AccScience Publishing / AC / Online First / DOI: 10.36922/AC025130015
ARTICLE

Reframing heritage management: The role of marketing education through cultural products and direct investment in culture

Nikolaos Trivyzadakis1*
Show Less
1 Department of Transparency, Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace, Thessaloniki, Central Macedonia, Greece
Received: 26 March 2025 | Revised: 4 June 2025 | Accepted: 19 June 2025 | Published online: 11 July 2025
© 2025 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution -Noncommercial 4.0 International License (CC-by the license) ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ )
Abstract

Cultural heritage professionals increasingly face the challenge of combining preservation with innovation, engagement, and sustainability in fast-changing contexts. This study explores how marketing education can support heritage professionals in aligning cultural preservation with economic and social sustainability. As public funding diminishes and audience expectations evolve, the need for strategic competencies in communication, audience development, and partnership-building becomes increasingly urgent. The study adopts a conceptual review methodology, integrating a structured thematic analysis of international literature and comparative case studies. Sources were selected based on their relevance to cultural products (CPs), direct investment in culture (DIC), and professional training within the heritage sector. Recent literature highlights the growing interdependence between cultural heritage, digital innovation, and sustainable development. However, few studies have systematically explored how marketing education contributes to this nexus – particularly through capacity-building for heritage professionals. This study identifies strategic marketing as a critical skill set for professionals managing CPs and DIC frameworks. Five key competency domains are outlined: audience engagement, digital literacy, strategic planning, ethical communication, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Case studies illustrate that institutions equipped with marketing expertise consistently outperform others in audience outreach, funding diversification, and community impact. To address this need, marketing education should be embedded in heritage curricula and institutional policy to strengthen professional capacity. The study proposes a phased implementation framework that emphasizes partnerships with academic institutions, hybrid learning models, and inclusive access. It offers a structured synthesis of how marketing education can serve as a lever for institutional resilience and stakeholder alignment in heritage management, providing actionable recommendations across geographic and governance contexts.

Keywords
Cultural heritage management
Cultural products
Direct investment in culture
Marketing education
Public–private partnerships
Strategic competencies
Funding
None.
Conflict of interest
The author declares no conflicts of interest.
References
  1. Taçon PS, Baker S. New and emerging challenges to heritage and well-being: A critical review. Heritage. 2019;2(2):1300-1315. doi: 10.3390/heritage2020084

 

  1. Trivyzadakis N. A tool for quantitative research on the social awareness for the digitization of cultural heritage: A pilot application. J Archaeol Sci Rep. 2023;51:104202. doi: 10.1016/j.jasrep.2023.104202.

 

  1. Raj V, Shashank SN, Murthy RK. A survey on importance of cultural heritage. Int Adv Res J Sci Eng Technol. 2024;11(1):165-170. doi: 10.17148/IARJSET.2024.11118.

 

  1. Lenzerini F. Intangible cultural heritage: The living culture of people. Eur J Int Law. 2011;22(1):101-120. doi: 10.1093/ejil/chr006

 

  1. Blakely MR. Technology, Intellectual Property Law, and Culture: The Tangification of Cultural Heritage. Abingdon, Oxon, New York: Routledge; 2024.

 

  1. Labadi S. UNESCO, Cultural Heritage, and Outstanding Value: Value-Based Analyses of the World Heritage and Intangible Cultural Heritage Conventions. Lanham, New York, Toronto, Plymouth UK: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, Inc.; 2013.

 

  1. Du Cros H, McKercher B. Cultural Tourism. London, Luxembourg: Routledge, ESPON EGTC; 2020. Available from: https://archive.espon.eu/sites/default/files/attachments/espon/ material%20cultural%20heritage%20%e2%80%9cunderstanding%20the%20economic%20 impact%20of%20c.pdf [Last accessed on 2025 Jun 29].

 

  1. Manci AR. Visitor’s expectation and experience in a world heritage site: Evidence from ancient Göbekli Tepe, Sanliurfa, Turkey. In: Seyfi S, Hall M, editors. Cultural and Heritage Tourism in the Middle East and North Africa: Complexities, Management and Practices. London: Routledge; 2020. p. 141-156.

