Marketing approach for community engagement: Lessons from adults-only museum program development

This research examines the use of marketing approaches for museums to achieve the missions of community service and audience-building through the case of the adults-only night program at the Museum of Texas Tech University. In an effort to increase visitor numbers and serve a neglected audience segment, the museum developed the target audience-oriented program. The program development process demonstrated the positive relationship between marketing approach and community engagement that succeeded in community empowerment. This study suggests that the market-oriented approach can be strategic for community-engagement program development and supports the participatory process and the meaningful outcome of a program that serves to solve the organization’s challenges, the support museum’s mission, and promote resources and network-building in the community.