Marketing conservation services

The proper conservation of cultural heritage is crucial to preserving the unique histories and qualities of different cultures that are fading with globalisation. In order to improve such conservation efforts, public awareness and participation must be raised and a more concrete relationship established between professional conservators and customers. The 'Marketing conservation services - A European manual' (COMAR EUROMAN) project has made such improvements through region-wide research and the creation of more effective marketing and communication tools.

This project built on another project concerning the empirical analysis of the Maltese heritage conservation market. The project's research endeavoured to determine whether the findings in Malta could be applied to conservation efforts across Europe. Specifically, the objectives were to broaden knowledge of the European conservation market and to create a theory and manual for marketing conservation services.

Research began with an extensive questionnaire, aiming to elucidate the interdependencies between numerous context-dependent factors affecting conservators' customer appeal. It was answered by 519 conservators worldwide and was instrumental in expanding knowledge of the European conservation market. Based on these findings, and an international survey, a set of principles describing the phenomena between conservation service providers and customers was established. This all helped to clarify which observations were universal, rather than context-dependent.

These elements of conservation marketing theory were then structured into clear guidelines, which will aid conservation service providers in improving communication with cultural artefact owners. A draft version of the handbook has been compiled and will be published in 2015.

Through this project, a new branch of marketing has been developed. There are now marketing tools specifically for conservation services, and a platform on which to conduct further analysis of this field. These developments, improved provider–customer communication, and raised social awareness of the need for sustainable heritage preservation will have both significant socioeconomic and societal implications. The project's results will have a wider and critical impact on the increasingly important task of effectively preserving the uniqueness of cultures.