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M. De Angelis et al.
10 General Discussion
The present work pursued two main objectives. On the one hand, it wanted to provide
a comprehensive yet concise overview of the luxury phenomenon, looking further
into its definition and evolution, as well as into the challenges it currently needs to
deal with. On the other hand, it wanted to further investigate the art infusion effect
under the lens of two luxury-related concepts—namely craftmanship and product
durability—in order to enrich the existing theoretical knowledge and provide some
relevant insights that could be used by luxury firms to tackle the above-mentioned
challenges—namely the ones arisen by luxury “democratization” and by individuals’
growing concern toward sustainability.
The art infusion effect—namely the positive influence that the presence of art
has on consumers’ perceptions and evaluations of products with which it is associated—has been investigated by several authoritative scholars, who first proved its
existence and then acquired a deeper understanding of it by exploring its underlying
mechanisms, as well as its field of action. We joined this line of research by focusing our study on the luxury context and by exploring the effects of an art-related
characteristic that has never been investigated so far—that is the intensity of the
craftmanship used by the artist in creating the artwork. We found that the intensity
of artist’s craftmanship is able to affect consumers’ perceived durability of the product advertised which, in turn, affects consumers’ purchase intention. We therefore
believe that the current study can give two main contributions to the existing literature. Firstly, most of the studies conducted so far have focused on the effects that
art can produce in terms of consumers’ perceptions and evaluations rather than in
terms of consumers’ behavioral response. As far as we know, only Hüttl-Maack [63]
have proved that the presence of art can produce behavioral effects as well, specifically on consumers’ willingness to pay. Our study goes one step further, proving that
consumers’ behavior can be affected not only by the presence of art, but also by the
manipulation of the artwork itself. Specifically, we proved that pairing products with
artworks that have required a higher level of artist’s craftmanship positively affects
consumers’ intention to buy the product advertised. Furthermore, general agreement
exists regarding the fact that the art infusion effect occurs because of the spillover of
positive properties—specifically, the perception of luxury and the positive emotions
arisen by art—from the artwork onto the product advertised. Our study has proved
that another property, that is perceived durability, may spill over from the artwork
onto the product. In other words, we argue that besides the perception of luxury and
the emotions evoked by art, also perceived durability may be transferred from the
artwork to the product advertised, leading to positive effects in terms of consumers’
response.
The main findings of this research, combined with the knowledge acquired in the
process of the literature review, also provide interesting insights for the luxury sector
overall as well as practical guidance for marketers who operate in the luxury business environment, which is currently facing important changes and that consequently
needs to find new ways to preserve its value in the eyes of its customer base. As proven
M. De Angelis et al.
10 General Discussion
The present work pursued two main objectives. On the one hand, it wanted to provide
a comprehensive yet concise overview of the luxury phenomenon, looking further
into its definition and evolution, as well as into the challenges it currently needs to
deal with. On the other hand, it wanted to further investigate the art infusion effect
under the lens of two luxury-related concepts—namely craftmanship and product
durability—in order to enrich the existing theoretical knowledge and provide some
relevant insights that could be used by luxury firms to tackle the above-mentioned
challenges—namely the ones arisen by luxury “democratization” and by individuals’
growing concern toward sustainability.
The art infusion effect—namely the positive influence that the presence of art
has on consumers’ perceptions and evaluations of products with which it is associated—has been investigated by several authoritative scholars, who first proved its
existence and then acquired a deeper understanding of it by exploring its underlying
mechanisms, as well as its field of action. We joined this line of research by focusing our study on the luxury context and by exploring the effects of an art-related
characteristic that has never been investigated so far—that is the intensity of the
craftmanship used by the artist in creating the artwork. We found that the intensity
of artist’s craftmanship is able to affect consumers’ perceived durability of the product advertised which, in turn, affects consumers’ purchase intention. We therefore
believe that the current study can give two main contributions to the existing literature. Firstly, most of the studies conducted so far have focused on the effects that
art can produce in terms of consumers’ perceptions and evaluations rather than in
terms of consumers’ behavioral response. As far as we know, only Hüttl-Maack [63]
have proved that the presence of art can produce behavioral effects as well, specifically on consumers’ willingness to pay. Our study goes one step further, proving that
consumers’ behavior can be affected not only by the presence of art, but also by the
manipulation of the artwork itself. Specifically, we proved that pairing products with
artworks that have required a higher level of artist’s craftmanship positively affects
consumers’ intention to buy the product advertised. Furthermore, general agreement
exists regarding the fact that the art infusion effect occurs because of the spillover of
positive properties—specifically, the perception of luxury and the positive emotions
arisen by art—from the artwork onto the product advertised. Our study has proved
that another property, that is perceived durability, may spill over from the artwork
onto the product. In other words, we argue that besides the perception of luxury and
the emotions evoked by art, also perceived durability may be transferred from the
artwork to the product advertised, leading to positive effects in terms of consumers’
response.
The main findings of this research, combined with the knowledge acquired in the
process of the literature review, also provide interesting insights for the luxury sector
overall as well as practical guidance for marketers who operate in the luxury business environment, which is currently facing important changes and that consequently
needs to find new ways to preserve its value in the eyes of its customer base. As proven