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Social marketing for museums: an introduction to social marketing for the arts and culture sector

Abstract

Purpose

The paper aims to introduce social marketing (SM) as a tool to overcome the low cultural participation, a problem of the arts and culture sector that has worsened in the post-pandemic scenario.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses a multidisciplinary literature review (SM, museum marketing, museology and cultural policy) to address the problem of museums and other cultural heritage institutions, at both the macro-level (prevailing cultural policies and antecedents, barriers and consequences to cultural participation) and micro-level (challenges faced by museums in the 21st century and marketing as a management instrument).

Findings

The downstream, midstream and upstream approaches can be used to design and implement SM interventions intended to address the problem of low cultural participation in museums. The three approaches should be considered holistically, with their synergetic and recursive effects.

Research limitations/implications

Due to its introductory and conceptual nature, the study provides a comprehensive intervention framework to be used as a platform for future theoretical and empirical research. Further investigations may expand on the specificities of each approach (down, mid and upstream) and extend the framework to other nonprofit cultural institutions beyond museums, such as libraries and archives, cultural heritage sites and theater, music and dance companies.

Practical implications

The paper proposes a comprehensive SM intervention framework that integrates three interdependent approaches (downstream, midstream and upstream).

Originality/value

The paper provides a starting point for the holistic application of SM in the arts and culture sector. It also encourages researchers, cultural policymakers and cultural heritage professionals to investigate, design and implement SM programs that better understand, expand and diversify the audience and strengthen the legitimacy and relevance of cultural actors and activities to transform them into inclusive, accessible and sustainable institutions.

Keywords
Social marketing; Cultural participation; Museum marketing; Arts and culture; Downstream; Midstream and upstream approaches

1. Introduction

The pandemic has caused a major economic disruption and severely damaged the culture and tourism sectors, leading to social isolation, the shutting of external borders and the suspension of non-essential activities, resulting in the closure of 90% of the museums around the world (UNESCO, 2020UNESCO. (2020). Museums around the world: In the face of covid-19, Paris. Retrieved from: https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000373530
https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf...
). In Europe, museums reopened after relaxed social isolation rules, with reduced capacity, timed entry, mandatory use of masks and maintaining physical distance. Despite this, the maximum attendance was 30% of the visitation rates in 2019, which is considerably below the number of people allowed as per security measures (Siegal, 2020Siegal, N. (2020). Europe’s museums are open, but the public isn’t coming. The New York Times - Online. Retrieved from: www.nytimes.com/2020/10/19/arts/design/europe-museums-covid.html
www.nytimes.com/2020/10/19/arts/design/e...
). Due to the second and third waves of the coronavirus in 2021, only half of the world’s natural and cultural heritage sites are fully open to the public (UNESCO, 2021UNESCO. (2021). Monitoring world heritage sites closures. Retrieved from: https://en.unesco.org/covid19/cultureresponse/monitoring-world-heritage-site-closures (accessed 15 March 2021).
https://en.unesco.org/covid19/cultureres...
).

However, even before the pandemic, museums, galleries, heritage sites, libraries and other cultural institutions (hereafter, museums) have suffered continuous cuts in public funding (ICOM, 2018ICOM. (2018). ICOM statement on the necessity for adequate public funding for museums. International Council of Museums Official Website. Retrieved from: https://icom.museum/en/news/the-reduction-in-public-funds-threatens-the-very-existence-of-museums/
https://icom.museum/en/news/the-reductio...
; ICOM Brasil, 2019ICOM Brasil. (2019). Nota do ICOM brasil sobre as alterações na gestão do setor museológico do Estado de São Paulo. Conselho Internacional de Museus - Brasil. Retrieved from: www.icom.org.br/?p=1750
www.icom.org.br/?p=1750...
), as well as low visitation rates and perceived relevance, especially among the most vulnerable social groups (Ibope-Inteligência, 2018Ibope-Inteligência. (2018). Viver em são paulo: Hábitos culturais, São Paulo. Retrieved from: www.nossasaopaulo.org.br/#Pesquisas
www.nossasaopaulo.org.br/#Pesquisas...
; Leiva & Meirelles, 2018Leiva, J. & Meirelles, R. (Eds). (2018), uC Ltura nas capitais: Como 33 milhões de brasileiros consomem diversão e arte. Rio de Janeiro: 17Street. Retrieved from: www.culturanascapitais.com.br/como-33-milhoes-de-brasileiros-consomem-diversao-e-arte/
www.culturanascapitais.com.br/como-33-mi...
). The present paper considers this to be an urgent social problem that needs to be addressed, especially because participation in cultural activities is recognized as beneficial to human beings, both individually and collectively, as well as being a fundamental human right. As stated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR):

§1- Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits. §2- Everyone has the right to the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which he is the author. (United Nations General Assembly, 1948United Nations General Assembly. (1948). Universal declaration of human rights. Paris. Retrieved from: www.ohchr.org/EN/UDHR/Pages/Language.aspx?LangID=por
www.ohchr.org/EN/UDHR/Pages/Language.asp...
, Paper 27°).

As the basis for several international treaties and national constitutions, the UDHR inspires and pressures governments to guarantee, via regulatory measures and public policies, people’s participation in cultural activities. It also states that everyone has the right to freedom of expression (Paper 19), rest and leisure (Paper 24) and education (Paper 26), which are associated with the right to cultural participation (UNESCO-UIS, 2012UNESCO-UIS. (2012). Measuring cultural participation: UNESCO framework for cultural statistics handbook no. 2, Montreal. Retrieved from: https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000219213
https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf...
).

This paper presents the arts and culture sector as a novel area for the application of social marketing (SM) and proposes the investigation and the utilization of SM to mitigate low participation in cultural activities, particularly museums. To this end, this paper uses a multidisciplinary literature review to address the problem at both the macro-level (prevailing cultural policies and antecedents, barriers and consequences to cultural participation) and micro-level (challenges faced by museums in the 21st century and marketing as a management instrument). Subsequently, SM is introduced as a tool to overcome the problems faced by museums through a comprehensive intervention framework that interrelates downstream, midstream and upstream approaches. Finally, the paper presents pathways for further theoretical and empirical research on SM applied to the nonprofit arts and culture sector.

2. Understanding the social marketing application field: the arts and culture sector

When marketing was still a burgeoning discipline of study and action (Kotler & Levy, 1969Kotler, P., & Levy, S.J. (1969). Broadening the concept of marketing. Journal of Marketing, 33(1), 10–15, doi: 10.1177/002224296903300103.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0022242969033001...
; Levitt, 1960Levitt, T. (1960). Marketing myopia. Harvard Business Review, 3–13.), discussions in the field focused on the usage scope of concepts and techniques originally created for the consumer goods sector and whether they could be used to sell services, ideas, people and social causes. Consequently, social (cause) marketing has emerged as a “promising framework for planning and implementing social changes” (Kotler & Zaltman, 1971Kotler, P., & Zaltman, G. (1971). Social marketing: An approach to planned social change. Journal of Marketing, 35(3), doi: 10.1177/002224297103500302.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0022242971035003...
).

Initially, the SM focused on the expansion and application of marketing concepts for the acceptance of ideas, causes and social programs (Mazzon, 1982Mazzon, J.A. (1982). Marketing social: Conceitos e perspectivas de utilização no Brasil. Revista de Administração Ida Universidade de São Paulo, 17(4), doi: 10.1016/rausp.v17i4.166856.
https://doi.org/10.1016/rausp.v17i4.1668...
). As the discipline has matured, the central goal evolved to influence the voluntary behavior of priority audiences (Andreasen, 2003Andreasen, A.R. (2003). The life trajectory of social marketing: Some implications. Marketing Theory, 3(3), 293–303, doi: 10.1177/147059310333004.
https://doi.org/10.1177/147059310333004...
), i.e. to incite the voluntary acceptance, rejection, modification or abandonment of a behavior for the benefit of individuals and society (Lee & Kotler, 2019Lee, N.R., & Kotler, P. (2019). Social marketing: Behavior change for social good (6th ed.). Sage Publications.).

