LEEDS BECKETT UNIVERSITY

LEEDS BUSINESS SCHOOL

Can the adoption of experiential marketing practices lead to an increase in engagement amongst young consumers within the art museum industry in the UK?

By

Joshua Luke Sutcliffe

Project Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of

BA (Hons) Marketing May 2015

Joshua Luke Sutcliffe

BA (Hons) Marketing

Can the adoption of experiential marketing practices lead to an increase in engagement amongst young consumers within the art museum industry in the UK?

May 2015

Word Count: 4999

i

LEEDS BECKETT UNIVERSITY

FACULTY OF BUSINESS AND LAW

Name of course: BA (Hons) Marketing

STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY AND AUTHENTICITY

This project is my own work and has not been undertaken in whole or in part by a third party and has not been submitted in whole or in part at an earlier point in time, for another purpose and/or to another institution. All information sources in this project have been acknowledged and accurately referenced.

I have read the Examination Regulations and I am aware of the potential consequences of any breach of these regulations.

Signature: Joshua Luke Sutcliffe

Name in block capitals: JOSHUA SUTCLIFFE

Date: 13/05/2015

ii

Abstract

“This reports aim was to identify whether experiential marketing practices can increase engagement levels amongst young consumers with art museums in the United Kingdom. Currently attracting younger demographics to engage with these museums appears to be an issue. This report adopted a secondary data analysis approach, using both academic and practitioner sources in order to put forward appropriate recommendations towards satisfactory solutions. The research carried out identified a positive relationship between museums adopting experiential marketing and young consumers engagement. Three key experiential marketing techniques were considered and analysed, these were social media, interactive multimedia and augmented reality. Social media and augmented reality proved to be the most effective in terms of increasing young consumers engagement with art museums. The report goes on to identify barriers for some museums who could not use experiential marketing approaches because they did not have the resources to implement some of the proposed strategies to engage younger audiences. Whilst some art museums have adopted these approaches, there are still opportunities, in terms of experiential marketing, to increase engagement levels. This report suggests creating a more tailored experience for young visitors and in particular using bespoke augmented reality experiences for different types of young consumers. The other key recommendation suggests that museums should create online communities in order to increase two way communications which should ultimately increase young consumers engagement in the arts”.

iii

Acknowledgements

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who have helped me complete

my final project at university. First of all I would like to thank Mr. Jon James for all his

support and guidance throughout the course of the semester. I would also like to thank

my wife Betony and my grandparents for all of their support throughout my three years

at university.

iv

Table Of Contents

1.0 RESEARCH QUESTION AND OBJECTIVES................................................................................1

2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW....................................................................................................................2

2.1 SOCIAL MEDIA AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY.........................................................................3

2.2 INTERACTIVE MULTIMEDIA.........................................................................................................5

2.3 AUGMENTED REALITY..................................................................................................................7

2.4 LITERATURE REVIEW CONCLUSION.........................................................................................8

3.0 METHODOLOGY.............................................................................................................................. 9

3.1 RESEARCH CONSIDERATIONS.....................................................................................................9

4.0 ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION....................................................................................................10

4.1 THE BRITISH MUSEUM..............................................................................................................10

4.2 ISSUES WITH THE ADOPTION OF EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING IN SMALL ART

MUSEUMS............................................................................................................................................... 11

4.3 TATE ART MUSEUMS.................................................................................................................12

4.4 SYNOPSIS........................................................................................................................................12

5.0 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS..............................................................................13

6.0 BIBLIOGRAPHY............................................................................................................................. 15

7.0 APPENDIX 1 RECOMMENDATIONS OUTLINE.......................................................................18

v

vi

1.0 Research Question and Objectives

This report will discuss the use of experiential marketing as a tool to increase

engagement amongst young consumers and to improve their perceptions towards art

museums and galleries. Currently the United Kingdom is facing low engagement levels

concerning young consumers, in particular those aged 16-24. A key trend many

academics are discussing is the use of experiential marketing to attract and engage new,

younger audiences to museums (Kirezli, 2011). Experiential marketing can be defined

as;

“The process of identifying and satisfying customer needs and aspirations profitably, engaging them through two way communications through bringing brand personalities to life and adding value to the target audience.”

(Smilansky, 2009, p.5)

Schmidt (2000) also notes that experiential marketing recommends that consumers

desire to be “entertained, educated, challenged and stimulated” by the products and

services that they purchase or consume. Schmidt also highlights that the primary aim of

experiential marketing is to develop effective ways of creating and implementing

experiences.

