AESTHETIC ANCHORS: THE ROLE OF VISUAL ART AND DESIGN SEMIOTICS IN SHAPING CONSUMER LOYALTY WITHIN PERSONAL CARE FMCG

Packaging is a very significant part of the consumer perception and loyalty in the competitive personal care FMCG segment. This concept paper suggests a comprehensive model of presentation of how visual semiotics, such as signs, symbols, and artifacts, are esthetic anchors that affect consumer loyalty. The proposed study is based on the semiotic theory Mick (1986), customer-based brand equity model of Keller (1993), and the stimulus organism response paradigm Brakus et al. (2009) to suggest that visual semiotics boost aesthetic perception, which forms brand personality, and eventually results in attitudinal and behavioral loyalty. Consumer involvement and expertise is also a moderating variable identified in the framework. The paper adds value by synthesizing the isolated body of knowledge and providing the realistic insights on how to use the packaging design as a brand differentiating and brand loyalty tool.