Museum branding: challenges and strategies beyond works of art: a pilot study in Italy

Objectives. This paper aims at understanding connections between branding strategies and practices and economic performances of museums in Italy. This pilot study investigates a sample of 15 museum. Design/methodology /approach. Thanks to 2016’s accounting data of a sample of 15 Italian museum, a ward cluster analysis was conducted considering branding efforts and economic performances. The result of this quantitative step was then combined with in-depth interviews with museum’s director belonging to the sample. Findings. Results provided evidence of two poles: Experts and Beginners. These two poles confirm that the higher is the intensity of branding, the higher will be revenues from sources other than public financing such as admissions, private contributions and other ancillary revenues. Research limits. As limitation, the sample must be considered. Indeed, it consists of 15 top Italian museums. Other issues could stem the short-term investigation period. Nevertheless, results do provide evidence of the importance of branding museums. Practical implications. The paper provides an overview of economic consequences of museum branding. This gives evidence of how the cultural sector is evolving. In a very competitive arena, branding is a pivotal strategy in order to diversify and maximise economic performance. This managerial approach has become much more compelling in the austere and challenging circumstances of the last decade. Originality of the study. The topic of museum branding is quite new in the Italian panorama, and the paper outlines a framework, in order to understand better these economic players struggling with new challenges from a managerial standpoint.