Direshan and Yalcun (2011), stress that the art museum industry is under threat from

other entertainment alternatives such as the theatre, cinema and amusement parks. To

address this issue museums have adopted a marketing shift from a “traditional curator

dictation” towards a more “visitor orientated” experience based marketing approach

(Direshan & Yalcin, 2011). However, visitor orientated experiences in art museums are

not widely adopted. Feldstein (2009) argues that one key issue is the general consensus

that curatorial staff do not conduct sufficient market research towards establishing

customer requirements. Instead, it would suggest that there is a reliance on their

knowledge of art to select and design exhibits that they feel visitors should see, thus

potentially isolating key target audiences (Feldstein, 2009). Mason and McCarthy

(2006), highlight that a key demographic underrepresented in the Art Museum industry

is young consumers, as their identities, lifestyles and tastes are not represented in these

types of museums. Mason and McCarthy go on to argue that art museums architecture,

1

design and atmosphere further exclude the demographic from engaging with museums

and that there are actually clear opportunities through the adjustment of their interior

designs, types of exhibitions and atmosphere that will attract younger people.

During 2013 the Arts Council undertook a research study in order to assess the industry.

The research comprised 562 exit surveys across 45 various art museums and galleries

across the United Kingdom. Results concluded that there were a low number of

younger visitors to these museums; they found that only 2% of the respondents were

aged 15-17 and only 11% of the visitors were aged 18-24. This is in contrast to 16% of

visitors who were aged 25-34, 18% aged 35-44 and 17% aged 45-54.

To counteract this, the use of experiential marketing strategies could be used, however

there are various issues in terms of art museums being able to use these to engage

younger audiences. Consequently, two key objectives for this research have been

identified in order to fully comprehend the potential impact experiential marketing can

have in engaging young visitors towards art museums and galleries:

To develop a critical discussion and analysis of experiential marketing and its

use in attracting young consumers towards art museums in order to formulate

appropriate recommendations for the art museum industry.

To synthesise current academic literature and experiential marketing techniques

currently being implemented by art museums in order to determine their

effectiveness in attracting younger audiences.

2.0 Literature Review

This literature review focuses on three key experiential marketing tools that art

museums could potentially implement to increase engagement levels amongst young

consumers. These are: social media, interactive spatial multimedia and augmented

reality. Social media as a marketing tool has brought new opportunities in engaging new

audiences. If adopted from an experiential perspective that is, directly engaging with

museum audiences in order to create a ‘customer experience’, this approach can be

effective in engaging low involvement visitors (Palmer & Lewis-Koeing, 2009 & Hajli,

2014).

2

This report will critically discuss the use of social media as an experiential marketing

tool and its role in engaging younger visitors with art museums. Additionally a

discussion concerning combining sensory elements in museums (sight, sound, touch and

smell) and their usage in creating positive experiences for young audiences will be

evaluated. Wendy (2012) suggests that multi-sensory experiences cater to a wider

audience, emphasising that a significant proportion of the population are not visual

learners. Roppola (2013) further discusses the use of creating cultural displays focusing

on the notion that they should be experienced rather than just seen. Roppola also

identifies the use of technology, as an aid for creating sensory experiences in museums.

Both interactive spatial multimedia and augmented reality and their use will be critically

evaluated, together with their effectiveness in engaging younger audiences with art

museums.

2.1 Social Media and digital technology

Social media and digital technologies is an area where experiential marketing is used in

the art museum industry to engage consumers. Social networks have facilitated the

growth of engagement marketing, an element of experiential marketing (Rafiee &

Sarabdeen 2013). Charitonos, et al. (2011) undertook research in order to understand

how online interactions with young consumers on social media could potentially

enhance their experience with museums. A key objective of the research was to analyse

how young people interact on Twitter whilst visiting a museum and to assess their

levels of engagement with the museums online content. The report consisted of

undertaking an observation of 29 13-14 year olds during a school trip to the London

Museum. The results concluded that almost all of the students, who posted on Twitter

during their visit, were engaged with the museum and the overall experience, through

sharing pictures and commenting on various artifacts. This encouraged full engagement

with the museum. The research identified that social media engagement on micro

blogging platforms improved students impressions and enthusiasm towards museums

with all participants agreeing the visit was a positive experience.

There are, however, mixed viewpoints when considering social medias effectiveness

inside a museum setting. Korbek and Gronbaek (2008) argue that digital technology

such as PDA and mobile interactions, isolate visitors and are not effective methods of

developing an experiential based visitor attraction. Some academics further question the

3

value of adopting social media marketing strategy to help engage young consumers for

learning purposes. Grant and Donohoe (2015) conducted research to identify the

mobile communication usage patterns of teenage consumers. The study identified their

mobile usage and its gratifications compared to other forms of media such as the

Internet. The research comprised 175 participants aged 13-17 years old from Scotland.

The research concluded that experiential learning was not high on their agenda and that

usage of mobile communications was primarily for convenient entertainment such as

videos and games and socialization, rather than as a learning tool (Grant & Donohoe,

2015). In terms of experiential marketing it would appear that social stimulation is the

key to engagement, although the respondents in this instance were not concerned with

learning, this study highlights the fact that art museums are not seen as places for either

education or enjoyment.

