文摘
After more than 250 years of history, Sotheby's has remained one of the top auction houses in the world. Founded in 1744, Sotheby's simultaneously reinforces their strong legacy while looking forward to the future in their brand messaging. First and foremost recognized as an auction house, Sotheby's has transitioned into a full service art business, expanding outside of auctions into divisions of real estate, education and galleries. To better understand their continued success and strong reputation, the luxury marketing, branding and technology strategies utilized by Sotheby's to attract bidders and consignors will be studied. The sale of Roy Lichtenstein's Sleeping Girl at Sotheby's New York Contemporary Art Evening Auction on May 9, 2012 will be analyzed as a case study. While it is difficult to determine cause and effect in marketing, this thesis sets forth to learn more about the strategies used by Sotheby's to sell a masterpiece.