Page 49 - AC/E's Digital Culture Annual Report 2015

Inbound for the cultural worldMarta Rodríguez, @MartaRodriguezAOld marketing in the cultural worldI have read that back in 1967 Philip Kotler began examining in depth the importanceof cultural organisations (be they museums, concert halls, libraries or universities) managing to attract audiences and resources, and how this could be done with a fully articulate marketing plan.Around the same time, Colbert also spoke of the importance of realising that cultural objectives lie in inviting the greatest number of peopleto engage with the artist’s work and that the initial aim should not be economic, but to steer them towards learning about and appreciating the work – a task related to the dissemination and mediation of culture. Following this latter thought, several objectives can be identified withrespect to what I will discuss further on when referring to “conversion” in the cultural world:• The artist’s creativity: objective based on satisfaction from executing his/her work.• Recognition of colleagues and critics. • Making sales.Evidently the dissemination and mediation ofa cultural product such as a work of art should not be the same as selling the product with the aim of optimising profits. This is precisely the differentiating factor: if a product falls short of expectations, it is withdrawn from the market– something that does not happen in the case of cultural entities, especially museums (as Colbert explains).