Augmenting Museum Communication Services to Create Young Audiences

Catalina-Ionela Rezeanu,Florin Nechita

doi:10.3390/su11205830

Catalina-Ionela Rezeanu, Florin Nechita

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/su11205830

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Journal: Sustainability	Publication Date: Oct 21, 2019
Citations: 15	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Transylvania University of Brașov

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to demonstrate how museums use Augmented Reality (AR) to enhance communication services with their audiences and attract new ones. Still, there is no definite answer to how young audiences perceive the educational effects of experiencing this augmented space of communication as an immersive medium. This study is based on a survey of 400 students after they visited an AR technology-enhanced exhibition held by a local history museum. Two stimulus–response marketing scale metrics, widely used to assess TV commercials, were adapted for AR experiences and validated. The mediation analysis revealed an intervening emotional mechanism, in which the multisensory AR experience has educational effects through entertainment and empathy. An improved stimulus–response empirical model is proposed, in which AR technologies, as environmental multisensory stimuli, produce cognitive responses through emotional immersion. The findings have significance in improving how museums encode their message using AR technologies as a secondary communication medium with young audiences. This study could help museum professionals and application developers to find AR implementation solutions as service tools to enhancing user experience by using a widely tested scale for evaluating TV commercials applied to measure AR experiences.

Highlights

Museum visitors have to be engaged with the collections through the creation of the right environment in order to enhance their understanding and appreciation [1]
The plot of this research was triggered by the fact that, for the first time in Romania, a local museum introduced a new Augmented Reality (AR) technology medium to their permanent exhibition in order to enhance visitors’ experiences and attract young audiences
In the service marketing field, the key role played by entertainment and emotion in comImn uthneicsaetrivoincewmitahrkceotninsugmfieelrds,itshleakrgeeylryoaleccpelpayteedd.bTyheunst,eirttwainasmdeenctiadnedd etomnoutiaonncienocuomr ampupnroicaacthiobny wdirtahwcoinngsuumpoenrstiws olamrgaerlykeatcincegpttheedo.rTethicuasl, mit owdaeslsd(esceiedeFdigtuornesua1nacnedo2u)r. aAppcoromabcihnbatyiodnramwoidnegluopf othne twfoourmraeraklmetisnogfthexeporeertieicnaclem[5o9d]elws a(sseperFoipgousreeds 1wainthdt2h)e

Summary

Introduction

Museum visitors have to be engaged with the collections through the creation of the right environment in order to enhance their understanding and appreciation [1] For this reason, museums have to adopt techniques from relational and experiential marketing fields to improve services with their audiences. The plot of this research was triggered by the fact that, for the first time in Romania, a local museum introduced a new AR technology medium to their permanent exhibition in order to enhance visitors’ experiences and attract young audiences. It proved not to be a major attraction for young audiences, as they are more focused on the future and less on understanding the past through “dated” artefacts Confronted with this communication barrier in delivering their message to young audiences, the museum staff decided to use modern technologies, such as AR/VR guided tools, to come closer to their actual and potential visitors

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Methods

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Conclusion