Fifty years after being introduced, SM is currently facing critiques and demands for further progress, particularly with regard to freeing itself from the conventional, commercial marketing theories and techniques (Edgar, Huhman, & Miller, 2017Edgar, T., Huhman, M., & Miller, G. A. (2017). Where is the toothpaste? A systematic review of the use of the product strategy in social marketing. Social Marketing Quarterly, 23(1), 80–98, doi: 10.1177/1524500416678586.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1524500416678586...
; Gordon, Tapp, & Spotswood, 2013Gordon, R., Tapp, A., & Spotswood, F. (2013). From the 4Ps to COM-SM: Reconfiguring the social marketing mix. Journal of Social Marketing, 3(3), 206–222, doi: 10.1108/JSOCM-01-2013-0011.
https://doi.org/10.1108/JSOCM-01-2013-00...
; Peattie & Peattie, 2003Peattie, S., & Peattie, K. (2003). Ready to fly solo? Reducing social marketing’s dependence on commercial marketing theory. Marketing Theory, 3(3), 365–385, doi: 10.1177/147059310333006.
https://doi.org/10.1177/147059310333006...
; Silva & Mazzon, 2018Silva, E.C.D., & Mazzon, J.A. (2018). Revisitando o marketing social. Revista Brasileira de Marketing, 17(6), 806–820, doi: 10.5585/bmj.v17i6.3537.
https://doi.org/10.5585/bmj.v17i6.3537...
; Wood, 2008Wood, M. (2008). Applying commercial marketing theory to social marketing: A tale of 4Ps (and a B). Social Marketing Quarterly, 14(1), 76–85, doi: 10.1080/15245000701856877.
https://doi.org/10.1080/1524500070185687...
) and extending its areas of study and application. Since its inception, SM has primarily focused on public health (Dahl, 2010Dahl, S. (2010). Current themes in social marketing research: Text-mining the past five years. Social Marketing Quarterly, 16(2), 128–136, doi: 10.1080/15245001003746790.
https://doi.org/10.1080/1524500100374679...
; Truong, 2014Truong, V.D. (2014). Social marketing: A systematic review of research 1998-2012. Social Marketing Quarterly, 20(1), doi: 10.1177/1524500413517666.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1524500413517666...
; Truong, Garry, & Michael Hall, 2014Truong, V.D., Garry, T., & Michael Hall, C. (2014). Social marketing as the subject of doctoral dissertations. Social Marketing Quarterly, 20(4), doi: 10.1177/1524500414546230.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1524500414546230...
), which has gradually expanded to environmental and social issues, such as biodiversity protection, climate change and social belonging (Biroscak, Scott, Lindenberger, & Bryant, 2017Biroscak, B.J., Scott, J.E., Lindenberger, J.H., & Bryant, C.A. (2017). Leximancer software as a research tool for social marketers: Application to a content analysis. Social Marketing Quarterly, 23(3), 223–231, doi: 10.1177/1524500417700826.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1524500417700826...
; Merritt, Kamin, Hussenöder, & Huibregtsen, 2017Merritt, R.K., Kamin, T., Hussenöder, F., & Huibregtsen, J. (2017). The history of social marketing in Europe. Social Marketing Quarterly, 23(4), 291–301, doi: 10.1177/1524500417732771.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1524500417732771...
).

Despite the extensive literature on SM and museology, there is no body of research combining those two major themes. In general, studies on access, enjoyment and participation in cultural activities and their implications on equity and social inclusion, urban regeneration and quality of life, are undertaken by sociology, education, political science and architecture and urbanism (Dean, Donnellan, & Pratt, 2010Dean, C., Donnellan, C., & Pratt, A.C. (2010). Tate modern: Pushing the limits of regeneration. City, Culture and Society, 1(2), 79–87, doi: 10.1016/J.CCS.2010.08.003.
https://doi.org/10.1016/J.CCS.2010.08.00...
).

A manual identification and classification of papers published, between January 2015 and May 2020, in the two leading SM international journals, indicate that health (44%) remains the primary focus of SM, followed by environmental issues (18%). None of the 247 papers analyzed address contemporary problems related to the arts and culture (Table 1). This paper draws attention to the sector and initiates the filling of this gap.

Table 1.
Central themes in papers published in the Journal of Social Marketing and Social Marketing Quarterly between 2015 and 2020

2.1 Cultural policies: the macro scenario

The definition, roles and value of the museum as a cultural phenomenon have changed over time and with political, economic and social contexts (Ambrose & Pain, 2012Ambrose, T., & Pain, C. (2012). Museum basics (3rd ed.). London & New York, NY: Routledge.), for example, depending on how the public authorities view and operate in favor of or against regarding the arts and culture sector.

At present, there are two major Western paradigms of cultural policy: cultural democratization and cultural democracy (or democratic culture) (Mulcahy, 2006Mulcahy, K.V. (2006). Cultural policy: Definitions and theoretical approaches. The Journal of Arts Management, Law, and Society, 35(4), 319–330, doi: https://doi.org/10.3200/JAML.35.4.319-330.
https://doi.org/10.3200/JAML.35.4.319-33...
). The first concept emerged in the mid-20th century and aims to preserve and disseminate the cultural heritage to all, regardless of social class and promote access to the traditional high culture and to the art legitimized by the cultural industry (e.g. mainstream movies and music shows), by fostering an aesthetic conscience and by supporting the production of standard classical works-of-art (Rubim, 2009Rubim, A.A.C. (2009). Cultural policies and new challenges. Matrizes, 2(2), 93, doi: 10.11606/issn.1982-8160.v2i2p93-115.
https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.1982-8160....
). The central tool of cultural democratization is free (or cheap) admission to exhibitions and shows, i.e. public funding to mitigate unequal access.

The cultural democratization model was used in the re-democratization processes of most Latin American countries (Canclini, 1987Canclini, N. G. (1987). Politicas culturales en america latina (2nd ed.). Mexico: Grijalbo., p. 46). Despite its undeniable importance, there has been much criticism of the inaugural paradigm (Botelho, 2001Botelho, I. (2001). Dimensões da cultura e políticas públicas. São Paulo Em Perspectiva, 15(2), 73–83, doi: 10.1590/s0102-88392001000200011.
https://doi.org/10.1590/s0102-8839200100...
; Bourdieu & Darbel, 1991Bourdieu, P., & Darbel, A. (1991). The love of art: European art museums and their public, Cambridge: Polity Press. [1969]; Canclini, 1987Canclini, N. G. (1987). Politicas culturales en america latina (2nd ed.). Mexico: Grijalbo.; Canedo, 2006Canedo, D.P. (2006). Democratização da cultura. In M.C. Almeida, (Ed.), Mais definições em trânsito, Salvador: Universidade Federal da Bahia.; Rocha, 2016Rocha, R. (2016). Políticas culturais na América Latina: Uma abordagem teórico-conceitual. Políticas Culturais Em Revista, 9(2), 674–703, doi: 10.9771/pcr.v9i2.16765.
https://doi.org/10.9771/pcr.v9i2.16765...
): it is centralizing, vertical and paternalistic (the State decides what is cultural and worthy of allocating resources to); elitist and social discriminatory (the “culture” is produced by intellectuals and consumed by the people); and limited (i.e. lacking diversity) and limiting (it invests resources in erudite or mass cultural assets and does not promote popular expressions). By believing that providing access would be enough for the for the population to appreciate, participate and “cultivate” itself (Canedo, 2006Canedo, D.P. (2006). Democratização da cultura. In M.C. Almeida, (Ed.), Mais definições em trânsito, Salvador: Universidade Federal da Bahia.), the cultural democratization model ignores the complex structural issues of economic, educational and cultural inequality.

Advancing from the criticism of the cultural democratization orientation, the cultural democracy model utilizes a more decentralized and less vertical approach. In this model, which emerged in the last decades of the 20th century, the state’s role is re-examined and the other sectors of society are included in the formulation, management and execution of cultural programs and projects (Calabre, 2014Calabre, L. (2014). Política cultural em tempos de democracia: A era lula. Revista Do Instituto de Estudos Brasileiros, 137, doi: 10.11606/issn.2316-901x.v0i58p137-156.
https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.2316-901x....
). Additionally, it is a more inclusive model because it recognizes the diversity of audiences, styles and expressive formats and legitimizes all individuals as producers of culture (Calabre, 2007Calabre, L. (2007). Políticas culturais no brasil: Balanço e perspectivas. III ENECULT – encontro de estudos multidisciplinares em cultura, Salvador, Bahia: Faculdade de Comunicação/UFBa.; Faria, 2003Faria, H. (2003). Políticas públicas de cultura e desenvolvimento humano nas cidades. In L. Brant (Ed.) Políticas culturais, Barueri: Manole.). For example, in Brazil, the cultural democracy policy was implemented in the early 2000s following the reorganization of the Ministry of Culture, resulting in the implementation of public programs to promote popular culture, such as “Cultura Viva” and “Pontos de Cultura” (Calabre, 2019Calabre, L. (2019). Experiências recentes de implementação e análise de políticas públicas no campo da cultura. Revista Aval, 2(16), 82–94. Retrieved from: http://repositorio.ufc.br/handle/riufc/49867
http://repositorio.ufc.br/handle/riufc/4...
; Rubim, 2013Rubim, A.A.C. (2013). Cultural policies of the Lula government. Revista Lusófona de Estudos Culturais/Lusophone Journal of Cultural Studies, 1(1), 243–261, doi: 10.21814/rlec.17.
https://doi.org/10.21814/rlec.17...
), among other actions.