 

  1. Nilson T, Thorell K. Introduction. In: Nilson T, Thorell K, editors. Cultural Heritage Preservation: The Past, the Present and the Future. Halmstad: Halmstad University Press; 2018. p. 9-20.

 

  1. Shabani B, Tucker H, Nazifi A. UNESCO’s world heritage sites: The interplay between international and local branding for the gonbad-e qabus brick tower, Iran. In: Seyfi S, Hall M, editors. Cultural and Heritage Tourism in the Middle East and North Africa: Complexities, Management and Practices. London: Routledge; 2020. p. 216-234.

 

  1. Agic E, Cinjarevic M, Kurtovic E, Cicic M. Strategic marketing patterns and performance implications. Eur J Mark. 2016;50(12):2216-2248. doi: 10.1108/EJM-08-2015-0589

 

  1. Hadley S. Audience Development and Cultural Policy. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan; 2021. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-62970-0

 

  1. Cerquetti M, Ferrara C. Marketing research for cultural heritage conservation and sustainability: Lessons from the field. Sustainability. 2018;10:774. doi: 10.3390/su10030774.

 

  1. Sam E, Chukwujekwu F. Renaissance as a cultural phenomenon: Historical and philosophical analysis. In: Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Culture, Education and Economic Development of Modern Society (ICCESE 2019). Netherlands: Atlantis Press; 2019. p. 699-703. doi: 10.2991/iccese-19.2019.151

 

  1. Simmons JH. History of museums. In: McDonald J, Levine- Clark M, editors. Encyclopedia of Library and Information Sciences. 4th ed. London: GRC Press - Taylor and Francis Group; 2020. p. 1812-1823.

 

  1. Tucker H, Carnegie E. World heritage and the contradictions of ‘universal value’. Ann Tour Res. 2014;47(2):63-76. doi: 10.1016/j.annals.2014.04.003

 

  1. Szmygin B, Skoczylas O. Factors shaping the venice charter and its usefulness - on the example of heritage protection in Poland. Teka Kom Archit Urban Stud Krajobr. 2021;17(3):84-90. doi: 10.35784/teka.2861

 

  1. Sediakina Rivière E, Millan-Troches D, Sankar M, Atwood- Mason M. Evaluation of UNESCO’s Action in the Framework of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. Paris: UNESCO, Internal Oversight Service; 2021.

 

  1. Trivyzadakis N. Ψηφιακές δράσεις πολιτιστικής κληρονομιάς: Επενδυτική διαδικασία, διάχυση πολιτιστικού αποθέματος και αειφορική προστασία [Digital cultural heritage actions: Investment processes, cultural asset dissemination, and sustainable preservation]. In: Skriapas K, editor. Proceedings of the 4th Panhellenic Conference on Digital Cultural Heritage. Athens: Perraivia Network; 2022. p. 886-896.

 

  1. Underhill J. In conversation with cyark: Digital heritage in the 21st century. Int J Digit Art Hist. 2018;3:110-119. doi: 10.11588/dah.2018.3.49914

 

  1. Pansoni S, Tiribelli S, Paolanti M, Frontoni E, Giovanola B. Design of an ethical framework for artificial intelligence in cultural heritage. In: 2023 IEEE International Symposium on Ethics in Engineering, Science, and Technology (ETHICS). West Lafayette, IN: IEEE; 2023. p. 1-5. doi: 10.1109/ETHICS57328.2023.10155020

 

  1. Siliutina L, Tytar O, Barbash M, Petrenko N, Yepyk L. Cultural preservation and digital heritage: Challenges and opportunities. Rev Amaz Invest. 2024;13(75):262-273. doi: 10.34069/AI/2024.75.03.22

 

  1. Pereira HN. Contemporary trends in conservation: Culturalization, significance and sustainability. City Time. 2007;3(2):15-25.

 

  1. Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). Guidebook on Standards for Drafting Cultural Heritage Management Plans. Kosovo: OSCE; 2020. Available from: https://www.osce.org/files/f/documents/2/d/461188. pdf [Last accessed on 2025 June 29].

