Managing Visitor Experience in Museums: Aiming Towards Satisfaction Through Edutainment and Perceived Authenticity in Arts and Culture

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5755/j01.ee.35.4.30221

Keywords:

Visitor experience, Satisfaction, Perceived authenticity, Edutainment, Museums, SEM

Abstract

This paper demonstrates the value of edutainment and authenticity when managing the visitor experience and satisfaction with a service. The study concentrates on the specific type of services that are provided by museums. Drawing on the social cognitive theory, the paper explores the relationship between edutainment (defined as the combination of education and entertainment provided through interactive content) and the three components of the perceived authenticity of museum visitor experience, 1) the museum, 2) the visitor, 3) the materials. Including edutainment and hedonic expectations as antecedents, with satisfaction as an outcome, the paper proposes a new model of perceived authenticity of visitor experience. The model was tested on a sample of 313 museum visitors (in Croatia). The results revealed that edutainment (as a second-order construct) positively influences perceived authenticity. Also, hedonic expectations positively influence one out of three components of perceived authenticity of museum visitor experience, i.e. self-authenticity of the visitor, but there was no influence on the other two components – museum and materials. Finally, perceived authenticity positively influences visitor satisfaction. Our research provides useful insights to museum managers and service managers in general who should consider using edutainment as a strategic approach to managing the visitor experience and satisfaction.

Author Biographies

Tanja Komarac, Faculty of Economics & Business, University of Zagreb, Croatia

Tanja Komarac, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Marketing Department at the Faculty of Economics & Business, University of Zagreb, Croatia. Her research interests include arts marketing and management, experiential marketing, and mobile marketing in arts and culture. She has published papers in Current Issues in Tourism, International Journal of Arts Management, Museum Management and Curatorship, and other journals. She has also collaborated with museum professionals on successful museum projects.

Đurđana Ozretić Došen, Faculty of Economics & Business, University of Zagreb, Croatia

Đurđana Ozretić Došen, Ph.D., is a full professor in the Marketing Department at the Faculty of Economics & Business, University of Zagreb, Croatia. Her research interests include services marketing, brand management, and international marketing. She has published books, contributions to books, journal articles (e.g., in Current Issues in Tourism, Journal of Business Research, European Management Journal, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, International Journal of Arts Management, etc.), and conference proceedings. She frequently collaborates on projects to popularise science with different public and private institutions, including museums (Museum of Arts and Crafts in Zagreb, Museum of Contemporary Art Zagreb).

Vesna Žabkar, School of Economics and Business, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia

Vesna Žabkar, Ph.D., is a professor of marketing and former vice dean for research at the SEBLU- School of Economics and Business, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. She was a visiting scholar at Northwestern University (Fulbright Grant) and a visiting professor at the University of Vienna (Chair of International Marketing). Her research interests include the role of marketing within companies, sustainability, brand reputation, and cross-cultural consumer research. Prof. Zabkar is a member of the Boards of EAA (European Advertising Academy) and NIBES Secretary General (Network of International Business and Economic Schools) as well as a member of the executive committee of the European Marketing Academy (EMAC).

Additional Files

Published

2024-10-29

Issue

Section

Articles