Chung et al, (2013) examined 12 museums in the United States in order to identify what

social media strategies were needed to develop an augmented and engaging experience

for visitors. The research consisted of in depth interviews with the head of marketing

communications for each museum. Results concluded that the use of media such as

videos and blogs were essential elements to increase consumer engagement. The

research, however, may be considered, highly biased due to the methodology adopted,

namely interviewing the museum staff, all of whom believed they had adopted an

experiential approach on their social networking facilities (Chung et al, Op. Cit.). The

research sample was also small and it is often difficult to gain a conclusive insight from

such a limited sample. A more conclusive study undertaken by Melendez & Aguilla

(2013), categorised the online strategies of 40 of the largest museums in the world

including, the Tate Modern and the National Art Gallery. The study adopted both a

qualitative and quantitative research approach consisting of expert interviews, website

content analysis and an analysis of the public data available, such as the Alexa webpage

ranking. The research concluded that only 27% of the museums had a dedicated blog,

10% had discussion forums and only 55% of museums had adopted the use of Twitter to

engage their visitors.

The data concluded that web usage is well developed amongst the majority of the

museums. However, this is only the case for traditional purposes such as PDF guides,

rather than as an experiential marketing tool to increase social interaction and

engagement with the museums audience (Melendez & Aguilla, 2013; Kidd, 2011).

4

It could be argued that it is not enough for museums to simply adopt the usage of a blog,

Facebook or a YouTube channel, as this does not necessarily constitute an experiential

approach. It is essential, however, for museums to implement social media marketing

strategy that allows users to co-produce online content in order to heighten their sense

of involvement with museums (Kidd, 2011).

2.2 Interactive multimedia

Gofman et al, (2011) conducted research to understand what drives the interest of young

people when visiting art museums and exhibitions. The study comprised 224 young

participants aged 18-35 from around the globe. The study administered online survey

collection channels, asked respondent various questions around what experience they

expect from a museum and what features museums could adopt to make them more

interested for visitors. The results suggested that three key consumer segments could be

identified. The first segment was identified as habitual patrons and comprised 40% of

the respondents, this segment were uninterested in exhibitions and museums

augmenting the overall experience. Interestingly segment two was identified as, “fun

and social opportunities” and accounted for 31% of the participants. This segment was

generally uninterested in museums and exhibitions but was very interested in special

events and augmented entertaining experiences. Finally, the third segment identified as

“interactive” accounted for 29% of the respondents. These participants were highly

interested in the interactive experience museums could offer and the experiential

elements of them. A criticism of this research however, is that the respondents in the

study, 16-25 year olds, have different purchasing and consumption habits than those of

individuals who are ages 26-30 (Carlson, 1997). Highlighting a possible issue within the

validity of the research.

Geister et al, (2011) identify that in terms of marketing, many museums will need to

undertake new and innovative marketing methods to heighten engagement levels

amongst younger consumers. A clear trend across much of the research appears to

emphasise the fact that younger visitors want more interactivity within museums.

Rossou (2001) argues however that the creation of interactive learning environments, in

certain instances, fail to take into consideration the physical context of the public space

in which the museum resides. Those interactive multimedia elements can potentially act

as a distraction to the exhibits on display rather than as an educational aid. Rossou (Op.

5

Cit.) further discusses the need for educators and technologists to develop interactive

multimedia elements that are appropriately designed to keep an educational focus inside

museums.

Korbek & Gronbaek (2008) believe, however, that art museums should implement

interactive multimedia. A study carried out at the Aros art museum in Denmark,

considered how effective spatial multimedia was in an art museum setting. The study

analysed three key elements of interactive multimedia inside the museum; spatially

bounded audio, floor-based multimedia and a multimedia interior (Korbek & Gronbaek,

Op. Cit.). The research comprised 91 questionnaires of visitor experience during their

time at the museum. 36% of the respondents were under the age of 30 with 26% under

the age of 20. Across these age groups the respondents felt that the experience was

highly positive. They felt that if more museums implemented multimedia installations

that engaged visitors to the same level of immersion, it would encourage them to visit

art museums more often. The respondents in the study clearly stated that the adoption of

interactive multimedia in art museums would encourage them to visit. This study

indicates that an increase in engagement through interactive experiences amongst

visitors and in particular younger consumers would be the result of more interactive

environments in art museums (Op. Cit.).

