The Path to Loyalty Among Theater Patrons: The Importance of Interaction and a Sense of Brand Community

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to understand to what extent a theater serves as a focal point for community development, and whether that sense of community leads to more loyal patrons who are more likely to attend shows and donate to the theater. Additionally, the authors wanted to know to what extent interaction between patrons and personnel contribute to this sense of community. Our results support the view that the theater is a focal point for community development, and emphasizes the importance of interaction for a sense of community with the theater. Consequently, this sense of community contributes to a sense of loyalty towards the theater, and the associated consumer behavior (attendance, donations). Managerial implications are that theater managers are encouraged to allow for extensive interaction between patrons, and between staff and patrons, before and after the show, so patrons can develop a sense of community towards the theater.

Insight Into Adult Classic Theatre Audiences’ Perceptions and Behaviour

“…In smaller, less developed areas like Eastern Croatia and Osijek Baranja county theatre management is rather challenging. It often depends on the ability of a theatre to create a lineup of (commercially oriented) performances that have a wider audience appeal, and thus are able to attract larger audiences (Shaomian and Heere [35] ). At the same time, the status of national theatre house defines "quality standards" for yearly production, meaning that the majority of the program has to include performances of nationally and internationally recognized cultural values.…”

The Role of Brand Community in Creating Loyalty

“…Brand loyalty among marketing scholars can be seen as something special where consumers have a great psychological bond to the brand entity they consume. The influence of competitors have the potential switching cost of the consumer choices but if consumers have a deep commitment, they will continue to repurchase products or services they have used before [6].…”

“…Loyalty could not be created by overnight [6]. Provides economic benefits such as coupons, discounts, free service programs is dificult to increase consumer loyalty in various ways.…”