In addition to the aforementioned ideological issues, the economic context directly impacts the development and implementation of policies and the public access and engagement in cultural activities. For instance, the economic recession of 2007–2009 is perceived to be the cause of a strong decline in cultural participation in Europe (European CommissionEuropean Commission. (2007). Special eurobarometer 278: European cultural values, Brussels. Retrieved from http://data.europa.eu/88u/dataset/S477_67_1_EBS278
http://data.europa.eu/88u/dataset/S477_6...
, 2007, 2013European Commission. (2013). Special eurobarometer 399: Cultural access and participation, Brussels. Retrieved from: https://ec.europa.eu/commfrontoffice/publicopinion/archives/ebs/ebs_399_sum_en.pdf
https://ec.europa.eu/commfrontoffice/pub...
), which took nearly ten years to be reversed (European Commission, 2017European Commission. (2017). Special eurobarometer 466: Cultural heritage, Brussels. Retrieved from: https://epale.ec.europa.eu/en/resource-centre/content/special-eurobarometer-report-466-cultural-heritage
https://epale.ec.europa.eu/en/resource-c...
).

2.2 Cultural participation in numbers: antecedents, barriers and consequences

It is well established in the literature that the level of education has a positive impact, both directly and indirectly (through socioeconomic position), on individuals’ attendance of cultural. As a recent illustrative example, a survey conducted in capitals cities in Brazil indicated that only 31% of Brazilians had visited at least one museum during the 12 months prior to the survey, whereas 30% had never visited a museum (Leiva & Meirelles, 2018Leiva, J. & Meirelles, R. (Eds). (2018), uC Ltura nas capitais: Como 33 milhões de brasileiros consomem diversão e arte. Rio de Janeiro: 17Street. Retrieved from: www.culturanascapitais.com.br/como-33-milhoes-de-brasileiros-consomem-diversao-e-arte/
www.culturanascapitais.com.br/como-33-mi...
) – half have, at most, completed elementary education. The primary reason for the low (or non-existent) museum visits is “lack of interest”: about 30% “does not like it” (Leiva & Meirelles, 2018Leiva, J. & Meirelles, R. (Eds). (2018), uC Ltura nas capitais: Como 33 milhões de brasileiros consomem diversão e arte. Rio de Janeiro: 17Street. Retrieved from: www.culturanascapitais.com.br/como-33-milhoes-de-brasileiros-consomem-diversao-e-arte/
www.culturanascapitais.com.br/como-33-mi...
). The lack of financial resources (26.8%) and of time (26.4%) are also cited as reasons.

Specifically in the city of São Paulo, 28% of the respondents did not consume or attend any cultural activities in 2018 (Ibope-Inteligência, 2018Ibope-Inteligência. (2018). Viver em são paulo: Hábitos culturais, São Paulo. Retrieved from: www.nossasaopaulo.org.br/#Pesquisas
www.nossasaopaulo.org.br/#Pesquisas...
). These respondents comprised mostly low-income families, with low education, and were primarily women (vs men), black (vs white) and over 55 years (vs children, youth and adults). However, the lack of financial resources does not completely justify museum non-attendance among this group, as 45% of individuals from the C class have gone to the movies, which is a cultural activity neither free nor cheap. Only 11% of the C class have visited museums in the same period (Table 2).

Table 2.
Participation in cultural activities in the city of São Paulo, in 2018, by social class

The lack of money, low level of educational attainment and difficulty in accessing cultural facilities do not fully explain the low cultural participation in Europe either. Despite the best social indexes in the world, only 31% of Europeans has participated in traditional cultural activities (visiting museums, concert halls and monuments) in the 12 months preceding the survey (European Commission, 2017European Commission. (2017). Special eurobarometer 466: Cultural heritage, Brussels. Retrieved from: https://epale.ec.europa.eu/en/resource-centre/content/special-eurobarometer-report-466-cultural-heritage
https://epale.ec.europa.eu/en/resource-c...
). The rates are lowest in Southern and Eastern Europe, especially Portugal (17%), Romania (18%), Italy (19%) and Poland (20%). Lack of interest is a significant barrier in visiting museums and was cited as the primary reason by 31% of Europeans.

The studies do not deny the barriers that arise from socioeconomic inequality but indicate that the vulnerable social strata devotes time and/or money to engage in certain cultural activities. Thus, low attendance in museums could be addressed by SM programs using a downstream approach, i.e. though campaigns aimed at influencing the individual behaviors of individuals who rarely or never visits museums, especially individuals from minority groups at a socio-cultural, economic, educational, political, ethnic, physical, religious, sexual or gender disadvantage.

Moreover, the relationship between low education levels, socioeconomic disparity and limited attendance demonstrates that low cultural participation is a complex social problem that demands political interventions and medium- and long-term intersectoral public investment. In this regard, SM programs could be developed in an upstream approach (Kennedy, Kemper, & Parsons, 2018Kennedy, A.M., Kemper, J.A., & Parsons, A.G. (2018). Upstream social marketing strategy. Journal of Social Marketing, 8(3), 258–279, doi: 10.1108/JSOCM-03-2017-0016.
https://doi.org/10.1108/JSOCM-03-2017-00...
), i.e. aimed at influencing pro-culture attitudes and behaviors in politicians, decision-makers and regulators of the cultural sector, as well as mainstream media. When these players devalue or redirect resources from the arts and culture sector, they deprive society of the benefits of the arts and culture on individual and collective well-being.