There are, however, further arguments against interactive multimedia and their place in

educational facilities such as art museums. Scott et al (2013) conducted an ethnographic

study in order to explore how interactive art exhibitions can provoke shyness amongst

visitors. The study consisted of a multi method case study that consisted of 150 visitor

questionnaires, 10 in depth interviews with art curators and an observational study from

two interactive art museums in the UK, the Victoria and Albert museum and the small

art museum Fabrica. The findings in the research identified that shyness was a common

response from visitors at the museums, although the majority of visitors did actively

engage with the interactive exhibits in the museum, many visitors were unsure how to

use them properly. These visitors felt apprehensive in engaging with the exhibits and

were afraid that they were not using the exhibits in the correct manner. In particular,

less involved visitors such as young consumers.

6

2.3 Augmented Reality

This report has highlighted the use of digital technologies and elements of interactive

media in order to create an experiential experience for visitors to museums and their

ability to engage a younger audience. A link can be made therefore between the two key

elements of digital technology and interactive media. Potentially indicating that the use

of augmented reality technology could be key in engaging new audiences (Liao &

Humphreys, 2014). Damala, et al (2008) argue that augmented reality has the potential

to provide museum visitors with an alternative form of interaction inside the museum.

This is based around the possibility of the entire museum being transformed into an

interactive surface with the use of mobile devices. A further study was conducted by

Damala et al, (Op. Cit.), to understand the use of augmented reality as an experiential

marketing tool to engage young people with museums. The sample in the research

consisted of 12 individuals aged 18-30. During the visit each respondent was closely

observed, videoed and completed an in depth semi structured interview. The results

identified that all of the respondents enjoyed the experience and felt that augmented

reality facilitated in transitioning between the physical space of the museum and the

interactive digital space of their mobile phones, opposed to the more traditional

experiential museum elements such as an audio tour. Some respondents however,

identified the need for varying levels of complexity around the augmented reality tours.

They felt that they were somewhat simple and would have preferred a more detailed and

advanced tour.

It must be argued, however, that there are many issues with museums adopting

augmented reality as an experiential marketing tool. Arth and Schmalstieg (2011)

identify that mobile augmented reality requires mobile handsets to have high quality

cameras due to the generally low lighting conditions in museums. Another problem

concerning mobile augmented reality is, energy consumption on visitor’s mobile

handsets and, given that museums are tourist attractions, it can be assumed that visitors

will want to preserve their mobile phone battery levels (Arth & Schmalsteig, Op. Cit.).

Additional issues found around mobile augmented reality is that museums may have to

contend with unreliable services when they adopt augmented reality services based

7

around the use of customer mobile phones. Visitors may require free Wi-Fi access and

battery charging facilities to use these features inside the museums.

To investigate further the issues around the use of augmented reality a research study

was carried out in order to ascertain how effective augmented reality is as a tool to

engage young visitors (Di Serio et al, 2013). The study consisted of 69 students from a

middle school in Madrid aged between the ages of 13-16. The study used augmented

reality on mobile devices to analyse various pieces of artwork. Whilst the study

concluded that the majority of the students motivation towards the activity increased,

there were still some issues with this system. It was found that only 20% of the

respondents were able to use the technology without assistance from staff (Di Serio et

al, 2013). This indicates that if AR were to be adopted, museums would need enough

staff to assist visitors on its use.

2.4 Literature Review Conclusion

With consideration towards academic perspectives of experiential marketing it can be

identified that there is significant evidence to suggest that various techniques previously

discussed may have impact increasing engagement levels amongst young consumers.

On reflection social media can be considered well developed amongst the art museums.

Research in the field however, identified that social media is considered for

communication purposes only rather than an engagement tool. Additionally it was

highlighted that there are potential issues using social media, as young consumers seem

disengaged with this experiential technique as a learning tool.

In terms of interactive media some academics note that the potential isolation of

visitor’s experience may be of concern. Nonetheless, when consulting academic studies

on the use of interactive multimedia it was found that engagement levels of young

consumers increased. Additionally, the majority of participants agreed that the use of

interactive multimedia created fun and positive experiences within the museum.

However, some academics discredited the tool as it is thought to provoke shyness

amongst some users, particularly lower involved consumers such as younger audiences.

Finally, the use of augmented reality has been proven to be effective in attracting

younger audiences to engage with museums. However there are, issues relating to the

necessary infrastructure museums would need to adopt such as offering WIFI services

8

and additional staff to ensure consumers have support using the technology, as it was

identified that younger visitors may have issues with the technology.

3.0 Methodology

This report focused on analysing secondary data to develop a critical discussion towards

the use of experiential marketing. Secondary data refers to data that has been collected

at an earlier point in time for another purpose such as other types of academic or

practitioner research in a similar field (Gillespie & Hennesey, 2011). The report used a

selection of secondary data sources such as academic journals and academic conference

papers from current experiential marketing debates. It will also consider practitioner

data from current art museums. Practitioners experience in the field will be discussed,

along with the analysis of research hypothesis to formulate appropriate

recommendations.

