ART-HISTORICAL APPROACHES IN CONTEMPORARY MEDIA AND MARKETING: A COMPARATIVE CASE STUDY

The paper examines the relevance of art-historical analytical procedures for interpreting contemporary visual communication in media and marketing. Building on theoretical foundations from visual studies, the research introduces the Art-Historical Analytical Model (AHAM)—a methodological framework developed specifically for this study. AHAM systematises four interpretative levels traditionally used in art-historical analysis: formal, iconographic, iconological, and contextual interpretation. The model is applied and empirically tested through a comparative case study to determine its analytical potential for understanding contemporary visual identities systems.The case sample includes six visual systems: three global branding strategies (Gucci under Alessandro Michele, Louis Vuitton’s artist collaborations, and Absolut Vodka’s art-based branding) and three regional cultural actors (Museum of Contemporary Art Belgrade, Gallery of Matica Srpska, and the EXIT Festival). The results demonstrate that AHAM enables precise identification of stylistic structures, symbolic codes, and cultural references across both global and local contexts. The iconological and contextual layers, informed by visual studies, reveal how images function as cultural agents embedded in networks of visibility, circulation, and power.The study concludes that AHAM offers a coherent and adaptable analytical framework that enhances interpretative depth and cultural understanding in contemporary media and marketing. As a newly introduced model, AHAM shows promising potential for further theoretical refinement and wider application within visual studies, branding research, and cultural analysis.