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A Systematic Review of Museum Marketing Research: Key Insights and Future Research Directions

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  • Tanja Komarac

    (University of Zagreb Faculty of Economics and Business)

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the current state of knowledge in the field of museum marketing. More precisely, the paper is aimed at investigating: 1) the advancements in the field of museum marketing and 2) the museum visitor experience as a key related concept. It seeks to identify potential obstacles hindering research and provide future research priorities. Design/Methodology/Approach – Data based on 1,153 papers from the Web of Science (Core Collection) database was subjected to bibliographic analysis using the VOSviewer (1.60) tool. For the purpose of systematic review, 65 papers were analyzed using ASReview LAB. The paper follows the PRISMA 2020 protocol for reporting systematic literature reviews. Findings and implications – The results of the bibliographic analysis reveal the complexities of the museum marketing field, which is studied in different fields outside marketing. The evident importance highlighted is that of tourism marketing journals, heritage, and arts management journals. Also, there are apparent clusters of collaboration among authors, as well as co-occurrence among author keywords used in the papers. The results of the systematic analysis identified six categories of the current research: 1) museum visitors, 2) technology in museum, 3) museum services, 4) learning and education, 5) authenticity, and 6) social media. Limitation – The limitations are related to the analysis period (from 1994 to 2024) since a few scientific papers were published before that period. Only data from the Web of Science (Core Collection) available in English was used. Also, the analysis relies on ASReview, which is a Python-based software. Originality – The paper provides the first systematic insight into thirty years of research in the museum marketing field.

Suggested Citation

  • Tanja Komarac, 2025. "A Systematic Review of Museum Marketing Research: Key Insights and Future Research Directions," Tržište/Market, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Zagreb, vol. 37(1), pages 109-134.
    • Handle: RePEc:zag:market:v:37:y:2025:i:1:p:109-134
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Mariapina Trunfio & Salvatore Campana, 2020. "A visitors’ experience model for mixed reality in the museum," Current Issues in Tourism, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(9), pages 1053-1058, May.
    2. Tanja Komarac, 2014. "A New World for Museum Marketing? Facing the Old Dilemmas while Challenging New Market Opportunities," Tržište/Market, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Zagreb, vol. 26(2), pages 199-214.
    3. Mariapina Trunfio & Salvatore Campana & Adele Magnelli, 2020. "Measuring the impact of functional and experiential mixed reality elements on a museum visit," Current Issues in Tourism, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(16), pages 1990-2008, August.
    4. Choi, Hee-soo & Kim, Sang-heon, 2017. "A content service deployment plan for metaverse museum exhibitions—Centering on the combination of beacons and HMDs," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 37(1), pages 1519-1527.
    5. Carmen Antón & Carmen Camarero & María-José Garrido, 2018. "Exploring the experience value of museum visitors as a co-creation process," Current Issues in Tourism, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 21(12), pages 1406-1425, August.
    6. Yves Evrard & Anne Krebs, 2018. "The authenticity of the museum experience in the digital age: the case of the Louvre," Journal of Cultural Economics, Springer;The Association for Cultural Economics International, vol. 42(3), pages 353-363, August.
    7. Jia Li & Xian-Feng Tu & Jin-Wei Nie & Jing Ye & Chan Lv, 2024. "Visitors’ Acceptance of Wearable AR Technology in Museums," SAGE Open, , vol. 14(4), pages 21582440241, December.
    8. Elodie Jarrier & Dominique Bourgeon-Renault, 2012. "Impact of Mediation devices on the Museum Visit Experience and on Visitors' Behavioural Intentions," Post-Print hal-02139835, HAL.
    9. Elodie Jarrier & Dominique Bourgeon-Renault, 2012. "Impact of Mediation Devices on the Museum Visit Experience and on Visitors' Behavioural Intentions," Post-Print halshs-01288238, HAL.
    10. Lamberto Zollo & Riccardo Rialti & Anna Marrucci & Cristiano Ciappei, 2022. "How do museums foster loyalty in tech-savvy visitors? The role of social media and digital experience," Current Issues in Tourism, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 25(18), pages 2991-3008, September.
    11. Sheng, Chieh-Wen & Chen, Ming-Chia, 2012. "A study of experience expectations of museum visitors," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 33(1), pages 53-60.
    12. Tanja Komarac & Đurđana Ozretić Došen, 2022. "Discovering the determinants of museum visitors’ immersion into experience: the impact of interactivity, expectations, and skepticism," Current Issues in Tourism, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 25(22), pages 3675-3693, November.
    13. Yongzhong Yang & Shuangji Liu & Xiaoting Song, 2023. "The Co-creation of Museum Experience Value From the Perspective of Visitor Motivation," SAGE Open, , vol. 13(4), pages 21582440231, October.
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