Attending exhibitions in museums and galleries; watching or practicing dance, music, theater and plastic arts; and visiting libraries, fairs, popular festivals and other events has a positive impact on an individual’s subjective well-being (Bryson & MacKerron, 2017Bryson, A., & MacKerron, G. (2017). Are you happy while you work? The Economic Journal, 127(599), 106–125, doi: 10.1111/ecoj.12269.
https://doi.org/10.1111/ecoj.12269...
; Grossi, Blessi, Sacco, & Buscema, 2012Grossi, E., Blessi, G.T., Sacco, P.L., & Buscema, M. (2012). The interaction between culture, health and psychological well-being: Data mining from the Italian culture and well-being project. Journal of Happiness Studies, 13(1), 128–148, doi: 10.1007/s10902-011-9254-x.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-011-9254-...
; Kim & Kim, 2009Kim, S., & Kim, H. (2009). Does cultural capital matter? Cultural divide and quality of life. Social Indicators Research, 93(2), 295–313. doi: 10.1007/s11205-008-9318-4.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-008-9318-...
; Siu, Kwan, Zhang, & Ho, 2016Siu, N. Y.-M., Kwan, H.-Y., Zhang, T. J.-F., & Ho, C. K.-Y. (2016). Arts consumption, customer satisfaction and personal well-being: A study of performing arts in Hong Kong. Journal of International Consumer Marketing, 28(2), 77–91, doi: 10.1080/08961530.2015.1089806.
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; Teater & Baldwin, 2014Teater, B., & Baldwin, M. (2014). Singing for successful ageing: The perceived benefits of participating in the golden oldies community-arts programme. British Journal of Social Work, 44(1), 81–99, doi: 10.1093/bjsw/bcs095.
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; Wheatley & Bickerton, 2017Wheatley, D., & Bickerton, C. (2017). Subjective well-being and engagement in arts, culture and sport. Journal of Cultural Economics, 41(1), 23–45. doi: 10.1007/s10824-016-9270-0.
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); is associated with better cognitive and emotional development (Newman et al., 2010Newman, M., Bird, K., Tripney, J., Kalra, N., Kwan, I., Bangpan, M., & Vigurs, C. (2010). Understanding the impact of engagement in culture and sport, a systematic review of the learning impacts for young people. London. Retrieved from: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/88447/CASE-systematic-review-July10.pdf
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; President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities, 2011President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities. (2011). Reinvesting in arts education: Winning America’s future through creative schools. Retrieved from: www.giarts.org/sites/default/files/Reinvesting-in-Arts-Education-Winning-Americas-Future-Through-Creative-Schools.pdf (accessed 13 November 2019)
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; Wavell, Baxter, Johnson, & Williams, 2002Wavell, C. Baxter, G. Johnson, I., & Williams, D. (2002). Impact evaluation of museums, archives and libraries: Available evidence project, Aberdeen. Retrieved from: www3.rgu.ac.uk/file/dorothy-williams-impact-evaluation-of-museums-archives-and-libraries-available-evidence-project
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); and leads to better health conditions (Bygren, Konlaan, & Johansson, 1996Bygren, L.O., Konlaan, B.B., & Johansson, S.E. (1996). Attendance at cultural events, reading books or periodicals, and making music or singing in a choir as determinants for survival: Swedish interview survey of living conditions. BMJ, 313(7072), 1577–1580, doi: 10.1136/bmj.313.7072.1577.
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; Staricoff, 2004Staricoff, R.L. (2004). Arts in health: A review of the medical literature. London. Retrieved from: www.artsandhealth.ie/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/AHReview-of-Medical-Literature1.pdf
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). Furthermore, collectively, engaging in cultural activities leads to greater social cohesion and civic engagement (National Statistics for Scotland, 2009National Statistics for Scotland. (2009). People and culture in Scotland: Scottish household survey (culture and sport module 2007/2008). Edinburgh. Retrieved from: www.webarchive.org.uk/wayback/archive/20180517111351/http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2009/11/24085939/3
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; NEA, 2009NEA. (2009). Art-goers in their communities: Patterns of civic and social engagement. Washington, DC. Retrieved from: www.arts.gov/publications/art-goers-their-communities-patterns-civic-and-social-engagement
www.arts.gov/publications/art-goers-thei...
); to community development and social inclusion (Grodach, 2010Grodach, C. (2010). Art spaces, public space, and the link to community development. Community Development Journal, 45(4), 474–493, doi: https://doi.org/0.1093/cdj/bsp01810.1093/cdj/bsp018.
https://doi.org/10.1093/cdj/bsp018...
; Nakagawa, 2010Nakagawa, S. (2010). Socially inclusive cultural policy and arts-based urban community regeneration. Cities, 27, doi: 10.1016/j.cities.2010.03.003.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2010.03...
; Research Centre for Museums and Galleries, 2000Research Centre for Museums and Galleries. (2000). Museums and social inclusion: The GLLAM report. Research Centre for Museums and Galleries, Leicester. Retrieved from: https://le.ac.uk/rcmg/research-archive/museums-and-social-inclusion
https://le.ac.uk/rcmg/research-archive/m...
; Sandell, 1998Sandell, R. (1998). Museums as agents of social inclusion. Museum Management and Curatorship, 17(4), 401–418, doi: 10.1080/09647779800401704.
https://doi.org/10.1080/0964777980040170...
); and to economic development (labor, employment, income) (UNESCO, 2014UNESCO. (2014). The UNESCO culture for development indicators: Methodology manual, Paris. Retrieved from: www.unesco.org/creativity/cdis
www.unesco.org/creativity/cdis...
). The Brazilian Government estimates that in 2010, the cultural and creative sectors constituted about 4% of the national gross domestic product (GDP); however, there is no standardized measure for cultural participation in Brazil’s GDP (Ministério da Cultura, 2017Ministério da Cultura. (2017). Atlas econômico da cultura brasileira: Metodologia. In L. Valiati, & A.L. D.N. Fialho, (Eds). (Vol. 1). Porto Alegre: UFRGS. Retrieved from: http://pnc.cultura.gov.br/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2017/07/CEGOV-2017-Atlas-volume-1-digital.pdf
http://pnc.cultura.gov.br/wp-content/upl...
). In 2016, American museums contributed US$15.7bon directly to the GDP and generated 372,100 jobs (American Alliance of Museums, 2017American Alliance of Museums. (2017). Museums as economic engines: A national report. Retrieved from: www.aam-us.org/2018/01/19/museums-as-economic-engines/
www.aam-us.org/2018/01/19/museums-as-eco...
).

2.3 Museums in the 21st century: the micro scenario

The word “museum” is used to define venues and collections – physical or virtual – that possess historical, aesthetic, scientific, environmental or social meaning and is derived from the Greek mouseion, meaning the mythological “home of the Muses,” the nine daughters of Mnemosyne (Memory) and Zeus (the king of gods). During the Roman Empire, the word was used to indicate places where philosophical discussions were held (Lewis, 2019Lewis, G.D. (2019). Museum. Encyclopædia britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved from: www.britannica.com/topic/museum-cultural-institution
www.britannica.com/topic/museum-cultural...
) but evolved in Europe between the 15th and 17th centuries to describe collections of art and “cabinets of curiosity” belonging to the aristocracy and high clergy, which were accessible to a privileged few (Chhabra, 2009Chhabra, D. (2009). Proposing a sustainable marketing framework for heritage tourism. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 17(3), 303–320, doi: 10.1080/09669580802495758.
https://doi.org/10.1080/0966958080249575...
). It was only during the 18th and 19th centuries that museums were established as institutions for the preservation and exhibition of cultural material to the public, although still in an elitist manner and not as a right of all people (Hudson, 1975Hudson, K. (1975). A social history of museums: What the visitors thought, London: The Macmillan Press.).

In the 20th century, the museums gradually became more accessible and were positioned as major collectors (object-oriented) under a positivist and paternalistic ideology, with the European colonizers as custodians of universal truth. A renewal began in the 1970–1980s with the New Museology, which was influenced by the social criticisms of the 1960s and the politics of cultural democratization (Duarte, 2014Duarte, A. (2014). Nova museologia: Os pontapés de saída de uma abordagem ainda inovadora. Revista Museologia e Patrimônio, 6(2), 99–117. Retrieved from https://repositorio-aberto.up.pt/handle/10216/72755
https://repositorio-aberto.up.pt/handle/...
; Gouveia, 2014Gouveia, I. (2014). Museologia social: Reflexões e práticas. Revista Cadernos Do Ceom, 27(41), 9–22. Retrieved from: https://bell.unochapeco.edu.br/revistas/index.php/rcc/article/view/2592/1523
https://bell.unochapeco.edu.br/revistas/...
). New Museology inaugurated the public-oriented mission, conceiving the idea of the museum as an interdisciplinary, decolonized and decolonizing instrument of social change and a locus of community participation and symbolic exchanges (Mayrand, 2014Mayrand, P. (2014). The new museology proclaimed. Museum International, 66(1-4), 115–118, doi: 10.1111/muse.12048.
https://doi.org/10.1111/muse.12048...
; Santos, 2002Santos, M.C.T.M. (2002). Reflexões sobre a nova museologia. Cadernos de Sociomuseologia, 18(18). Retrieved from: https://revistas.ulusofona.pt/index.php/cadernosociomuseologia/article/view/363
https://revistas.ulusofona.pt/index.php/...
).

To date, the principles of New Museology have not yet been fully put into practice, as highlighted by museum activist demands (McCall & Gray, 2014McCall, V., & Gray, C. (2014). Museums and the ‘new museology’: Theory, practice and organisational change. Museum Management and Curatorship, 29(1), 19–35, doi: 10.1080/09647775.2013.869852.
https://doi.org/10.1080/09647775.2013.86...
; Simon, 2010Simon, N. (2010). The participatory museum. Museum 2.0.). Current debates focus on redefining the museum, as the current definition is criticized for neither responding to the cultural democracy policy demands, nor expressing the responsibilities and challenges of the 21st century:

A museum is a non-profit, permanent institution in the service of society and its development, open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits the tangible and intangible heritage of humanity and its environment for the purposes of education, study and enjoyment. (ICOM, 2007ICOM. (2007). The statutes of the international council of Museums – Article 3. ICOM, Vienna, Austria. Retrieved from https://icom.museum/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/2017_ICOM_Statutes_EN.pdf
https://icom.museum/wp-content/uploads/2...
).

