Building the Relationship Between Cultural Institutions and Citizens of a Small City Divided by the Border

Abstract

In this paper, based on in-depth interviews carried out with 50 experts from the Polish and Czech sides of a small city divided by the border (known as Cieszyn in Polish and Český Těšín in Czech), the possibili-ties of adapting the concept of relationship marketing in cultural institutions are recognized. The con-ducted research shows that Polish and Czech managers of cultural institutions differ in terms of the key instruments of the marketing mix which should have a primary application at the stage of strengthening relations connecting cultural institutions with Polish and Czech recipients of the cultural offer. According to Polish experts the key instrument for building relationships is marketing communication, whereas in the opinion of Czech respondents these will be activities related to shaping the product.