The Development of Marketing in the Canadian Museum Community, 1840-1989

Abstract

Since the late 1960s, marketers have increasingly been interested in the application of marketing theories and practices to nonprofit and public organizations, including museums and art galleries. Although there has been some attempt on the part of marketing academics to understand the nature of museums and conduct research within museum environments, much of this work has failed to recognize the political context of museums and has tended to adopt an American or European focus. Canadian museums differ from their counterparts in the United States and Britain in the emphasis they place on the marketing of an idea: the sovereign nation. This article takes a chronological approach, detailing the social, economic, and political influences that have effected the development of marketing strategies from the beginning of the museum community in Canada in the early 1800s through the end of the 1980s.