| Abstract [eng] |
In the contemporary digital communication environment, traditional marketing tools are increasingly losing their effectiveness, particularly in the cultural and arts sector, where organizations compete not only with one another but also with a wide range of entertainment and leisure alternatives. Art festivals, which are inherently experience-based and value-driven cultural phenomena, face significant challenges in achieving visibility and audience engagement in social media environments characterized by information overload. In this context, guerrilla marketing emerges as a relevant and promising communication approach due to its emphasis on creativity, surprise, emotional impact, and low-budget implementation. The object of this Master’s thesis is the impact of guerrilla marketing on increasing the visibility of art festivals in social media. The main aim of the research is to analyse how guerrilla marketing strategies contribute to enhancing art festival awareness in social media platforms. To achieve this aim, the study pursues several objectives: to examine the concept, development, and key methods of guerrilla marketing; to reveal the specific characteristics of art festivals and their communication features in social media; to analyse the role of social media in increasing festival visibility; to develop a theoretical model of guerrilla marketing impact on art festival awareness in social media; to conduct an empirical study analysing the application of guerrilla marketing in art festival communication; and, based on the research results, to refine the proposed theoretical model. The methodological framework of the study consists of qualitative research methods. The theoretical part is based on a systematic analysis of Lithuanian and international academic literature addressing guerrilla marketing, consumer behaviour, social media communication, and festival studies. The empirical part employs a qualitative research design, including case studies and semi- structured interviews. Two art festival cases were analysed: the National Kaunas Drama Theatre festival “Nerk į teatrą” and the “Fluxus Festival” within the Kaunas 2022 programme. In addition, semi-structured interviews were conducted with cultural organization representatives and festival audiences in order to explore both strategic and experiential perspectives of guerrilla marketing practices. The research findings demonstrate that guerrilla marketing in the context of art festivals functions primarily through emotional impact, authenticity, creativity, and experiential value. These elements stimulate audience engagement, encourage user-generated content (UGC), and foster social identification with the festival, which together contribute to organic visibility growth in social media. The results reveal that festival awareness in social media is not a direct outcome of communication activities but rather an emergent effect arising from audience participation and interaction. Furthermore, the empirical findings led to the refinement of the original theoretical G-MAFS (Guerrilla Marketing for Arts Festivals in Social Media) model by introducing an additional variable – interactivity – as a crucial factor linking guerrilla marketing actions with audience engagement and content creation. The study contributes to the academic discourse by integrating guerrilla marketing theory with art festival communication and social media studies. From a practical perspective, the results provide valuable insights for cultural managers and festival organizers, highlighting the importance of interactive, authentic, and emotionally engaging guerrilla marketing strategies in enhancing art festival visibility in social media environments. |
