1st Edition
Brand Beauty Unleashed The Value of Aesthetics in Marketing
This book presents an in-depth, careful study of our understanding of the concept of beauty in everyday objects and its impact on markets and brands. Moving beyond artistic notions of beauty, it demonstrates how beauty is an asset that can be leveraged in the marketplace.
Traditionally, beauty has been examined in relation to its influence on painting, sculpture, literature, music, and architecture. However, its value and power in the marketplace is understudied. Álvarez del Blanco provides a systematic analysis of beauty in commonplace objects and brands, drawing on cutting-edge research at the intersection of marketing and neurosciences. Through examining the neuroscientific evidence for how the brain processes beauty, the author articulates the implications this may have on marketing and brand management. He also offers a glimpse of how beauty may evolve, and its marketing implications for firm strategy in the coming decades.
Written by a recognized authority in marketing and brand strategy, Brand Beauty Unleashed gives students with an interest in marketing, consumer behavior, branding, and neuromarketing an exciting new perspective on this intangible asset.
Part 1: Beauty as Supreme Evolution 1. A Brief History of Beauty 2. Typologies of Beauty 3. Beauty and Sublime 4. The Beauty of Objects 5. Symmetries and Proportions of Intentional Beauty Part 2: Beauty and the Brain 6. Neuroaesthetics 7. The Value of Beauty 8. Defining Intentional Beauty 9. What a Beautiful Product, What a Wonderful Experience! Part 3: The Spell of Beauty 10. Physical Beauty 11. Inner Beauty 12. Hollywood: Spectacular Factory of Beauty 13. Beauty in Robotics and New Technologies 14. The Economy of Beauty 15. The Future of Beauty
Biography
Roberto M. Álvarez del Blanco is a Visiting Scholar at Stern School of Business, New York University, US. He has been Visiting Professor at the Haas School of Business, University of California at Berkley, US; Rockefeller University, US; and IE Business School in Madrid, Spain. He has published widely on neuromarketing, personal branding, brand leadership and marketing strategy.
"A fascinating tour of cutting-edge research unpacking the mystery of beauty – from brands to brains and beyond." — Michael Norton, Harvard University, US"Relationships and brands are affected by perceived beauty and an in-depth knowledge of the concept will affect the ability to manage both. This book provides a depth of insights about beauty that will surprise you on many levels." — Jennifer Aaker, Stanford University, US
"In this book, Professor Álvarez del Blanco provides us with a new and provocative examination of what beauty means. He goes beyond the typical artistic notion of beauty to demonstrate how beauty is an asset of products and brands and how that asset can be leveraged in the marketplace." — Russ Winer, William H. Joyce Professor of Marketing, Stern School of Business, New York University, US
"A brilliant book and a stunning achievement that will delight you. Roberto Álvarez del Blanco examines the intersections of neuroscience, marketing and beauty creating a tour de force that sets the stages for a twenty-first century of the new beauty. The readers will be amply rewarded. The author is a pioneer and has effectively bridged the two concepts, beauty and marketing to show how our creative brains perceive and engage beauty." — Marie-Claude Sicard, Luxury brand strategist, Paris, and novel writer
"In this book Roberto Álvarez del Blanco presents an in-depth careful study of the market impact of beauty in objects and brands – an under-studied and extremely important factor in markets." — Miguel Vilas Boas, University of California, Berkeley, US
"It is impossible to think why a person would not pay a premium price for something beautiful. This provocative and enlightening book provides a rigorous analysis of one of the most significant aspects of human behavior: how beauty affects market exchanges or performance. Banzai!" — Hiroshi Kumakura, Faculty of Commerce, Chuo University, Japan
"This is a very fun book. It covers beauty in a remarkable variety of aspects, from physical to spiritual to mechanical to intellectual to economic to many others." — Daniel Hamermesh, Professor of economics at Royal Holloway University of London, UK, and professor emeritus, University of Texas at Austin, US
"Beauty surrounds us all. It is a vibrant and multidimensional topic deeply discussed and presented by the Author, who gives us a thorough perspective on its influence and meanings in different aspects of our lives as individuals and consumers" — Luca Petruzzellis, Universidad di Bari Aldo Moro, Italy
"That beauty springs from a very deep well in the heart of mankind is clear from any treasury of inspired thoughts compiled over the millennia.… This book analyzes beauty from a novel and relevant perspective. It is a significant contribution, not to be missed to understand and enjoy beauty at its most." — Richard S. Muller, Professor, Dept. of EECS, BSAC Director, University of California, Berkeley, US
"Before reading the wonderful book by Professor Roberto Álvarez del Blanco, intuition indicates that beauty is an added value. After reading it, intuition derives into certitude. The book provides surprising learnings." — Jose Maria Piera, Advertiser, Executive Vice-President *S,C,P,F…, Barcelona, Spain
"Beauty is definitely an important attribute for brands, products, people as products, and consumption environments, to have. Yet, it is discussed very little in our discipline. Professor Álvarez del Blanco’s book is a very welcome contribution, especially considering the fact he draws from neuroscience to consider the impact of beauty on consumers. Beauty is well positioned to provide marketers with a competitive advantage in their global marketplace, and Professor Álvarez del Blanco has added exciting new perspectives to the discussion." — Catherine Demangeot, Associate Professor in Marketing, IESEG School of Management (LEM-CNRS), Paris, France
"A brilliantly reasoned and long overdue exposé of the intersections of brand strategy, neuroscience and beauty. This book is a stunning achievement, remarkable for its scientific and academic insights. Roberto Álvarez del Blanco has created a masterpiece and all its readers will be nicely delighted." — Yongbin Ma, Associate Professor of Marketing and Director of the Center for Behavioral Science Research at the Academy of Neuroeconomics and Neuromanagement (ANN) at Ningbo University, China
"Throughout my years as a diplomat I have seen the power of human connections which, similar to beauty, bring an intangible added value. If these are properly cultivated, human connections can directly and positively impact the life of others. Those who cultivate the beauty of peace, of ideas, of rhetoric, of creativity, of education, as well as those that find beauty within diversity and daily experiences, connect with a unique energy that makes the world a better place. This book, just like beauty, is a promise of happiness." — Laura E. Flores, Permanent Representative of Panama to the United Nations (2014–2017)
