Brands and Art have long lived in harmony for the sake of advertising. As long as there has been a need to promote products the art world has provided both ideas and credibility for many a well-known campaign. But the recent democratisation of digital production and the emergence of social media have seen a rise in brand endorsed creative output further blurring the boundary between Art and advertising. It used to be so much simpler: A brand would sponsor an art initiative or pay a number of artists to create works of art that ultimately became ads.

In 1991 Absolut Vodka organised a series of initiatives with US artists, commissioning one from each state to create work that was run fortnightly as a full-page ad in USA Today. A companion book, Absolut Statehood: 51 Painters, Visions of Their Home States was also compiled along with a documentary that was broadcast simultaneously in New York and Hong Kong in March 1993. Taken together, it was a body of work that represented advertising, PR and credible art all working symbiotically without compromise and with mutual benefit.

In 2001 BMW set out to produce the first high budget branded content to hit the Internet. The result was Hire, a series of lavish shorts starring BMW cars alongside Clive Owen in productions from A-list directors like Ridley Scott, Ang Lee and Guy Richie. This was not a brand simply sponsoring or supporting the arts, but one acting as the producer and promoter of free-to-view digital productions.

The marriage between brand, art and digital isn’t always perfect. In 2006 GM engaged the skills of German graffitti artist Boris Hoppek to create the C’mons. Despite having extensive promotion in youth channels including an appearance at the MTV music awards and their own MySpace launch, the woolen stars of the pan-european Corsa campaign were little more than an annoyance. Hoppeck’s credibility was arguably dented while his collectable Bimbo dolls were reduced to car accessories.

Fast-forward to 2009 and Becks – a long-standing supporter of the Arts – collaborate with Hard-fi and Ladyhawke who design limited edition bottle labels. Mixing creative disciplines is where Becks seemed to be heading: Blurring the lines and throwing in a free music download to boot.

In 2011 Absolut returned to familiar ground with the Absolut Blank project: A series of works from artists such as Dave Kinsey and UVA. The making of the pieces featured in a TV slot for the Swedish Vodka maker. This time however the Art was far more accessible, fun even. Smartphone users could download an app to create their own artworks and videos and upload them to Facebook. The best were showcased live during club nights in London.
This is Absolut seeking audience participation. Art is no longer the passive decoration; it is the process, not just the output; it’s the experience of creation. And we can all have a go. Blank is Art democratised and shared.

Social media, smartphones and the Internet allow us all to take part. Participation is the new goal for brands in the grey area between advertising and experiential that digital has begun to propagate. The Internet is our canvas and the production of the artwork is no longer limited to an elite. Digitally facilitated creative participation is now the ultimate in highbrow crowdsourcing.

This year also saw Becks return with their most bold art initiative yet. The Green Box Project promised funding to 1,000 art projects worldwide. Once again digitial was central to the strategy. Vimeo, Facebook and Twitter all supported the campaign that asked creative practitioners the world over to upload a proposal for a piece of work in order to win funding. To kickstart submissions the German beer brand released a branded Becks ‘key’ app which allowed users to interact with 30 green boxes placed in citites in the UK, US and Italy. Users were able to expereince augmented-reality artworks, created by established artiststs, when viewed though the app.

The level of integration shown by the Green Box Project sets it apart from many ‘artversting’ campaigns. It’s scope and ambtion is broad and it’s utterly inclusive. Participation is king. Marshal McLuhan hailed advertising as ‘the greatest art form of the 20th century’ and as long as we continue to marvel at the craft skills evident in a great 40 second TV ad or the mastery of image making in an arresting billboard who can really argue? But as the advertising landscape continues to undergo a seismic shift then no amount of artistry can save the medium as this new approach emerges.

The smartest brands, the ones in tune with this shift, will buy creative campaigns that involve the audience, that invite their participation, their attenance, their opinions and their ideas. This heady mix of digital, experiential, and co-creation is where brands will invest in future and the agencies that can marry these concepts will be ones rising to the upper end of the next top 100.

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