Digital media and traditional media in event marketing in the 21st century : an empirical study

Abstract

This study seeks to explore and illustrate the Maltese event marketing landscape with regards to the utilisation of traditional and digital media in different marketing strategies. The study presents a reconciliatory approach towards both media and suggests that both have considerable advantages in the 21st century. It also takes into account a number of influential factors such as market saturation, the proliferation of advertising content and a number of financial considerations. The study analyses various event marketing trends such as the adoption of online ticket platforms, the utilisation of influencer marketing and the rapidly growing social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram & TikTok, amongst others. Furthermore, the study attempts to assess the effectiveness of the different marketing tools and platforms, taking into account the relevant literature as well as the insights of the interview participants. The qualitative study applies eight semi-structured interviews held with active members of the local events industry. The collected data was categorised and analysed using Braun and Clarke’s (2006) Thematic Analysis approach. Most of the participants exhibited a number of recurring habits when utilising digital media. These include the essential publishing of the Facebook event, the adoption of online ticket platforms and the employment of influencer marketing, amongst others. The study also illustrates that event marketers and organisers do not shy away from utilising traditional media in their marketing strategies. Reasons for the latter include the targeting of audiences of different ages, utilisation of traditional media as shock advertising as well as using traditional media as a contender to the disarray of digital content. Findings from the interviews also highlight a considerable interest in the human resource, where event marketers strive to create an element of relatability in their content in order to establish a sense of community, which may ultimately contribute to ticket sales and event attendance.