3.1 Research Considerations

A consideration within the research method was the validity of sources used. Whitley &

Kile (2013) identify the need to assess the validity of research used; Ecological validity

is one method that can be used. Ecological validity determines the applicability of a

theoretical principle to a specific situation. Journals used portrayed similar research

objectives and all sources discussed the use of experiential marketing. Particular

emphasis was placed on analysing studies concerning experiential marketing techniques

used to engage young audiences. The non-academic sources are also highly valid as all

the information derives from reports commissioned by art museums or directly from the

museums themselves.

Perry (2009) identifies the need for secondary data to be credible with two key

determinants of credibility emerging; expertness and trustworthiness. The academic

sources used in the research originated from credible and respected journals such as the

journal of heritage tourism and museum management and curatorship. Academic

conference papers from large annual conferences were also used. Non-academic sources

were acquired directly from the art museums and reports commissioned by the art

museums, therefore it can be identified that the sources used contain expert opinion that

is considered trustworthy. In some instances, however, it was necessary to use academic

articles from other countries such as the United States and European countries due to

9

the topic having small amounts of academic articles highlighting a slight issue within

the credibility of the research.

4.0 Analysis and Discussion

The research thus far has argued that key experiential marketing techniques can be used

in engaging younger audiences, with three key themes emerging; social media,

interactive multimedia and augmented reality. Whilst many other experiential marketing

techniques exist, these three were key in engaging younger audiences. This report will

now analyse two key museums in the United Kingdom; The British Museum and the

Tate Museums together discussing the highlighted academic debate. The discussion will

also focus, in the relevant section, issues with smaller art museums/galleries adopting an

experiential marketing approach to engaging young visitors.

4.1 The British Museum

The British museum had adopted these three concepts in order to engage younger

audiences. It should be identified whilst the museum is not solely an art museum; the

British museum has a large collection of artwork on display, highlighting the museum’s

relevance. A report was commissioned by the British Museum (Pett, 2012) in order to

identify the potential uses of social media and its usage in museums. Pett (Op. Cit.)

identifies that digital media can provide museums with new ways of interacting and

engaging with younger audiences. The British Museum aimed to offer users a wide

variety of digital content, communicating ideas, engaging and facilitating discussion on

their social media channels. This follows the academic debate identified around social

media usage in museums. Kidd (2011) argued that museums needed to create digital

content that engaged their audiences and allowed for co-creation of value, through

facilitating two way communications in order to create an experiential based social

media approach.

The British Museum’s social media strategy consists of initiating debates with visitors

around issues within the museum. The museum has also implemented a blog and other

digital content such as videos to engage and create a digital experience for visitors (Pett,

2012). The museum supports the academic view concerning blogs and the use of media

content to increase engagement amongst consumers, in particular younger consumers

(Melendez & Aguilla, 2012). The British Museum’s social media content is however,

10

highly educational and caters to the advanced or more knowledgeable individual, which

may exclude younger consumers. Despite this the British museum is highly successful

in engaging young consumers at the museum.

In 2010 the museum embarked on an eighteen-month plan to implement the use of

interactive media and augmented reality in the museum. A method to attract and engage

visitors aged 3-18 (Mannion, 2010). The museum has subsequently implemented a wide

array of augmented reality techniques such as the use of QR codes that users scan with

their mobile devices to adding new dimension to exhibits. Whilst augmented reality

engaged younger audiences, older audiences also were engaged and enjoyed their

experience at the museum (Mannion, 2010).

This may question Rossous (2001) theory that interactive exhibits act as a distraction to

the audience, rather than as an engagement tool. If wider audiences are enjoying the

experience, then it could be argued that, their engagement levels will also be

heightened. Lenton (2013) notes how the British Museum have additionally adopted

interactive spatial multimedia approach with the usage of touch tables and 3D printing,

allowing young visitors to experience the museum through kinesthetic learning. Lenton

(2013) further ascertains that since the adoption of the Samsung digital discovery centre

more than 40,000 visitors aged between 3 and 18 have used tablets and mobile phones

to interact and engage with the museums exhibits.

4.2 Issues with the adoption of experiential marketing in small art museums

Adhikari (2015) discusses that the use of social media within art and culture

organisations is commonly limited to the organisations targeting the same demographic

range, rather than using social media as a tool to engage new audiences. Adhikari

(2015) further argues that an effective experiential approach to social media can be

highly expensive and resource heavy. This may be the reason why only larger museums

are actively adopting social media as an experiential marketing approach rather than a

communicative approach. One example of this is the Leeds Art Gallery, a small art

gallery, funded by the local council. The gallery does not offer any augmented

experiences inside the museum and has very few social media pages, which are seldom

updated (Leeds City Council, 2015).