 

  1. Banda LOL, Banda CV, Banda JT, Singini T. Preserving cultural heritage: A community-centric approach to safeguarding the Khulubvi traditional temple Malawi. Heliyon. 2024;10(18):e37610. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e37610

 

  1. Omayio EO, Sreedevi I, Panda J. Introduction to heritages and heritage management: A preview. In: Mukhopadhyay J, Sreedevi I, Chanda B, Chaudhury S, Namboodiri VP, editors. Digital Techniques for Heritage Presentation and Preservation. Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland AG; 2021. p. 3-10. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-57907-4_1

 

  1. Bellanca C, Mora Alonso-Munoyerro S, Lanari C. Accessibility of cultural heritage. Ochr Dziedzictwa Kult. 2022;13:51-68. doi: 10.35784/odk.2941

 

  1. Poulopoulos V, Wallace M. Digital technologies and the role of data in cultural heritage: The past, the present, and the future. Big Data Cogn Comput. 2022;6(3):73. doi: 10.3390/bdcc6030073

 

  1. Pisolkar Y. Cultural heritage management and sustainable development: Major themes and research trajectories. J Electron Syst. 2024;20(6):2417-2431. doi: 10.52783/jes.3224

 

  1. Mendoni L. Cultural heritage: Investing in the future. In: Mergos G, Patsavos N, editors. Cultural Heritage and Sustainable Development. Chania: Technical University of Greece; 2017. p. 96-104.

 

  1. Hayat DT, Ibrahim B. Sustainable heritage management: A literature review. In: Grima S, Özen E, Romānova I, editors. Managing Risk and Decision Making in Times of Economic Distress. Part A. Contemporary Studies in Economic and Financial Analysis. Vol. 108. Leeds: Emerald Publishing Limited; 2022. p. 181-194. doi: 10.1108/S1569-37592022000108A040

 

  1. Madime OCP. Integrated Heritage Management as an Avenue for Sustainability: The Example of Rescue Archaeology in Mozambique. Uppsala, Sweden: Uppsala University [Dissertation]; 2024.

 

  1. Parkhomenko I, Berezovska K. The concept of cultural product in the context of interdisciplinary approach. Soc Cult Manag J. 2020;3(2):57-74. doi: 10.31866/2709-846x.2.2020.222647

 

  1. Apostolakis A, Dimou I. Adding value to cultural heritage products. In: Sanagustin-Fons V, Rubio-Gil A, editors. Holy Grail Route and Other Cultural Roads in a Complex Society. Spain: University of Zaragoza; 2017. p. 171-183.

 

  1. Aiello L, Cacia C. The cultural product: Integration and relational approach. In: Aiello L, editor. Handbook of Research on Management of Cultural Products: E-Relationships Marketing and Accessibility Perspectives. Hershey, PA: IGI Global; 2014. p. 1-21.

 

  1. Rogala D, Averyt K, Johnson J, Lione B, Flores J, Tompkins W. Innovation and adaptation at the smithsonian institution in response to changing times and increased need. J Inst Conserv. 2023;46:253-271. doi: 10.1080/19455224.2023.2249973

 

  1. Saptouw F. An analysis of the strategies employed to curate, conserve and digitize the timbuktu manuscripts. Int J Humanit Soc Sci. 2020;14:916-921.

 

  1. Russo ML, Bondarev D. Safeguarding the Manuscripts of Timbuktu: A Synergic Approach to the Preservation of Written Cultural Heritage. Conf Full Pap; 2015. Available from: https://www.csmc.uni-hamburg.de/publications [Last accessed on 2025 May 15].

 

  1. Zhang F. Virtual space created by a digital platform in the post epidemic context: The case of Greek museums. Heliyon. 2023;9:e18257. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e18257

 

  1. Ma Y, Li W, An N. Research on the digital exhibition of cultural relics for cross-cultural communication: Case study on China-greece cooperation on Terracotta Warriors. ISPRS Ann Photogramm Remote Sens Spatial Inf Sci. 2023;X-M-1- 2023:187-192. doi: 10.5194/isprs-annals-X-M-1-2023-187-2023

 

  1. Kreuzbauer R, Keller J. The authenticity of cultural products: A psychological perspective. Curr Dir Psychol Sci. 2017;26(5):417-421. doi: 10.1177/0963721417702104

 

  1. Barlie S, Saviano M. Resource integration and value co-creation in cultural heritage management. In: Aiello L, editor. Handbook of Research on Management of Cultural Products: E-Relationships Marketing and Accessibility Perspectives. Hershey, PA: IGI Global; 2014. p. 58-82.