Recently, the International Council of Museums – ICOM (2019)ICOM. (2019). Creating the new museum definition: Over 250 proposals to check out!. Internacional Council of Museums (Official Website). Retrieved from: https://icom.museum/es/news/la-definicion-del-museo-la-columna-vertebral-del-icom/
https://icom.museum/es/news/la-definicio...
proposed a definition of museums as “democratizing, inclusive and polyphonic spaces for critical dialogue about the pasts and futures” […] “to contribute to human dignity and social justice, global equality, and planetary well-being” (Marshall, 2020Marshall, A. (2020). What is a museum? A dispute erupts over a new definition. The New York Times – Online. Retrieved from: www.nytimes.com/2020/08/06/arts/what-is-a-museum.html?smid=fb-share&fbclid=IwAR21eZZS_U-8hzrLx7zRxiZy5lCQ8DhP9pjmrbD8ISCsMlmmUUbPp4FyDKg
www.nytimes.com/2020/08/06/arts/what-is-...
). However, delegations of most European countries considered it a generic, fashionable and aberrant definition (Noce, 2019Noce, V. (2019). What exactly is a museum? Icom comes to blows over new definition. The Art Newspaper - Online. Retrieved from: www.theartnewspaper.com/news/what-exactly-is-a-museum-icom-comes-to-blows-over-new-definition
www.theartnewspaper.com/news/what-exactl...
). The committee-in-charge and the president of ICOM have since resigned.

Following the 2007 definition, museum management must ensure the fulfillment of the multiple functions of a museum: acquire (collect, document), conserve (classify, safeguard), research (produce knowledge) and exhibit (disseminate, educate) their collection. Owing to the competition museums are facing from the educational, leisure and entertainment sectors, for the attention, time and money of consumer-visitors (Komarac, Ozretic-Dosen, & Skare, 2017Komarac, T., Ozretic-Dosen, D., & Skare, V. (2017). Understanding competition and service offer in museum marketing. Academia Revista Latinoamericana de Administración, 30(2), 215–230, doi: 10.1108/ARLA-07-2015-0159.
https://doi.org/10.1108/ARLA-07-2015-015...
), marketing has become an indispensable tool in museum management. Additionally, marketing strategies and tactics can assist museums to address the post-pandemic challenges, which are demanding a sustainable and collaborative restructuring of the tourism and cultural sectors (Gössling, Scott, & Hall, 2020Gössling, S., Scott, D., & Hall, C.M. (2020). Pandemics, tourism and global change: A rapid assessment of COVID-19. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 29(1), 1–20, doi: 10.1080/09669582.2020.1758708.
https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2020.17...
; Haywood, 2020Haywood, K.M. (2020). A post-COVID future: Tourism community re-imagined and enabled. Tourism Geographies, 22(3), 1–11, doi: 10.1080/14616688.2020.1762120.
https://doi.org/10.1080/14616688.2020.17...
).

2.4 Museum marketing

The application of marketing in museum management emerged in the 1960’s, as documented in the classical text Broadening the concept of marketing by Kotler and Levy: to change the perception of museums as “cold marble mausoleums that house miles of relics that soon give way to yawns and tired feet,” the director of The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York, explored the marketing tools to increase attendance (Kotler & Levy, 1969Kotler, P., & Levy, S.J. (1969). Broadening the concept of marketing. Journal of Marketing, 33(1), 10–15, doi: 10.1177/002224296903300103.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0022242969033001...
).

Between the 1980s and 1990s, the professionalization period of museum marketing research and practice, studies have focused on data collection and the recognition of the applicability of the discipline in the management of artistic and non-profit institutions. Most comprehensive studies emerged at the turn of the millennium (Kotler & Kotler, 2000Kotler, N., & Kotler, P. (2000). Can museums be all things to all people? Missions, goals, and marketing’s role. Museum Management and Curatorship, 18(3), 271–287, doi: 10.1080/09647770000301803.
https://doi.org/10.1080/0964777000030180...
; McLean, 1994McLean, F. (1994). Services marketing: The case of museums. The Service Industries Journal, 14(2), 190–203, doi: 10.1080/02642069400000022.
https://doi.org/10.1080/0264206940000002...
; Rentschler, 1998Rentschler, R. (1998). Museum and performing arts marketing: A climate of change. The Journal of Arts Management, Law, and Society, 28(1), 83–96, doi: 10.1080/10632929809597280.
https://doi.org/10.1080/1063292980959728...
; Tobelem, 1998Tobelem, J.M. (1998). The marketing approach in museums. Museum Management and Curatorship, 16(4), doi: 10.1080/09647779700201604.
https://doi.org/10.1080/0964777970020160...
) along with those that examined strategic specificities, such as exploring audience segmentation (Doering, 1999Doering, Z. D. (1999). Strangers, guests, or clients? Visitor experiences in museums. Curator: The Museum Journal, 42(2), 74–87, doi: 10.1111/j.2151-6952.1999.tb01132.x.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2151-6952.1999...
), visitor satisfaction (Harrison & Shaw, 2004Harrison, P., & Shaw, R. (2004). Consumer satisfaction and post-purchase intentions: An exploratory study of museum visitors. International Journal of Arts Management, 6(2), 23–32. Retrieved from: www.jstor.org/stable/41064817
www.jstor.org/stable/41064817...
), museum brand management (Caldwell, 2000Caldwell, N. (2000). The emergence of museum brands. International Journal of Arts Management, 2(3), 28–34, doi: 10.2307/41064698.
https://doi.org/10.2307/41064698...
; Scott, 2000Scott, C. (2000). Branding: Positioning museums in the 21st century. International Journal of Arts Management, 2(3), 35–39. Retrieved from: www.jstor.org/stable/41064699
www.jstor.org/stable/41064699...
) and methods of measuring museum perceived social value of museums (Scott, 2002Scott, C. (2002). Measuring social value. In R. Sandell, (Ed.), Museums, society, inequality (pp. 41–55). London & New York, NY: Routledge.).

However, marketing continues to face resistance in the museum space (Bridson & Evans, 2007Bridson, K., & Evans, J. (2007). Don’t tate us! The impediments and drivers of branding museums. In Australian and New Zealand Marketing Academy Conference – ANZMAC 2007 (pp. 430–436). Dunedin, New Zealand.; Evans, Bridson, & Rentschler, 2012Evans, J., Bridson, K., & Rentschler, R. (2012). Drivers, impediments and manifestations of brand orientation: An international museum study. European Journal of Marketing, 46(11/12), 1457–1475, doi: 10.1108/03090561211259934.
https://doi.org/10.1108/0309056121125993...
; Mendes, 2015Mendes, L.M. (2015). Museums and branding: A tale of love and hate. In Museum branding: Redefining museums for the 21st century. Selected papers from the ICOM MPR 2014 conference. Taipei City: ICOM International Committee for Marketing and Public Relations (MPR). Retrieved from: http://mpr.mini.icom.museum/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2018/12/ICOM_MPR_2014_L._Mendes_Museums___branding_a_tale_of_love_and_hate.pdf
http://mpr.mini.icom.museum/wp-content/u...
) and is a conflicting aspect of the museological practice. For example, some museologists highlight the negative consequences of a market-oriented restructuring, such as through the commoditization of museums (DesRoches, 2015DesRoches, D.M. (2015). The marketized museum: New museology in a corporatized world. The Political Economy of Communication, 3(1). Retrieved from: http://polecom.org/index.php/polecom/article/view/48
http://polecom.org/index.php/polecom/art...
), the misallocation of resources from the acquisition, preservation, research and educational purposes to entertainment (Dean et al., 2010Dean, C., Donnellan, C., & Pratt, A.C. (2010). Tate modern: Pushing the limits of regeneration. City, Culture and Society, 1(2), 79–87, doi: 10.1016/J.CCS.2010.08.003.
https://doi.org/10.1016/J.CCS.2010.08.00...
) and the production of expensive exhibitions (Fernandes & Araujo, 2020Fernandes, J., & Araujo, M. (2020). O normal não era normal: Que museus queremos depois da pandemia?. Revista Museu. Retrieved from: www.revistamuseu.com.br/site/br/artigos/18-de-maio/18-maio-2020/8543-o-normal-nao-era-normal-que-museus-queremos-depois-da-pandemia.html
www.revistamuseu.com.br/site/br/artigos/...
). However, this conflict indicates the need for SM to address low participation in museums, particularly to destroy the “monoliths of meaning,” which is a typical barrier to solving complex problems (Carvalho, 2019Carvalho, H.C. (2019). Embracing complex social problems. Journal of Social Marketing, 10(1), 54–80, doi: 10.1108/JSOCM-03-2019-0049.
https://doi.org/10.1108/JSOCM-03-2019-00...
).

