Any arts organization that wants to survive long term, must ensure a constant influx of new (young) audience. In their efforts, brand reputation and brand perception an art organization enjoys among its audience are especially important.
The following MA thesis turns the spotlight towards the audience. Based on a case study of Maribor Theatre Festival, we investigate the role of marketing communication on brand perception of the Festival in the minds of its young audience. We analyse Maribor Theatre Festival as a brand, its brand identity and development throughout its 50 years of history. The main aim of the thesis is to identify whether brand perception of the Festival among young audience coincides with its brand identity and the role of Festival’s marketing communication activities in this process. As part of our research we conducted an in-depth interviews with organization team which lead the Festival between 2009 and 2017, as well as interviews with two focus groups with high school students from the city of Maribor. In the thesis, we come to a conclusion that young audience indeed perceives Maribor Theatre Festival in accordance with its brand identity and that marketing communication is the most important factor in this process, especially its corporate visual identity.
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