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Intrinsic
• Self-oriented, active
∙∙Play (having fun through active engagement)
• Self-oriented, reactive
∙∙Aesthetics (appreciation of a consumption experience as an end in itself)
• Other-oriented, active
∙∙Ethics (doing something that is virtuous or moral, for someone else’s sake)
• Other-oriented, reactive
∙∙Spirituality (adoration of some ‘other’, possibly a divine power or cosmic force,
for its own sake)
For Holbrook, ‘extrinsic value pertains to a means-end relationship wherein consumption
is prized for its functional, utilitarian or banausic instrumentality in
serving as a means to accomplishing some further purpose,’ whereas ‘intrinsic
value occurs when some consumption experience is appreciated as an end in itself
– for its own sake – as self-justifying, ludic, or autotelic’ (1999, 10). The distinction
between self-oriented and other-oriented value hinges on whether consumers
value the experience for the effects it has on them personally or whether it is
valued for the response that their consumption provokes in others. Finally,
Holbrook considers value ‘active’ when it ‘involves things done by a consumer to
or with a product’ (11, emphasis in original). Conversely, value is ‘reactive’ when
it ‘results from apprehending, appreciating, admiring, or otherwise responding to
some object’ (11).
In keeping with the general tenet in the marketing literature that cultural experiences
are not fundamentally different from other types of consumption, Holbrook
cites fashion as an ‘example of a product associated with aesthetics along with
other aspects of consumer value’ (1999, 20). He points out that ‘fashion is often
prized for its pleasing appearance (beauty), ‘as well as for … the ability of clothes
to keep us warm (efficiency), the role of self-decoration in conveying the impression
of prestige (status), or the rules of decorum that involve covering oneself up
for ethical reasons (virtue)’ (20).
While Holbrook’s framework is able to accommodate many of the individual
impacts of arts and cultural programmes that have been identified elsewhere
in this literature review, there is no obvious place for value that individual
consumers derive from the experience of consuming goods together with others
(ie, experiences of social bridging and bonding through collective consumption).
Further, Holbrook does not distinguish between intellectual and emotional components
of the consumption experience, whereas this is a feature of most other
frameworks, in the marketing field and elsewhere. Presumably, some balance
VALUING ARTS AND CULTURE FROM THE MARKETING PERSPECTIVE 99
UNDERSTANDING the value and impacts of cultural experiences