THE ART OF SELLING THE ARTS: SHIFTING FRINGE ARTS STRATEGIC MARKETING TO THE DIGITAL SPHERE By Amy Elizabeth Nancarrow Submitted for the Doctor of Philosophy September 2020 The University of Adelaide Department of Media Faculty of Arts, School of Humanities Supervisors: Dr. Kathryn Bowd & Dr. Kim Barbour 1 For Lorna Elizabeth Noll, 18 May 1936 – 3 June 2020. “You’re ’right this way.” 2 Table of Contents Abstract ....................................................................................................................................................7 Thesis Declaration ....................................................................................................................................9 Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................10 Chapter 1: Understanding the Impact of Fringe Arts Festivals ...............................................................11 1.1 Cultural Theories ..........................................................................................................................13 1.1.1 Mass Culture .............................................................................................................................14 1.1.2 Hegemony & The Power of Culture...........................................................................................17 1.1.3 Adorno, Serious Art, and Mass Culture .....................................................................................21 1.1.4 Bourdieu’s Cultural Capital ........................................................................................................24 1.2 Becker’s Art Worlds ......................................................................................................................28 1.3 Defining Fringe .............................................................................................................................29 1.3.1 Criticisms of Fringe ...................................................................................................................31 1.4 The Edinburgh Festival Fringe .....................................................................................................31 1.5 The Edinburgh Fringe Society’s View of Itself ..............................................................................35 1.6 The Adelaide Fringe Festival .......................................................................................................37 1.7 The Adelaide Fringe’s View of Itself .............................................................................................38 1.8 Summary ......................................................................................................................................40 Chapter 2: Marketing and Brand Relationship Theoretical Framework ..................................................42 2.1 Marketing the Arts ........................................................................................................................42 2.2 The Marketing Mix ........................................................................................................................45 2.3 Digital & Social Media Marketing..................................................................................................52 2.3.1 Digital & Social Media ...............................................................................................................53 2.3.2 Social Media & The Social World ..............................................................................................57 2.4 Building Brand Relationships .......................................................................................................59 3 2.4.1 Fournier’s Brand Relationship Theory .......................................................................................63 2.4.2 Digital Media & Brand Relationships .........................................................................................65 2.4.3 Creating Brand Relationships between Festivals & Audiences .................................................67 Chapter 3: Research Methodology .........................................................................................................70 3.1 Research Aims ......................................................................................................................70 3.2 Methodological Framework ...................................................................................................71 3.2.1 Alternative & Previous Approaches to Research ......................................................................73 3.3 Sampling ......................................................................................................................................74 3.3.1 Interview Participant Recruitment..............................................................................................75 3.4 Ethics ...........................................................................................................................................79 3.4.1 Anonymity & Employment .........................................................................................................79 3.4.2 Overt Observation .....................................................................................................................80 3.4.3 Mitigating Potential Researcher Bias ........................................................................................80 3.4.4 Gathering Digital Data ...............................................................................................................81 3.5 Data Collection .............................................................................................................................81 3.5.1 Participant Observation Research & Fieldwork .........................................................................82 3.5.2 Constraints of Participant Observation Research .....................................................................84 3.5.3 Use of Participant Observation in Media Studies ......................................................................86 3.5.4 Analysis of Digital Content ........................................................................................................86 3.5.5 Interviews ..................................................................................................................................88 3.5.6 Constraints of Interviews ...........................................................................................................90 3.6 Data Interpretation .......................................................................................................................91 3.6.1 Data Triangulation .....................................................................................................................94 3.7 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................................95 Chapter 4: Participant Observation Research Results ...........................................................................96 4.1 The 2018 Edinburgh Festival Fringe ............................................................................................96 4 4.1.1 Made in Adelaide (in Edinburgh) .............................................................................................105 4.2 The 2019 Adelaide Fringe ..........................................................................................................106 Chapter 5: Interview Results ................................................................................................................116 5.1 The Participants .........................................................................................................................116 5.2 The Festivals ..............................................................................................................................117 5.2.1 Standing Out at Fringe Festivals .............................................................................................117 5.2.2 Exponential Growth of Festivalscapes ....................................................................................119 5.3 Marketing Strategies within the Edinburgh Fringe and Adelaide Fringe .....................................122 5.3.1 Fringe Marketing Strategy .......................................................................................................123 5.3.2 Challenges of Fringe Marketing ..............................................................................................126 5.3.4 The Fringe Communications Mix.............................................................................................127 5.3.5 Fringe Brand Identities ............................................................................................................130 5.4 Digital Marketing at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe & Adelaide Fringe Festival ..........................132 5.4.1 Connecting with Audiences .....................................................................................................132 5.4.2 Social Media Platforms & Their Use in Fringe Marketing ........................................................134 5.4.3 Platform Tools .........................................................................................................................137 5.4.4 Affordances & Constraints ......................................................................................................140