 

  1. Rovuma LNG. Cultural Heritage Management Plan. Rovuma LNG Project; 2017. Available from: https://www.exxonmobil. co.mz/-/media/mozambique/files/other/mzln/el-rppln-00- 0007-rev-0-cultural-heritage-management-plan.pdf. [Last accessed on 2025 Jun 29].

 

  1. Wróblewski L. Culture Management: Strategy and Marketing Aspects. Berlin: Logos Verlag; 2017.

 

  1. Pasikowska-Schnass M, Lim YS. Artificial Intelligence in the Context of Cultural Heritage and Museums: Complex Challenges and New Opportunities. Brussels: European Parliamentary Research Service; 2023. Available from: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/regdata/etudes/ brie/2023/747120/eprs_bri(2023)747120_en.pdf [Last accessed on 2025 Jun 29].

 

  1. Chen B. Exploring the development and marketing mode of intangible cultural heritage products. Int J Soc Sci Public Adm. 2024;2(3):67-72. doi: 10.62051/ijsspa.v2n3.08

 

  1. Katifori A, Karvounis M, Kourtis V, Perry S, Roussou M, Ioannidis Y. Applying interactive storytelling in cultural heritage: Opportunities, challenges and lessons learned. In: Rouse R, Koenitz H, Haahr M, editors. Interactive Storytelling. ICIDS 2018. Lecture Notes in Computer Science. Vol. 11318. Cham: Springer; 2018. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-04028-4_70

 

  1. Li J, Krishnamurthy S, Roders AP, Wesemael PV. Community participation in cultural heritage management: A systematic literature review comparing Chinese and international practices. Cities. 2020;96:102476. doi: 10.1016/j.cities.2019.102476

 

  1. Mandal PC. Managing new product development: Strategies and initiatives. Int J Innov Digit Econ. 2022;13(1):1-11. doi: 10.4018/IJIDE.303612

 

  1. Petousi D, Katifori A, Servi K, Roussou M, Ioannidis Y. Interactive digital storytelling in cultural heritage: The transformative role of agency. In: Vosmeer M, Holloway- Attaway L, editors. Interactive Storytelling. ICIDS 2022. Lecture Notes in Computer Science. Vol. 13762. Cham: Springer; 2022. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-22298-6_3

 

  1. Liang X, Lu Y, Martin J. A review of the role of social media for the cultural heritage sustainability. Sustainability. 2021;13(3):1055. doi: 10.3390/su13031055

 

  1. ESPON EGTC. Transnational Brief: Material Cultural Heritage “Understanding the Economic Impact of Cultural Heritage”. Luxembourg: ESPON EGTC; 2020. Available from: https://www.espon.eu/sites/default/files/attachments/cultural%20heritage%20%26%20erdf%20-%20dg%20regio. pdf [Last accessed on 2025 June 29].

 

  1. Pickerill T. Investment leverage for adaptive reuse of cultural heritage. In: Girard LF, Gravagnuolo A, editors. Adaptive Reuse of Cultural Heritage: Circular Business, Financial and Governance Models. Cham, Switzerland: Springer Nature Switzerland AG; 2025.