In addition to the downstream (to influence the behavior of the public) and the upstream (to influence the behavior of decision-makers and regulators) approach, a midstream approach is necessary to influence the behavior of organizations and their staff (Russell-Bennett, Wood, & Previte, 2013Russell-Bennett, R., Wood, M., & Previte, J. (2013). Fresh ideas: Services thinking for social marketing. Journal of Social Marketing, 3(3), 223–238, doi: 10.1108/JSOCM-02-2013-0017.
https://doi.org/10.1108/JSOCM-02-2013-00...
). Thus, SM midstream programs could be developed and used to reduce the negative biases of museum managers towards marketing and better equip museums for public-oriented management.

Despite the resistance towards marketing, there are numerous examples of museums successfully exploring marketing tools, especially the strategic brand management. Known as superstars museums (Frey, 1998Frey, B.S. (1998). Superstar museums: An economic analysis. Journal of Cultural Economics, 22(2/3), 113–125, doi: 10.1023/A:1007501918099.
https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007501918099...
), these are internationally acclaimed institutions with a large number of visitors and various sources of financing (e.g. venue rental, museum store, restaurant, etc.), brand licensing (e.g. MoMA, Van Gogh Museum, The Met), brand extension (e.g. Tate Britain, Tate Modern, Tate Liverpool, Tate St. Ives, Tate Store) and franchise programs (e.g. Solomon Guggenheim of New York, Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice; Louvre Paris and Louvre Abu Dhabi). As result, these institutions have improved their reputation, broadened their financial resources and conducted state-of-the-art teaching and research, thus collaborating for the innovation of museum studies and practices via offering open libraries, conferences, courses, workshops, scholarships, awards and educational laboratories (MoMA, 2020MoMA. (2020). Research and learning. Retrieved from: www.moma.org/research-and-learning/# (accessed 6 July 2020)
www.moma.org/research-and-learning/#...
; Tate, 2020Tate. (2020). Tate research. Retrieved from: www.tate.org.uk/research (accessed 6 July 2020).
www.tate.org.uk/research...
; Van Gogh Museum, 2020Van Gogh Museum. (2020). Van Gogh museum academy. Retrieved from: www.vangoghmuseum.nl/en/about/knowledge-and-research/academy (accessed 6 July 2020).
www.vangoghmuseum.nl/en/about/knowledge-...
).

From a marketing perspective, the museum Product is the overall experience provided to the visitor. Thus, the product is the intangible emotions, sociability and learning the museums promote, which cannot be stocked (explicitly demonstrated through the financial losses incurred during the COVID-19 lockdowns); and is inseparable from the People (the fifth P), including the frontline staff (receiving, instructing, guarding) and the back-office team (administration, curatorship, maintenance).

While a museum’s core offering refers to its collections and exhibits, the expanded product includes a myriad of items and activities, such as events (courses, lectures), artistic presentations (music, films, performances), cafeterias and restaurants and gift stores and souvenirs (McLean, 2003McLean, F. (2003). Marketing the museum, New York, NY: Routledge.). The presence and quality of the support services, facilities and infrastructure components (toilets, cloakroom, seating, parking, lighting, signage, audiovisual guides, etc.) are as important as the exhibitions and contribute to the satisfaction of visitors (Falk & Dierking, 1992Falk, J., & Dierking, L. (1992). The museum experience. Washington, DC: Whalesback Books., Chapter 6). Following the advances in information and communication technologies (ICTs), museums are integrating augmented reality, virtual reality, games, mobile applications (apps) and other interactive equipment to the visitor’s experience design, which has been of emerging interest to researchers and museum professionals (Loureiro, Guerreiro, & Ali, 2020Loureiro, S.M.C., Guerreiro, J., & Ali, F. (2020). 20 Years of research on virtual reality and augmented reality in tourism context: A text-mining approach. Tourism Management, 77, 104028, doi: 10.1016/j.tourman.2019.104028.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2019.1...
).

Traditionally, the museum experience occurs in the physical headquarters (the Place, which is highly intertwined with the museum Product) and its branches – in the case of expansions or franchises. The building is a valued feature, particularly after the success of the Guggenheim Bilbao museum, which opened in 1997 and led to the “Guggenheim Effect” or “Bilbao Effect” (Rybczynski, 2002Rybczynski, W. (2002). The bilbao effect. The Atlantic Monthly, pp. 138–142. Retrieved from: www.geocities.ws/mitchellmosesstudio/rybcz.pdf
www.geocities.ws/mitchellmosesstudio/ryb...
). With its iconic architecture, the museum has become a recognized tourist attraction, bringing over one million visitors (and millions of euros) to the region annually and transforming a decadent port city into an example of urban regeneration through cultural tourism (Plaza, Tironi, & Haarich, 2009Plaza, B., Tironi, M., & Haarich, S.N. (2009). Bilbao’s art scene and the “Guggenheim Effect” revisited. European Planning Studies, 17(11), 1711–1729, doi: 10.1080/09654310903230806.
https://doi.org/10.1080/0965431090323080...
).

The digital channels, initially developed to support and improve the physical visits (e.g. information on schedules, address, prices, programming, maps, booking and ticket sales), are today an important part of the museum–public interaction and also provide exclusive online services, including information about the collection and exhibitions, interactive games and distance learning courses (Hume & Mills, 2011Hume, M., & Mills, M. (2011). Building the sustainable iMuseum: Is the virtual museum leaving our museums virtually empty? International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing, 16(3), 275–289, doi: 10.1002/nvsm.425.
https://doi.org/10.1002/nvsm.425...
). When appropriately designed, used and tested, websites and mobile applications foster interest in museums, increasing the number of visitors and creating unique experiences (Kabassi, 2017Kabassi, K. (2017). Evaluating websites of museums: State of the art. Journal of Cultural Heritage, 24, 184–196, doi: 10.1016/j.culher.2016.10.016.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.culher.2016.10...
).

As the only mode of visiting during the pandemic, the online Place is a faster and safer alternative, allowing the public to explore the museum in a photographic or 3D reconstruction and to shop at the online store, any time of the day, from anywhere in the world. Although not yet universally available, nor equally adopted by museums, the digital presence has become mandatory and normative, configuring the era of the postdigital museum (Parry, 2013Parry, R. (2013). The end of the beginning: Normativity in the postdigital museum. Museum Worlds, 1(1), 24–39, doi: 10.3167/armw.2013.010103.
https://doi.org/10.3167/armw.2013.010103...
).

Given that museums are non-profit organizations with a social function, establishing the Price – the cost of the museum experience to the visitors – encompasses educational and cultural policies, economic viability and perceived value of the museum. Recent studies have emphasized that the entrance fee of a museum does not radically alter the profile of visitors (Rushton, 2017Rushton, M. (2017). Should public and nonprofit museums have free admission? A defence of the membership model. Museum Management and Curatorship, 32(3), 200–209, doi: 10.1080/09647775.2016.1263969.
https://doi.org/10.1080/09647775.2016.12...
), whereas others have maintained that free admission is vital for a more diverse and fair access and increases the attendance rates of paid museums within the same area (Cellini & Cuccia, 2018Cellini, R., & Cuccia, T. (2018). How free admittance affects charged visits to museums: An analysis of the Italian case. Oxford Economic Papers, 70(3), 680–698, doi: 10.1093/oep/gpy011.
https://doi.org/10.1093/oep/gpy011...
). Between the two extremes, strategic pricing based on segmentation is a useful tool for balancing accessibility and the financial demands of museums (Rentschler, Hede, & White, 2007Rentschler, R., Hede, A.-M., & White, T.R. (2007). Museum pricing: Challenges to theory development and practice. International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing, 12(2), 163–173, doi: 10.1002/nvsm.289.
https://doi.org/10.1002/nvsm.289...
). This could include, for example, granting the admission of students, retired individuals and members from vulnerable social strata (socio-demographic segmentation); creating annual membership programs for repeated visits (behavioral segmentation); and charging additional fees from those who opt for special attractions and services (psychographic segmentation), such as the opening of temporary exhibitions, light shows, skip-the-line tickets, etc.

