The strategic role of electronic marketing in the Australian museum sector

Abstract

Issues such as whether museum websites are used for marketing purposes, and what role they play in a museum's broader marketing strategy, have relevance for theory and practice. Yet, little is written on museums and other cultural institutions within the electronic marketing literature. This paper explores the strategic role of electronic marketing in the Australian museum sector, taking a qualitative approach and using in-depth interviews with strategic and operational level staff from all the Australian state museums as a data source. Findings indicate that Australian state museums increasingly use their websites to communicate with their audiences in a marketing sense, with an emphasis, however, on a tactical rather than a strategic use. The success of an electronic marketing strategy appears to rest with the support and acceptance the technology has within the museum.