 

  1. Loseva OV, Fedotova MA, Klimova II. Value-based approach to evaluating investment projects. In: Ashmarina SI, Mantulenko VV, editors. Global Challenges and Prospects of the Modern Economic Development. European Proceedings of Social and Behavioural Sciences. Vol 79. Greece: European Publisher; 2020. p. 1056-1065. doi: 10.15405/epsbs.2020.03.152

 

  1. Donelli CC, Mozzoni I, Badia F, Fanelli S. Financing sustainability in the arts sector: The case of the art bonus public fundraising campaign in Italy. Sustainability. 2022;14:1641. doi: 10.3390/su14031641

 

  1. Paul J, Feliciano-Cestero MM. Five decades of research on foreign direct investment by MNEs: An overview and research Agenda. J Bus Res. 2021;124:800-812. doi: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.04.017

 

  1. Boniotti C. The public-private-people partnership (P4) for cultural heritage management purposes. J Cult Herit Manag Sustain Dev. 2023;13(1):1-14. doi: 10.1108/JCHMSD-12-2020-0186

 

  1. Galbo J. Renovating the colosseum today: Protection, modernization and citizenry. In: Folin M, Tamborrino R, editors. Multiethnic Cities in the Mediterranean World: History, Culture, Heritage. Cairo: AISU International; 2019. p. 331-343.

 

  1. Arfa FH, Lubelli B, Quist W, Zijlstra H. A model of the adaptive reuse process of heritage buildings: Validation on four cases in the Netherlands. Des Stud. 2024;91-92:101252. doi: 10.1016/j.destud.2024.101252

 

  1. Kuhne E. The jesuit missions of chiquitos, world heritage site: Discovery and revival. Rev Cienc Cult. 2022;26(48):161-194.

 

  1. Napolitano MR, De Nisco A. Cultural heritage: The missing “link” in the place marketing literature “chain”. Place Brand Public Dipl. 2017;13:101-106. doi: 10.1057/s41254-017-0057-7

 

  1. Carignani F, Clemente L, Iodice G, Bifulco F. Digital marketing in cultural heritage: An approach to metaverse. In: Singh A, Sharma S, Singh A, Unanoglu M, Taneja S, editors. Cultural Marketing and Metaverse for Consumer Engagement. Hershey, PA: IGI Global Scientific Publishing; 2023. p. 142-163. doi: 10.4018/978-1-6684-8312-1.ch011

 

  1. Hadley S. Introduction: Arts marketing, audience development and cultural policy. In: Hadley S, editor. A Reader on Audience Development and Cultural Policy. New York: Routledge; 2024.

 

  1. Zins AH, Abbas Adamu A. Heritage storytelling in destination marketing: Cases from Malaysian States. J Herit Tour. 2023;19(5):669-681. doi: 10.1080/1743873X.2023.2232476

 

  1. Harisanty D, Obille KLB, Anna NEV, Purwanti E, Retrialisca F. Cultural heritage preservation in the digital age, harnessing artificial intelligence for the future: A bibliometric analysis. Digit Libr Perspect. 2024;40(4):609-630. doi: 10.1108/DLP-01-2024-0018

 

  1. Holtorf C, Högberg A. Introduction: Cultural heritage as a futuristic field. In: Holtorf C, Högberg A, editors. Cultural Heritage and the Future. London, New York: Routledge; 2021.

 

  1. Daldanise G. From place-branding to community-branding: A collaborative decision-making process for cultural heritage enhancement. Sustainability. 2020;12(24):10399. doi: 10.3390/su122410399.

 

  1. Gamage KAA, Gamage A, Dehideniya SCP. Online and hybrid teaching and learning: Enhance effective student engagement and experience. Educ Sci. 2022;12:651. doi: 10.3390/educsci12100651

 

  1. Ahsan S. Cross-disciplinary collaboration: Enhancing creativity and problem-solving in the workplace. Kashf J Multidiscip Res. 2024;1(5):215-226.

 

  1. Achille C, Fiorillo F. Teaching and learning of cultural heritage: Engaging education, professional training, and experimental activities. Heritage. 2022;5(3):2565-2593. doi: 10.3390/heritage5030134

 

  1. Stevens H, Dean A, Anderson L. UNISON: Skills for the Future. Exeter, UK: University of Exeter-UNISON; 2019. Available from: https://learning.unison.org.uk/content/uploads/sites/ 50/2019/11/full-report-final.pdf [Last accessed on 2025 Jun 29].