ICTs have also changed the way museums relate with the audiences through the Promotion: besides the traditional advertising, promotional activation, public relations (PR) and direct marketing, museums can explore the interactive modes of communication and interaction with the public, such as through social media, (video) blogs and apps, among others. In today’s hyper-connected world, organizations are no longer the only big disseminator of information about themselves and their offerings; consumers, tourists and citizens are co-creators of the brand meanings and experience through commenting, reviewing and sharing opinions and stories (Swaminathan, Sorescu, Steenkamp, O’Guinn, & Schmitt, 2020Swaminathan, V., Sorescu, A., Steenkamp, J.-B.E.M., O’Guinn, T.C.G., & Schmitt, B. (2020). Branding in a hyperconnected world: Refocusing theories and rethinking boundaries. Journal of Marketing, 84(2), 24–46, doi: 10.1177/0022242919899905.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0022242919899905...
). It is no different with museum brands.

Museums and their audiences co-construct each other (Gronemann, Kristiansen, & Drotner, 2015Gronemann, S.T., Kristiansen, E., & Drotner, K. (2015). Mediated co-construction of museums and audiences on Facebook. Museum Management and Curatorship, 30(3), 174–190, doi: 10.1080/09647775.2015.1042510.
https://doi.org/10.1080/09647775.2015.10...
): while visitors rethink and reaffirm their identity narratives, e.g. via selfies with works of art (Kozinets, Gretzel, & Dinhopl, 2017Kozinets, R., Gretzel, U., & Dinhopl, A. (2017). Self in art/self as art: Museum selfies as identity work. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 731, doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00731.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00731...
), museums use interactive, transmedia storytelling (Mateos-Rusillo & Gifreu-Castells, 2018Mateos-Rusillo, S.M., & Gifreu-Castells, A. (2018). Transmedia storytelling and its natural application in museums. Curator: The Museum Journal, 61(2), 301–313, doi: 10.1111/cura.12252.
https://doi.org/10.1111/cura.12252...
) to attract and engage the internal and external public, redefining their purpose, use and relevance (Nielsen, 2017Nielsen, J.K. (2017). Museum communication and storytelling: Articulating understandings within the museum structure. Museum Management and Curatorship, 32(5), doi: 10.1080/09647775.2017.1284019.
https://doi.org/10.1080/09647775.2017.12...
). A recent example of the co-creative bonding are the Instagram and Facebook pages depicting photographic recreations of famous art pieces (e.g. @tussenkunstenquarantaine) produced and posted by people during the social isolation period of COVID-19. Some of the superstar museums have embraced the idea and encourage followers to continue the practice (Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2020Metropolitan Museum of Art. (2020). #mettwinning hashtag on Instagram. Retrieved from: www.instagram.com/explore/tags/mettwinning/ (accessed 19 November 2020)
www.instagram.com/explore/tags/mettwinni...
; Rijksmuseum, 2020Rijksmuseum. (2020). We love this stay at home challenge! Instagram account “between art and quarantine. Retrieved from: www.facebook.com/rijksmuseum/posts/ken-je-deze-stay-at-home-challenge-al-het-instagram-account-tussen-kunst-en-quar/10163090212705177/ (accessed 19 November 2020)
www.facebook.com/rijksmuseum/posts/ken-j...
).

3. Social marketing applied to the problems faced by museums

As discussed, the problem of low cultural participation in museums can be addressed via SM programs that focus on changing the behavior of the downstream, midstream and upstream targets. A comprehensive intervention framework, that integrates the three interdependent approaches, is presented below (Table 3).

Table 3.
SM intervention framework to overcome the problems faced by museums

The downstream approach can be used to design and implement SM interventions intended to change the behavior of individuals that rarely or never visit museums, especially those in social minority groups. This approach has the most theoretical and empirical background since it targets the same audience as museum marketing (Section 2.4), which is a 50-year-old sub-discipline. Besides, the majority of research and cases on the use of marketing for social causes is focused in the downstream approach, such as segmentation strategy (Walsh, Hassan, Shiu, Andrews, & Hastings, 2010Walsh, G., Hassan, L.M., Shiu, E., Andrews, J.C., & Hastings, G. (2010). Segmentation in social marketing: Insights from the European union’s multi-country, antismoking campaign. European Journal of Marketing, 44(7/8), 1140–1164, doi: 10.1108/03090561011047562.
https://doi.org/10.1108/0309056101104756...
), branding (Keller, 1998Keller, K.L. (1998). Branding perspectives on social marketing. In J.W. Alba, & J.W. Hutchinson (Eds.), Advances in consumer research (Vol. 25, pp. 299–302). Provo, UT: Association for Consumer Research.; McDivitt, 2003McDivitt, J. (2003). Is there a role for branding in social marketing. Social Marketing Quarterly, 9(3), 11–17, doi: 10.1080/15245000309111.
https://doi.org/10.1080/15245000309111...
; Naidoo & Abratt, 2018Naidoo, C., & Abratt, R. (2018). Brands that do good: Insight into social brand equity. Journal of Brand Management, 25(1), 3–13, doi: 10.1057/s41262-017-0072-2.
https://doi.org/10.1057/s41262-017-0072-...
), product (Edgar et al., 2017Edgar, T., Huhman, M., & Miller, G. A. (2017). Where is the toothpaste? A systematic review of the use of the product strategy in social marketing. Social Marketing Quarterly, 23(1), 80–98, doi: 10.1177/1524500416678586.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1524500416678586...
) and communication strategy (Key & Czaplewski, 2017Key, T.M., & Czaplewski, A.J. (2017). Upstream social marketing strategy: An integrated marketing communications approach. Business Horizons, 60(3), 325–333, doi: 10.1016/j.bushor.2017.01.006.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2017.01...
; Thackeray, Neiger, Hanson, & Mckenzie, 2008Thackeray, R., Neiger, B.L., Hanson, C.L., & Mckenzie, J.F. (2008). Enhancing promotional strategies within social marketing programs: Use of web 2.0 social media. Health Promotion Practice, 9(4), 338–343, doi: 10.1177/1524839908325335.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1524839908325335...
). However, most exemplary examples of SM are applied to public health.

Despite its advantages, downstream SM interventions will face complex social problems, such as socioeconomic inequality, which are associated with low cultural participation (Falk & Katz-Gerro, 2016Falk, M., & Katz-Gerro, T. (2016). Cultural participation in Europe: Can we identify common determinants? Journal of Cultural Economics, 40(2), 127–162, doi: 10.1007/s10824-015-9242-9.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10824-015-9242-...
). Recent studies and successful practices in increasing attendance rates indicate that museums should be oriented to the needs and expectations of visitors, offering welcoming, supportive, engaging and rewarding environments for fun, socialization and learning (Black, 2018Black, G. (2018). Meeting the audience challenge in the ‘age of participation’. Museum Management and Curatorship, 33(4), 302–319, doi: 10.1080/09647775.2018.1469097.
https://doi.org/10.1080/09647775.2018.14...
). Museums should also reinvent themselves as participatory platforms (Simon, 2010Simon, N. (2010). The participatory museum. Museum 2.0.) and as a social space for the circulation and co-creation of content and experiences before, during, and after the visit (Antón, Camarero, & Garrido, 2018Antón, C., Camarero, C., & Garrido, M.-J. (2018). Exploring the experience value of museum visitors as a co-creation process. Current Issues in Tourism, 21(12), 1406–1425, doi: 10.1080/13683500.2017.1373753.
https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2017.13...
). This new orientation would require a change in the paradigm of museum management.

To make such a change feasible, this paper also proposes midstream SM interventions, dedicated to influencing the behaviors of organizations and their staff – in this case, directors, managers, curators and other museum professionals – whose performance is fundamental to the (co-) creation and communication of museum services, together with and for the public (Wood, 2016Wood, M. (2016). Midstream social marketing and the co-creation of public services. Journal of Social Marketing, 6(3), 277–293, doi: 10.1108/JSOCM-05-2015-0025.
https://doi.org/10.1108/JSOCM-05-2015-00...
). Here, the objective is to encourage museums to adapt and apply marketing strategies and tactics to their needs, while taking into consideration the specificities of the museum as a cultural phenomenon as well as contemporary social issues. This can be achieved through marketing courses, seminars and workshops in partnership with higher education museology institutions and museum organizations, such as ICOM, Network of European Museum Organizations, the American Alliance of Museums and the Brazilian Institute of Museums, among others.