11

Another issue for smaller art museums in the UK identified in a report commissioned by

Engage, is technological fatigue which occurs when visitors are so familiar with the

technologies on offer. Interactive elements become uninteresting and commonplace

(Tsoroni, 2009). This highlights the need for art museums to constantly develop the

interactive media on offer to keep visitors interested. Highlighting how such tools may

require large amounts of resources.

4.3 Tate Art Museums

The art museum organisation Tate propose the use of a mobile application that

combines the theory of using augmented reality and social media to create an

experiential marketing approach. The application called Pocket Art gallery allows users

to virtually curate their own artwork and place their artwork digitally in the Tate

museum using AR. The applications allow users to share their creations online with the

social media channels Facebook and Twitter (Tate, 2015). A scheme was also

implemented by the organisation to create experiences for young visitors; the scheme is

called Tate Collective. This scheme caters for 18-25 year olds offering young artists a

virtual art space where members can discuss and share their work; in essence it is an

online social community. Whilst the scheme is popular amongst members, there are

only 2811 members in the UK. However given that the Tate museums annual visitor

figures reach 7 million per annum, this is a small number of members. This may be

attributed to catering solely to young artists rather than young people from a variety of

different backgrounds (Tate, 2015).

4.4 Synopsis

The British Museum has identified how adopting an experiential approach within their

museum has facilitated in increasing engagement levels amongst young consumers. The

museum draw emphasis on using social media for two-way communication purposes to

engage visitors. The museum has also implemented experiential social media tools such

as blogs to keep their visitors further engaged with the museum. The museum also use

experiential marketing tools to engage young consumers as the museums has set out

plans to attract young audiences through the incorporation of augmented reality and

interactive multimedia to attract young consumers. The use of 3D printing and

interactive touch tables were implemented alongside the use of QR augmented reality

technology. These tools have proven highly popular amongst younger audiences.

12

Such technologies were identified however to require high amounts of resources

additionally, these types of technology require constant innovation that smaller

museums can seldom afford. Tate, however, highlight a more inexpensive experiential

technique within the use of the Tate Collective scheme, whereby the museum has an

online community of young artists sharing artwork and engaging in online discussions.

5.0 Conclusion and Recommendations

This report highlights that there is substantial evidence to suggest that experiential

marketing techniques can have a positive impact on increasing engagement amongst

young consumers. The use of social media, if adopted from an experiential perspective

has been proven to be engage young audiences. Tate has adopted this technique noting

the scheme Tate collective. Members of this scheme have used the digital platform to

engage with the museum. The academic debate identified that some young consumers

are disinterested in using social media for learning purposes, posing a threat within its

usage. The Tate Collective may issustrate this argument; their social media scheme is

effective however there is a small amount of enlisted members. Additionally, the

scheme solely caters towards young artists rather than young consumers from all

backgrounds. There are clear opportunities when considering social media; the

academic debate from key authors such as Kidd (2011) discussed the need for museums

to develop engaging digital content such as blogs and videos. The British Museum have

adopted this approach within their online social media strategy wielding positive results

in engaging younger audiences further highlighting the potential of social media.

However many organisations do not follow the academic debate concerning interactive

multimedia and the development of sensory elements in order to develop experiences

within art museums. This may be attributed to technological fatigue highlighted by

Tsoroni (2009). If experiences are not continuously innovative then consumers will

become disinterested. This poses an issue however to small art museums in regards to

having the infrastructure and resources to cater to these consumer demands. Consumers

were proven to engage with such experiential marketing techniques if a museum has the

necessary infrastructure and resources. The British museums have elements of

interactive media with reports that young consumers engage with these exhibits. The

research did however highlight that some academics such as Scott et al (2012) believe

that interactive multimedia provokes shyness amongst younger audiences.

13

A key area within the research highlighting a positive relationship between young

consumers and experiential marketing is Augmented Reality. The academic debate has

found that many young consumers enjoyed such experiences. Two critiques however

are noted as the need for staff to assist visitors in its use and some young audiences felt

the need for tailored augmented reality experiences that caters towards different age

groups. Augmented reality applications have proven to be successful amongst young

visitors with the Pocket Art Gallery app being endorsed by art museums such as TATE.

Based on this research two key recommendations have been outlined to assist art

museums in engaging young consumers through the use of experiential marketing. The

first recommendation, specifically catering towards larger art museums, is for the

museums to create a tailored augmented reality experience for visitors. Much of the

research has identified that young consumers enjoyed augmented reality experiences

however there is also a clear need to create different experiences for consumers with

different levels of understanding, see appendix 1 (pg 18) for more detailed information.

The second recommendation, catering to art museums of all sizes, is to create online

communities for young audiences such as the Tate Collective scheme whilst catering to

young consumers from a variety of backgrounds. This recommendation would be an

inexpensive option for many art museums that they can use to engage new audiences to

their museums, see appendix 1 (pg 18) for more information.

