Abstract
Festival organizations must often balance commercial and artistic priorities when providing a platform for creative expression and regional identity building. However, research on the complex relationship between festival brand metrics and visitor attendance is limited. This relationship is particularly relevant to local governments, tourism boards, and festival organizers because, without reach and visitors, regional branding and identity building are likely to fall on deaf ears. Using data collected from 136 Dutch music festivals, as well as hierarchical regression analysis, this study confirms that a balancing act is necessary with respect to brand popularity, brand similarity, and brand diversity and that being too unique as a festival brand can become a double-edged sword. This finding is particularly relevant because many festival organizers often highlight innovativeness and uniqueness in their requests for funding, regional marketing support, and community engagement. The implications for festival organizers, destination marketers, and local governments are discussed.
DOI
10.1080/0965254X.2018.1430055
Publication Date
2018-02-12
Publication Title
Journal of Strategic Marketing
Publisher
Taylor & Francis (Routledge)
ISSN
0965-254X
Embargo Period
2024-11-19
Recommended Citation
Lopez, C., & Leenders, M. (2018) 'Building a local identity through sellout crowds: the impact of brand popularity, brand similarity, and brand diversity of music festivals', Journal of Strategic Marketing, . Taylor & Francis (Routledge): Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/0965254X.2018.1430055