The primary barrier to changing the midstream behavior are the intrinsic differences between marketing and museology, which result in distinctive standpoints and forms of action. For example, what marketing usually calls “consumer,” museology calls “visitor” or “audience,” whereas marketing focuses on the process of exchange between the museum and its stakeholders (e.g. STP strategy and the 4 Ps), museology dedicates its efforts to the other museum’s traditional activities (acquisition, conservation, research) in addition to exhibition and dissemination to the public. Moreover, as discussed earlier, marketing is not fully accepted in the museological practice.

Confirming the need for a midstream intervention, the museum sector has been organizing an increasing number of projects and training courses. Notable examples include “Digital skills for museum professionals” (MuSA, 2017MuSA. (2017). Museum of the future: Insights and reflections from 10 international museums. In D. Sturabotti, & R. Surace (Eds) Roma: Symbola. Retrieved from: www.project-musa.eu/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/MuSA-Museum-of-the-future.pdf
www.project-musa.eu/wp-content/uploads/2...
, funded by the European Commission), “Museum branding” (MuSEAum, 2018MuSEAum. (2018). Museus de mar de Portugal. Retrieved from: www.museaum.pt/rececao/ (accessed 6 May 2020).
www.museaum.pt/rececao/...
, in Portugal), “Attracting underrepresented minority audiences” (Open Up Museums, 2017Open Up Museums. (2017). A practical guide to support museums to increase the diversity of their visitors, Ludlow: Open Up Museums. Retrieved from: www.openupmuseums.com
www.openupmuseums.com...
, in the United Kingdom) and “Environmental, economic, cultural and social sustainability of museums” (Ibermuseus, 2020Ibermuseus. (2020). Sustentabilidade de museus: Inovando práticas e contribuindo Para o futuro. Retrieved from: www.ibermuseos.org/pt/recursos/noticias/sustentabilidade-de-museus-inovando-praticas-e-contribuindo-para-o-futuro
www.ibermuseos.org/pt/recursos/noticias/...
, in Ibero-American countries).

Finally, upstream SM interventions are also required to mitigate low participation in museums, since the approach focuses on influencing the behavior of decision-makers and regulators at the local, regional and national levels. This is a difficult-to-access audience, whose decision-making processes are conditioned by self-interest, rules and incentives, power relations, ideals and political parties, public opinion and media interference (Souza, 2006Souza, C. (2006). Public policies: A literature review. Sociologias. Instituto de Filosofia e Ciencias Humanas-UFRGS, doi: 10.1590/s1517-45222006000200003.
https://doi.org/10.1590/s1517-4522200600...
). In addition, investigating and implementing SM programs under this approach is likely to require studies in political science and public law, among other fields.

For the upstream target, which includes politicians, and commissioned officials of the arts and cultural sector, the most valuable benefits to encourage them to change their behaviors (e.g. stop cutting funds to arts and culture) would be their (re)election or (re)nomination to the position of interest. However, no SM program can guarantee these results in political arenas. PR and collective mobilization actions – including in its digital, informational and media version, i.e. net-activism (Di Felice, 2013Di Felice, M. (2013). Being networks: The digital formism of net-activist movements. Matrizes, 7(2), doi: 10.11606/issn.1982-8160.v7i2p49-71.
https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.1982-8160....
) – may influence the public opinion and, therefore, indirectly impact upstream behavior (Gordon, 2013Gordon, R. (2013). Unlocking the potential of upstream social marketing. European Journal of Marketing, 47(9), 1525–1547, doi: 10.1108/EJM-09-2011-0523.
https://doi.org/10.1108/EJM-09-2011-0523...
). Pro-museum campaigns can also be carried out through lobbying (advocacy with decision-makers) for the promotion of ideas, interests and claims in democratic regimes (Santos, Mancuso, Baird, & Resende, 2017Santos, M.L., Mancuso, W.P., Baird, M.F., & Resende, C.A.DS. (2017). Lobbying no Brasil: Profissionalização, estratégias e influência. Rio de Janeiro. Retrieved from: www.ipea.gov.br/portal/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=31110
www.ipea.gov.br/portal/index.php?option=...
).

The three approaches, described separately, should be considered holistically, with synergetic and recursive effects. Effective upstream interventions (aiming towards pro-culture resolutions on public contributions from the decision-makers) support and improve downstream programs (with political and financial resources) dedicated to increasing the interest in museums and the visitation rates. Conversely, an effective downstream intervention increases the perceived value of the museum among citizens, who will mobilize the society and pressure the decision-makers to invest resources in museums. Additionally, an effective midstream intervention (intended for the optimum adaptation and adoption of marketing techniques in museum management) bridges the gap between upstream and downstream programs, allowing better employment of the political and financial resources (from the upstream level) in downstream programs.

4. Conclusion

Twenty years ago, Castells (2001)Castells, M. (2001). Museums in the information era: Cultural connectors of time and space. In R. Parry, (Ed.) ICOM news (Vol. 54, pp. 4–7). London & New York, NY: Routledge. warned that “museums can become mausoleums of historical culture reserved for the pleasure of a global elite or they can respond to the challenge and become cultural connectors for a society which no longer knows how to communicate.” With the current lack of interest and low museum attendance rates, activists, artists, curators, managers and researchers know that the survival of museums depends on their ability to reconnect with the public. This can be achieved by a rethinking of public cultural policies, museum management models and the role of the museums in the contemporary society. Furthermore, with the pandemic, this realignment has gained global urgency (UNESCO, 2020UNESCO. (2020). Museums around the world: In the face of covid-19, Paris. Retrieved from: https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000373530
https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf...
).

As a conceptual work, this paper meets this urgency through the identification, discussion and interconnection of multidisciplinary and state-of-the-art literature in SM, museum marketing, museology and cultural policies. Due to its introductory nature, the study provides a comprehensive intervention framework, to be used as a platform for future work (Table 3). Further theoretical and empirical research may expand on the specificities of each approach (down, mid, and upstream) and extend the framework to other cultural institutions beyond museums, such as libraries and archives, cultural heritage sites and theater, music and dance companies.

Additionally, researchers can study on the cognitive (body of knowledge, tools and goals), normative (norms and values implied and/or to be created) and instrumental dimensions (guidelines of implementation and evaluation) (Santos, 2019Santos, C.O. (2019). A national policy process on social marketing. Journal of Social Marketing, 9(1), 5–25, doi: 10.1108/JSOCM-03-2018-0032.
https://doi.org/10.1108/JSOCM-03-2018-00...
) of SM when applied to the nonprofit arts and culture sector. For instance, in the downstream approach, further research could help gain insight into the participation in the arts and culture, such as the needs and motivations of infrequent visitors and non-visitors when searching for and choosing educational and entertaining activities; the perceived value and relevance of the arts and culture in a particular community or region; and using new tactical tools, such as influencer marketing, gamification and social media storytelling, in increasing individuals’ interest in museums and cultural activities.

In the midstream approach, novel SM investigations could map the adoption or rejection of marketing techniques in museum management and curatorship; clarify norms-/values-based impediments and incentives for the complete integration of museology and marketing; and guide museum professionals to develop and manage strong brands.

Further studies in the upstream approach could examine the regulatory and technical structures of the arts and cultural sector that need to be addressed in a SM intervention; the moral, ethical and legal aspects of persuasive appeals to be used to influence politicians, policymakers and regulators; and how to implement and monitor SM programs intended to change the system structure beyond changing the behavior of decision-makers at the individual level and changing cultural policies, social norms and cultural values.

Conclusively, this work provides a starting point for the holistic application of SM in the arts and culture sector. Moreover, it encourages researchers, cultural policymakers and cultural heritage professionals to develop SM programs that better understand, expand and diversify the audience and strengthen the legitimacy and relevance of cultural actors and activities to transform them into inclusive, accessible and sustainable institutions.

References

Publication Dates

  • Publication in this collection
    04 Oct 2021
  • Date of issue
    Jul-Sep 2021

History

  • Received
    31 Aug 2020
  • Reviewed
    05 Nov 2020
  • Reviewed
    06 Apr 2021
  • Reviewed
    16 Apr 2021
  • Accepted
    23 Apr 2021
Universidade de São Paulo Avenida Professor Luciano Gualberto, 908, sala F184, CEP: 05508-900, São Paulo , SP - Brasil, Telefone: (11) 3818-4002 - São Paulo - SP - Brazil
E-mail: rausp@usp.br