An Exploratory Investigation into the Impact of Different Marketing Techniques on Consumer Engagement in UK Cultural Events and Club Culture

Abstract

The prevalence of social media interaction has transformed the way we experience the world and the people who inhabit it (Hruska and Maresova 2020). Although social media is a topic on which a vast wealth of research has been conducted, there is an apparent lack of literature comparing its use as a marketing tool to traditional techniques used by UK cultural events and club night promoters. Accordingly, this study aims to bridge the gap between the use of traditional marketing techniques in comparison to the increasingly apparent use of social media used in hope of achieving substantial consumer engagement and event longevity. Through the use of qualitative research methods this dissertation will contribute to the existing research on social media marketing whilst relating it specifically to the promotion of UK cultural events and club nights in exploration of consumer engagement, event production and event longevity. Qualitative research has been carried out through use of semi-structured interviews sampling event industry professionals in the Edinburgh area. Once collected, the data was categorised into potential themes by means of thematic analysis which would then be referred back to theoretical literature. Consequentially, the themes and analysis of this study were constructed and spotlighted in correlation with the stated aims and objectives of the project, which was to investigate the prevalence of social media marketing when compared to traditional techniques in UK cultural events. Conclusions of the study were clarified upon the analysis and comparison of the collected data in direct relation to the literature presented in the literature review. Conclusively, in the data collected participants showed an affinity for social media marketing when designing their promotional campaigns. However, homage was paid and admiration shared towards traditional techniques within the participants development of their marketing strategies. (Key words: social media, events, marketing, consumer engagement, digital media, event experience, event production, longevity)