14

6.0 Bibliography

1. Adhikari, A. (2015). Social media - more than just good communication. [Online] Available from: <http://www.collectionstrust.org.uk/digital/social-media-more-than-just-good-communication> [Last accessed 30th March 2015].

2. Arth, C. & Schmalstieg, D. (2011). Challenges of Large-Scale Augmented Reality on Smartphones. ISMAR 2011 Workshop: Enabling Larg-Scale Outdoor Mixed Reality and Augmented Reality.

3. Arts Council. (2012). Renaissance Hub Museum Exit Survey. [Online] Available from: <http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/media/uploads/pdf/Renaissance_exit_survey_report_2011-12.pdf> [Last accessed 14th March 2014].

4. Carlson, W.L. (1997). Applied Statistical Methods. London: Prentice Hall. 5. Charitonos, K., Canan, B., Scanlon, E. & Jones, A. (2012). Museum learning via

social and mobile technologies: (How) can online interactions enhance the visitor experience? British Journal of Educational Technology. 43 (5), 802-819.

6. Chung, T., Marckett, S. & Fiore, A.M. (2014). Use of social networking services for marketing art museums. Museum Management and Curatorship. 29 (2), 188-205.

7. Conway, T. & Leighton, D. (2012). Staging the past, enacting the present” Experiential marketing in the performing arts and heritage sectors. Arts Marketing: An international Journal. 2 (1), 35-51.

8. Coulton, P., Smith, R., Murphy, E., Pucihar, K. & Lochrie, M. (2014). Designing Mobile Augmented Reality Art Applications: Addressing the Views of the Galleries and the Artists.

9. Damala, A., Cubaud, P., Bationo, A., Houlier, P. & Marchal, I. (2008). Bridging the gap between the digital and the physical: design and evaluation of a mobile augmented reality guide for the museum visit. DIMEA '08 Proceedings of the 3rd international conference on Digital Interactive Media in Entertainment and Arts. 120-127.

10. Department for Media, Culture & Sport (2014). Taking Part 2014/15 Quarter 2 Statistical Release December 2014. [Online] Available from: <https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/387592/Taking_Part_2014_15_Quarter_2_Report.pdf> [Last accessed 14th March 2014].

11. Di Serio, A., Ibáñez, M. & Kloos, C. (2013). Impact of an augmented reality system on students’ motivation for a visual art course. Computers & Education. 68 (1), 586-596.

12. Direshan, T. & Yalcin, A. (2011). Comparison between Holistic Museum Visitors and Utilitarian Museum Visitors. International Journal of Marketing Studies. 3 (4), 79.

13. Feldstein, M. (2009). The Economics Of Art Museums. Chicago: The University Of Chicago Press Ltd. 330

14. French, Y. & Reynard, S. (2012). Marketing and Public Relations for Museums, galleries, cultural and heritage attractions. Journal Of Heritage Tourism.

15. Geissler, G., Rucks, C. & Edison, S. (2006). Understanding the role of service convenience in art museum marketing: An exploratory study. Journal of Hospitality & Leisure Marketing, 14(4), 69–87.

16. Gillespie, K. & Hennesey, D. (2011). Global Marketing. 3rd ed. Mason: Cengage Learning. 196.

15

17. Gofman, A., Howard, A. & Mets, T. (2011). Marketing Museums and Exhibitions: What Drives The Interest of Young People. Journal of Hospitality Marketing And Management. 20 (6), 601-618.

18. Grant, I. & O'Donohoe, S. (2007). Why young consumers are not open to mobile marketing communication. International Journal of Advertising: The Review of Marketing Communications. 26 (2), 223-246.

19. Greenhill, E. (2000). Changing values in the art museum. International Journal Of Heritage Studies. 6 (7), 9-31.

20. Hajli, N. (2014). International Journal of Market Research Vol. 56 Issue 3. A study of the impact of social media on consumers. International Journal Of Market Research. 56 (3), 387-404.

21. Humphreys, L. & Liao, T. (2014). Layar-ed places: Using mobile augmented reality to tactically reengage, reproduce, and reappropriate public space. New Media And Society. 19 (1), 1-18.

22. Kang, M. & Gretzel, U. (2012). Perceptions of museum podcast tours: Effects of consumer innovativeness, Internet familiarity and podcasting affinity on performance expectancies. Journal Of Tourism Management Perspectives. 4 (1), 155-163.

23. Kidd, J. (2011). Enacting engagement online: framing social media usage for the museum. Information Technology & People. 24 (1), 64-77.

24. Kirezli, O. (2011). Museum Marketing: Shift from traditional to experiential marketing. International Journal Of Management Cases. 12 (1), 173-184.

