Before rejecting marketing, you have to ask yourself (and understand) what it is. This deliberately provocative title allows us to ask the question frontally: is cultural marketing similar to the marketing of common consumer products?
There are two ways to approach marketing: that of traditional business enterprises and that of cultural organisations. In the first case, the goal is to identify consumer needs in order to offer them only what they want, even if it means adjusting the product or other elements of the marketing mix until the customer is satisfied.
In the case of cultural organisations, the process starts from the artist's vision, and the aim is to identify the group of consumers most likely to be interested in the work.Marketing in cultural organisations can be defined as follows: the art of reaching market segments likely to be interested in the product, by adjusting the variables of the marketing mix - price, distribution, and promotion - in order to bring the product into contact with a sufficient number of consumers and thus achieve objectives aligned with the organisation's mission.
François Colbert,
While marketing as a whole dates back to the Middle Ages, cultural marketing has existed for only a few decades. It emerged in the 1970s and is commonly distinguished from traditional marketing in the following way: in traditional marketing, a product is designed to match the desires of a defined target audience. Cultural marketing, by contrast, operates in the opposite direction. It aims to identify the audience most likely to match the characteristics of a work that was created without seeking to fulfil public demand.
Although this principle still holds in theory, there are cases where a cultural product is shaped by audience preferences. The most recent example is Netflix. The streaming platform, already known for analysing user behaviour in detail to guide its production and acquisition strategies, now appears to go even further. It reportedly simplifies storylines and dialogue in its programmes to match the habits of its audience - particularly the tendency to watch multiple screens at once (playing games, browsing social media, online shopping, etc.).
Nothing of this sort exists within publicly funded performing arts institutions. Nonetheless, they cannot do without marketing. These structures, whether public or private, also face economic challenges and need a business model. This model must be implemented through a strategic plan for the organisation, with operational objectives that are shared and measurable by all.
Marketing, in this context, serves as a set of tools to support and realise the institution's overall project.
1 Molly Jackman & Meghana Reddy (Netflix TechBlog), "Analytics At Neflix : Who We Are And What We Do (external link)", Medium, sept. 2020
2 Ralph Jones, "Not second screen enough’: is Netflix deliberately dumbing down TV so people can watch while scrolling? (external link)" The Guardian, jan. 2025
Like a captain on a ship equipped with various navigation instruments, marketing allows us to take multiple factors into account... The objective to reach, the environment, available resources, competition, the audience, and the team. Above all, it's about creating meaning and crafting a memorable cultural experience - revealing your cultural vision, rather than betraying it.
Cultural marketing is still widely misunderstood today and often rejected on principle. What is being rejected, through it, is in fact a certain worldview. And yet, behind the word "marketing" lies a myriad of techniques and tools that could help us better understand our audiences and become more precise in our communication and sales efforts. By rejecting the very idea of marketing, we deprive our projects and our teams of these valuable resources.
Because at the heart of marketing is knowing your audience. Marketing is inseparable from market or audience research - the foundation of all strategy. As François Colbert reminds us in his seminar on cultural marketing and in his many publications on the subject, "Marketing is not a Machiavellian way of selling people things they wouldn't otherwise buy. (...) In fact, marketing success lies in the principle that an organisation seeks to meet an existing need among consumers."
It is precisely by responding to insights derived from studies on individual needs and behaviours that a marketing strategy is developed - and that strategy is entirely in service of the project.
This is why it is incorrect to think that the tools of cultural marketing are incompatible with the purpose of performing arts organisations. If the institutional project carries a public service mission, including goals of audience diversification, then this too will be the focus of the marketing strategy.
Too often, cultural venues approach marketing from the wrong angle: instead of building their strategies and practices on prior knowledge of their audience, they implement actions at the very end of the chain - actions that are consequently less effective and more time-consuming for the teams involved. This fundamental step of audience research and behavioural analysis remains underexplored in most venues, to the detriment of the actions themselves.
