1. 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

2. i
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

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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

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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”.

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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.

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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 WITHTHE ADOPTION OF EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING IN SMALL ART MUSEUMS
.................................................................................................................................................................................11
4.3 TATE ART MUSEUMS.............................................................................................................................12
4.4 SYNOPSIS.....................................................................................................................................................12
5.0 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS ....................ERROR!BOOKMARK NOTDEFINED.
6.0 BIBLIOGRAPHY.........................................................................................................................................15
7.0 APPENDIX 1 RECOMMENDATIONS OUTLINE................................................................................18

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8. 1
1.0 ResearchQuestion 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,

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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).

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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

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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).

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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.

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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.

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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

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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

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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 ResearchConsiderations
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

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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,

18. 11
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).

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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.

20. 13
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.

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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.

22. 15
6.0 Bibliography
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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.