25. Kortbek, K. & Gronbaek, K. (2008). Interactive Spatial Multimedia for Communication of Art in the Physical Museum Space. MM '08 Proceedings of the 16th ACM international conference on Multimedia. 609-618.

26. Leeds City Council. (2015). Explore Leeds Art Gallery. [Online] Available from: <http://www.leeds.gov.uk/museumsandgalleries/Pages/leedsartgallery/Explore-Leeds-Art-Gallery.aspx> [Last accessed 29th March 2015].

27. Lenton, D. (2013). Technology initiative inspires British Museum visitors. [Online] Available from: <http://eandt.theiet.org/news/2013/dec/british-museum-augmented.cfm> [Last accessed 29th March 2015].

28. Mannion, S. (2012). Beyond Cool: Making Mobile Augmented Reality Work for Museum Education. Museums And The Web 2012 Conference.

29. Mason, D. & McCarthy, C. (2006). The feeling of exclusion’: Young peoples’ perceptions of art galleries. Museum Management and Curatorship. 21 (1), 20-31.

30. Melendez-Padilla, A. & Aguila-Obra, A. (2013). Web and social media usage by museums: Online value creation. International Journal of Information Management. 33 (1), 892-898.

31. Palmer, A. & Lewis-Koeng, N. (2009). An experiential, social network-based approach to direct marketing. Direct Marketing: An International Journal. 3 (3), 162-176.

32. Perry, D (2009). Theory and Research in Mass Communication: Contexts and Consequences. 2nd ed. New York: Routledge. 142.

33. Pett, D. (2012). Uses of social media within the British Museum and museum sector. In: Pett, D & Bonacchi, C Archaeology and Digital Communication: Towards Strategies of Public Engagemen. London: Archetype Publications. 83-102.

16

34. Rafiee, V. & Sarabdeen, J. (2013) Social media marketing: the unavoidable marketing management tool, 21st International Business Information Management Association Conference (IBIMA), pp. 933-942.

35. Roppola, T. (2012). Designing for the museum visitor experience. New York: Routledge. 31.

36. Rossou, M. (2001). Immersive interactive virtual reality in the museum. Proc. of TiLE (Trends in Leisure Entertainment)

37. Schmidt, B. (2000). Experiential Marketing: How to get customers to Sense, Feel, Think, Act, Relate. New York: The Free Press

38. Scott, S., Smith, T., Harma, V. & Boone, K. (2013). Goffman in the Gallery: Interactive Art and Visitor Shyness. Symbolic Interaction. 36 (4), 417-438.

39. Smilansky, S. (2009). EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING: A practical guide to interactive brand experiences. London: Kogan. (p.5)

40. Tate (2015). Pocket Art Gallery App.[Online] Available from: <http://www.tate.org.uk/context-comment/apps/pocket-art-gallery> [Last accessed 30th March 2015].

41. Tate (2015). Reaching New Audiences. [Online] Available from: http://www.tate.org.uk/join-support/corporate-support/sponsorship/reaching-new-audiences. Last accessed 30th March 2015.

42. Tate Museums. (2015). Tate Collective - Online Community. [Online] Available from: <https://collectives.tate.org.uk/community> [Last accessed 30th March 2015].

43. Tsoroni, A. (2009). Technology fatigue in digital interactive exhibitions. Engage. 24, 27-32.

44. Whitley, B & Kite, M (2013). Principles of Research in Behavioral Science: Third Edition. New York: Routledge. 600.

45. Willison, G. & Mcintosh, A. (2008). Heritage Buildings And Tourism: An Experiential View. Journal Of Heritage Tourism. 2 (2), 75-93.

17

7.0 Appendix 1 Recommendations outline

Recommendation 1

Tailored Augmented

Reality

The recommendation will be for Art Museums, which have sufficient amounts of

resources, to implement tailored augmented reality tours. Currently the art

museums discussed and the academic studies comprised of one augmented reality

tour option in each museum. Young audiences can differ and there may be big

differences between their levels of understanding and their interests. This

research has discussed young consumers from a wide age range and would

recommend that museums offer various and changeable augmented reality

options. For example having various QR codes or Auras on each exhibit.

Recommendation 2

Digital Collaborative

youth schemes

Based on the research, a key area of interest identified was the scheme for young

artists adopted by the Tate called Tate Collective. The recommendation will be to

research further the potential of museums adopting collaborative schemes for

young consumers to engage and interact with art; this could be key for museums

with lower amounts of resources. The use of collaborative schemes could also

pose opportunities for creating experiential marketing approaches on social

media, through building an online community that would consist of two-way

communications. Whilst it emerged that the Tate collective scheme did not have

many members, it catered for young artists rather than young people from all

backgrounds and this recommendation would be for them to focus on including

young visitors with different interests in order to increase their engagement with

the arts.

18