Live performance cannot be marketed like socks, for the simple reason that people don't buy tickets to a show the way they buy socks. Audience purchasing behaviours are very different, and the relational intent between the audience and the institution - in terms of attending a performance - could not be more distinct.
That said, we could very well take inspiration from what sock, sugar or entertainment retailers implement and invest in to enhance their customer experience. Because ultimately, it's also about care - care for the audience's attention, and about finding the right way to engage with them.
In a context where time and resources are limited, a well-defined marketing strategy, with clearly stated and achievable indicators, also enables better decision-making - and thus relieves pressure on teams. Strategic steering gives them the tools to evaluate their own work and increases their sense of satisfaction. When actions fall short, this approach also allows greater responsiveness and adjustment.
A marketing strategy, above all, is an institutional strategy. It goes far beyond questions of communication and sales: it concerns the organisation's relationship and political positioning, and its employer brand. The question of marketing is therefore central to the overall institutional project.
Marketing professionals cannot continue to do more with less - especially not more with less money and less time. While many arts and heritage organisations (particularly the larger ones) have harnessed the power of marketing, this is not always the case across the entire sector.
Marketing is still sometimes misunderstood or seen as a nice-to-have rather than as a core strategic function.
Although marketing departments are often under-resourced (and marketing budgets are typically among the first to be cut in difficult times), expectations of marketing can be unrealistic - for instance, "make us go viral."
It is therefore crucial for marketers to advocate for marketing internally - for example, by organising short training sessions for non-marketers within the organisation, involving other teams in brainstorming sessions, avoiding jargon in reports, finding allies throughout the organisation and on the board, and most importantly, by demonstrating the impact of marketing activities in achieving institutional goals and objectives.
Christina Lister,
Rights reserved: Anne Le Gall / TMNlab
Digital marketing can be used as a tool for cultural mediation. These tools can help promote both a performance with strong audience appeal and a more demanding artistic work. Both can be supported through digital marketing, provided that a differentiated approach is taken - in terms of target audience, messaging, identity, and the way the public is addressed.
The construction of such messages is fundamentally a matter of identity. As such, the marketing strategy serves an identity that integrates the question of cultural mediation. However, using these tools effectively requires a certain level of expertise, as targeted advertising and the use of social media demand technical proficiency and constant monitoring of trends and developments - whether in terms of sponsorship, paid media, or broader community management practices.
Marketing, sales, client... A widespread issue in the cultural sector is spending more time debating the words we use than examining the issues they contain.
In the cultural field, the word "marketing" long remained taboo, attracting negative attitudes from artists, academics, mediators, and even administrators, who rejected it - and who now view it with caution.
Dominique Bourgeon-Renault, Anne Gombault, Stéphane Debenedetti et Christine Petr,
What cultural institutions need today are shared tools and collective reflection to support cultural projects, maintain or improve the discoverability of artistic works, and ensure audience renewal. These controversies surrounding cultural marketing have existed for a long time, and while they are understandable, we believe they are ultimately unproductive.
It would be far more useful for theatres to start engaging with marketing tools and exploring the possibilities they offer.
Explore the topic through four main sections dedicated to the performing arts, from understanding key issues to strategic management.
This section helps you grasp how the performing arts sector is evolving in an increasingly data-driven world. Explore the sector's challenges and practices in data use, and discover why data is essential to your marketing strategies.
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Learn the fundamentals of data use in the performing arts. This section covers key concepts such as data regulations and how to use data from your ticketing system to better target your audience.
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To take things further, this section provides practical tools to implement advertising, audience targeting, and SEO techniques. Master the methods that will help you fully leverage data to optimize your online presence.
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Learn how to design and manage data-driven strategies. Discover how to define projects, oversee the rollout of tools, and articulate your needs for effective data management.
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For over 10 years, TMNlab has been supporting a French-speaking learning community of performing arts professionals to foster and promote a responsible digital culture. Want to learn more or contribute to this platform? Get in touch with us.
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