The cultural marketing in the relational management: a preliminary Minho cultural approach
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abstract
The cultural sector is as complex and varied as the concept of culture itself. Building on the rapid and
profound technological changes of the early 21st century, creative economy has emerged, spurred by
globalisation and the rapid sharing of information. In Portugal, the cultural and creative sector is
experiencing growing momentum, thus making a positive contribution to increase the country’s
wealth and foster job creation. Therefore, this study aims to understand the importance of cultural
marketing to relationship management and customer loyalty. Particularly, it intends to learn how
relationships between the various stakeholders are established, and what kind of actions are
developed by cultural organisations to raise and retain public interest, as well as their impact. The
methodology used was a case study, which combines qualitative and quantitative approaches, based
on document analysis, semi-structured interviews, and a survey on cultural habits, all tied with the
Cartão Quadrilátero Cultural (CQC) [Quadrilateral Cultural Card]. Results seem to show that
general marketing principles have been adopted by cultural organisations due to the different
advantages they offer, namely, boosting funding sources, improving customer acquisition and loyalty,
and increasing brand value. From the answers provided by the 305 CQC-holding respondents that
constitute the study sample, one may conclude that there is satisfaction and loyalty, and 69% are
consumers-promoters. The present research focuses only on cultural equipment for the performing
arts, and therefore it does not cover other cultural sectors. It employs an interdisciplinary perspective,
with contributions to management (of cultural services) and marketing (i.e., cultural touring and
circulation of audiences). In order to further this study and facilitate the comparison of results, it
should be extended to other cultural sectors (e.g., museums). This study intends to contribute to the
development of scientific knowledge in the area of cultural and relationship marketing.
This work is funded by National Funds through the Foundation for Science and Technology under the
project UID/GES/04752/2019.