 

  1. Corona L. Museums and communication: The case of the Louvre Museum at the COVID-19 age. Humanit Soc Sci Res. 2021;4(1):15-26. doi: 10.30560/hssr.v4n1p15

 

  1. National Gallery. Artemisia Gentileschi; 2021. Available from: https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/ artemisia-gentileschi [Last accessed on 2024 Dec 16].

 

  1. Kohol SS, Adeleke AO. Museum, monuments and the reconstruction of the socio-cultural historiography of Nigeria: A study of the National Museum Lagow. Hum Discourse. 2023;3(2): 1-16.

 

  1. Zhang L, Qi W, Zhao K, Wang L, Tan X, Jiao L. VR games and the dissemination of cultural heritage. In: Streitz N, Konomi S, editors. Distributed, Ambient and Pervasive Interactions: Understanding Humans. DAPI 2018. Lecture Notes in Computer Science. Vol. 10921. Cham: Springer; 2018. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-91125-0_35

 

  1. Mandros J, Garcia Mercado R, Bayona-Oré S. Virtual reality and tourism: Visiting machu picchu. In: Mejia J, Muñoz M, Rocha Á, Quiñonez Y, editors. New Perspectives in Software Engineering. CIMPS 2020. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing. Vol. 1297. Cham: Springer; 2021. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-63329-5_18

 

  1. Australian Government. A Strategy for Australia’s Heritage. Draft for Consultation. Canberra: Australian Government; 2014. Available from: https://www.dcceew.gov.au/sites/ default/files/documents/heritage-strategy-apr14_1.pdf [Last accessed on 2025 Jun 29].

 

 

  1. Parowicz I. Cultural Heritage Marketing: A Relationship Marketing Approach to Conservation Services. Cham: Palgrave Pivot; 2019. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-00287-9

 

  1. Done CD, Aitchison K. Heritage business and marketing. In: Varela SLL, editor. The Encyclopedia of Archaeological Sciences. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons, Inc.; 2018. p. 1-6. doi: 10.1002/9781119188230.saseas0292

 

  1. Vegheș T. Cultural heritage: The forgotten resource for marketing and sustainable development of the local communities. Eur J Sustain Dev. 2019;8(3):41-51. doi: 10.14207/ejsd.2019.v8n3p41

 

  1. Ziliotto A, Holden L. Cultural Expertise Mentorship Mentor’s Guide; 2023. Available from: https://hal.science/hal- 04240193 [Last accessed on 2025 Jun 29].

 

  1. Interreg Central Europe - RESTAURA. Handbook on Public Private Partnership (PPP) in Built Heritage Revitalisation Projects; 2017. Available from: https://programme2014/20. interreg-central.eu/content.node/o.t1.1-handbook-new.pdf [Last accessed on 2025 Jun 29].

 

  1. Eichler J. Intangible cultural heritage, inequalities and participation: Who decides on heritage? Int J Hum Rights. 2020;25(5):793-814. doi: 10.1080/13642987.2020.1822821

 

  1. Government of India, Ministry of Tourism. “Adopt a Heritage”: Project for Development of Tourist Friendly Destinations; 2020. Available from: https://tourism.gov.in/sites/default/files/ 2020/08/adopt%20a%20heritage%20 project%20guidelines.pdf [Last accessed on 2025 Jun 29].

 

  1. Ndhlovu B, Rassool C. Rethinking the national and the museum at Iziko Museums of South Africa. In: Silverman R, Abungu G, Probst P, editors. National Museums in Africa: Identity, History and Politics. London: Routledge; 2021. p. 224-243. doi: 10.4324/9781003013693-13

 

  1. Cicerchia A. Evidence-based policy making for cultural heritage. Sci Res Inform Technol. 2019;9(1):99-108. doi: 10.2423/i22394303v9n1p99

 

  1. ESPON EGTC. Working Paper: Measuring Economic Impact of Cultural Heritage at Territorial Level - Approaches and Challenges. Luxembourg: ESPON EGTC; 2020. Available from: https://archive.espon.eu/sites/default/files/attachments/working%20paper%2c%20cultural%20 heritage.pdf [Last accessed on 2025 Jun 29].
Share
Back to top
Arts & Communication, Electronic ISSN: 2972-4090 Published by AccScience Publishing