few... Read More

Consider These Pressing Facts Before You Renew Your Yellow Page Ad

Your Yellow Page Ad Deserves More than 10 Minutes of... Read More

Advertising, Public Relations, Newsletters, and Newsletters for Your Small Business

If you own a small business you should consider ways... Read More

Cable Ads 5 Bucks!

Cable has grown from 13 houses connected together in 1948... Read More

Direct Response Advertising; Radio vs TV

Radio advertising vs. television advertisingMany new advertisers assume that they... Read More

10 Tips For Writing A Profit Producing Ad

1. You can get ad copy ideas by studying similar... Read More

In Advertising Bigger isn?t Always Better

If you have been following the recent advertising news you... Read More

Is Your Advertising... Sexy?

Ever hear the term 'sexy' advertising? It's not necessarily what... Read More

Which is Better Digital or Offset Printing?

As technology continues to improve, the quality of digital prints... Read More

How to Write B2B Ads That Catch Customers

Are your business-to-business ads working for you? If they are... Read More

Too Much Build-Up: Over-Zealous Ad Copy Can Break The Sale

How many times has this happened to you?A friend recommends... Read More