Angela Bargenda

The paper critically examines the claim that artworks and corporate art collections contribute a qualitative dimension to corporate identity by satisfying aesthetic, social and cultural standards. To explore the qualitative research purpose, the theoretical framework is supplemented with in-depth interview data from five European banks. The findings show that corporate art achieves synergies between culture and capital, internal and external communication and thus offers significant opportunities for innovative marketing communication and identity-building strategies.

The article seeks to enrich the body of research on store atmospherics by identifying how storefront window design impacts store entry decisions. An innovative multimodal design approach is presented, considering both visual and verbal constituents.

This conceptual article seeks to demonstrate the pertinence of corporate architecture as an integrative tool in spatial marketing systems. Architecture is explored in a dialectical perspective, both as a functional built form and a symbolic vector of ideologies. Architecture intersects with micro-level and macro-level marketing systems, as it inherently projects corporate identity while referring to broader artistic, social and historical parameters. It is argued that these macromarketing dimensions and their meaning-generating potential add significant value to market exchanges. A special focus on corporate architecture in the banking sector shows the value of architectural narratives in changing marketing environments. The article makes two contributions to macromarketing research. It (1) firmly establishes corporate architecture within marketing systems and (2) shows how symbolic meaning can be derived from the macro-level environmental, historical and cultural properties of buildings.

Abstract

The article seeks to illustrate the construct of a global corporate identity through architectural brand stewardship. Adopting the concept of Heritage Quotient (HQ) developed by Urde, Greyser and Balmer (2007), the strategic interactions of architectural parameters with corporate history are theorised as constitutive elements of the corporate heritage marketing mix. The aim of the article is to identify and analyse iconic design elements of building façades and interior space to demonstrate the transformation of corporate history into heritage. The findings show that architectural heritage capitalises on innovative branding opportunities. As spatio-material manifestations of the organisational past, architecture ranks as a critical factor in identity building initiatives and reputation management.

Abstract

The paper analyzes the cognitive, affective and persuasive role of visual metaphors in financial advertising discourse. In the aftermath of the financial crisis of 2008, the restoration of trust-based relationships has become a prime marketing objective. In particular, the crisis-fraught retail banks have adapted their communication strategies to signal profound institutional transformations in response to trust depletion and public image impairment. The methodological approach is based on the semio-narrative analysis of encoding tools that correlate with specific communicational objectives. Special emphasis is placed on the transformative articulation from risk-prone to risk-averse institutional discourse by correlating risk factors with rhetorical strategies. Cultural inferences represent significant argumentative resources and are explored as strategic devices in discourse organization. The paper further examines the critical role of image/text inter-textuality as an enhancer of persuasive relevance. Empirically grounded in pre-crisis and post-crisis advertising campaigns at Société Générale, the in-depth visual discourse analysis shows how the strategic use of discursive resources, both visual and verbal, impacts identity construct and collective sense-making. The resulting paradigm of visual signs establishes a semiotic frame for subsequent survey studies to measure communicational effectiveness.

Abstract

The paper opens new insights into the use of corporate architecture in ambient marketing communications. As an expressive system, architectural discourse transcends functional use-value, while providing potent contextual cues that enhance brand engagement. Within the integrated marketing communication mix, spatial signifiers create epistemic and experiential value. Two case studies from the European finance sector exemplify the communication relevance of architectural design. The interpretative methodology, based on a contrasting semiotic analysis, explores the meaning-generating potential of the square, a central structural element of the headquarters of Deutsche Bank and Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena. Symbolic correlations between spatial organization and connotative implications show the salient features of aesthetic place-making in financial communication. The paper contends that corporate architecture not only serves as a support for ambient marketing initiatives, but that its sign-value as an urban and cultural touch-point represents a symbolically-charged communication tool in its own.

Abstract

This paper aims at exploring the semiotic relevance of architecture in building a bank's brand identity. It establishes architectural discourse as a sign-system that produces symbolic capital within the wider framework of the identity-building process. The shift from ethics to aesthetics, from functional, utilitarian retail venues, to glossy design interiors, has recently emerged in the financial community. New design concepts of retail banking are currently being tested to accompany innovative initiatives in the area of consumer marketing. In the finance sector, where symbolic capital ranks as a critical reputation asset, architecture increasingly conveys corporate values and takes part in institutional myth-making. By presenting an analysis of architectural semiotics, the paper argues that the multi-sensory (visual-sonic-olfactory-tactile) congruity of architectural narratives generates denoted and connoted meaning. An empirical illustration of Societe Generale's branch on the Champs-Elysees shows how architectural discourse establishes idiosyncratic brand identity. As the semiotic exploration of architecture remains significantly under-represented in the marketing semiotic literature, the paper seeks to open a new territory in this emerging field.

The chapter focuses on the delivery of brand value through aesthetics. Based on the concepts of aestheticisation and artification, the discussion centres on the use of art and architecture to create and communicate a meaningful and value-laden brand identity.

The chapter critically interrogates the claim that aesthetic artifacts, such as artworks and art collections, convey intangible assets that enhance corporate social responsibility (CSR) by satisfying social and environmental standards. Empirically grounded on case studies of international banks, the pluralistic uses of aesthetics within the broader scope of corporate sustainability (CS) delineate the major relevance of arts-based initiatives for global finance institutions. The findings show that aesthetic artifacts achieve synergies between context-specific factors and global issues of sustainability. The originality of the chapter consists in exploring the interactions of aesthetics and ethics in a multidisciplinary perspective, drawing on management and non-management literature, opening up new avenues for organizational practice and scholarship.

Key points
Organizational aesthetics, corporate art, corporate social responsibility (CSR), corporate sustainability (CS), global finance sector.

Abstract

Il serait légitime de supposer que l’accroissement rapide des services financiers numériques et l’abondance de l’offre financière concurrentielle rendront caduques, dans un avenir proche, les banques telles que nous les connaissons. Outre le sentiment anti-banque qui s’est récemment installé suite aux crises financières, l’atmosphère généralement assez surannée et terne des agences traditionnelles fait qu’elles sont perçues avant tout comme des locaux utilitaires. Les défis lancés aux professionnels de la communication financière sont multiples et concernent avant tout le redressement du déficit d’image et la restauration d’une relation client de confiance. Dans la perspective d’une nouvelle communication bancaire, le facteur expérientiel occupe un tout premier plan. Aussi, la valorisation du patrimoine artistique et culturel s’inscrit-t-elle pleinement dans le nouveau discours identitaire. En partant du constat que les institutions financières saisissent stratégiquement la culture comme mode d’expression, l’ouvrage propose une analyse des modalités discursives et des messages identitaires véhiculés par l’architecture, l’art et le design. Ces articulations esthétiques, illustrées par des études de cas de quatre banques européennes, contribuent formidablement à mettre en place une iconographie ploutocratique, transformant le capital de la culture en une nouvelle culture du capital.