Experiential Marketing in the Performing Arts

This thesis explores the theory and practice of experiential marketing in the performing arts. It argues that in the performing arts, experiential marketing has two facets: marketing the whole experience of attending a performance, and marketing as an experience itself. Experiential marketing is about creating experiences that consumers want to be a part of. It is inherently part of the performing arts, because they are an experience in and of themselves. However, experiential marketing as a concrete concept has been underexplored in the performing arts in a formal manner. There is literature on experiential marketing in corporate marketing, but a lack of literature on its application in the performing arts. Experiential marketing connects marketing and programming. For patrons, it is all part of the same experience – from the moment of impact created by the organization’s marketing techniques to the moment they stop interacting with the organization after they return home.