Alvar Aalto at the threshold of advertising

Authors

• Asko Mäkelä Vapaa tutkija

DOI: https://doi.org/10.37449/ennenjanyt.130316

Keywords:

Alvar Aalto, advertising, marketing, propaganda, architecture, architects, Gustaf Strengell, SAFA, The Finnish Association of Architects, architect offices, labour union, stewards, honour codes, new advertizing, press, Le Corbusier, photography, Evert Gummeson, Erving Goffman, advertising photography, advertising photographs, László Moholy-Nagy, imaginary play, Artek, architecture photography, architecture photographs

Abstract

This article shows that the ways of advertising methods by Alvar Aalto were not created from the void, instead they formed on ideas of new advertising and modern culture. It gives new observations of the remarks made by Göran Schildt and other researchers on the marketing and advertising methods by Alvar Aalto and place them in the framework on advertising and marketing research. 

Aalto was aware of the new advertising in America and the publicity methods by Le Corbusier already in the 1920’s. An important source of information on advertising was his friendship with Gustaf Strengell and his book on modern advertising Nykyajan ilmoitusreklaami from the year 1924. This research depicts how Aalto could act in a profession which was hostile to advertising, using the press, architecture photography and the Artek to promote his trademark.

 

In spite of the negative attitudes against advertising in the architect’s corporation could Aalto act in the net of moral codes by emphasizing the role of architect as a steward. Even though Aalto had advertised his office shamelessly, he was not accused of that. His international fame and the position in the Architects Association left his status untouched. Even his position as a shareholder in Artek did not shake that. On the contrary, it strengthened the trade mark of Alvar Aalto. Along the trademark Alvar Aalto made himself the steward of the architects, and his reputation guaranteed the quality of the Finnish architecture as art when marketing it abroad.

When putting advertising and marketing into practice Aalto used the inconstant meaning of propaganda in between of advertising and marketing.  When making propaganda of his architecture he could strengthen his personal qualities by utilising the current research information on marketing from the book by Strengell. Although the foundation of Alvar Aalto’s methods in marketing were in the new advertising of the 1920’s, are they still valid from the point of view of contemporary advertising and marketing.