Visual art in advertising: new insights on the role of consumers' art interest and its interplay with the hedonic value of the advertised product

Purpose - This paper aims to build on research on the art infusion effect (Hagtvedt and Patrick, 2008a). It investigates the effect of using fine art in advertising and addresses additional factors that have not been assessed to understand and describe the process of art infusion more thoroughly. Thereby, the moderating role of the art interest of individuals and its interplay with the hedonic value of the product is studied. Effects on attitude and willingness to pay are revealed and the perceived value for money as a further mediating variable that drives the art infusion effect under some conditions is investigated. Moreover, the study examines the effect of the artwork's familiarity. Design/methodology/approach - The experimental study follows a 3 (ad picture: photo, unknown painting, well-known painting) x 2 (art interest: low, high) x 2 (product type: highly hedonic, moderately hedonic) between-subjects-design. In total, 447 consumers were surveyed in museums, art exhibitions and neutral public spaces. Findings - For a clearly hedonic product, the art infusion effect is independent of consumers' art interest. For an only moderately hedonic and more ambiguous product, this effect only occurs for highly art interested individuals. Moreover, different mediating processes are revealed for these two product types in a moderated mediation model. An effect of familiarity cannot be verified. Originality/value - Research on effects of art on consumer responses to brands and products is still very limited. In addition to existing research, this paper adds to the identification of boundary conditions and the explanation of drivers of the art infusion effect. Moreover, this is the first study that provides insights on how an artwork affects consumers' willingness to pay.