The Influence of Souvenirs on Establishing the Brand Image of Film Festivals: The Audience's Perception and Preference for Souvenirs

In the diverse and rich contemporary landscape of the film and television culture industry, besides turning on the TV, using mobile phones, or seeing films in theaters, there are different themed film festivals taking the stage around the world every month and year. Each film festival has different communication missions, and the crucial task for curatorial teams is how to convey the information about the film festival to a wider audience range, ensuring a continuous and sustainable viewership. In order to broaden the reach of film festivals, the brand image of the festival becomes a critical consideration for curatorial teams. Thus, the visual identity (VI) extends to the creation of souvenirs, which have also gained attention. The progression from the space of a film festival to the whole participation makes moving experience, and ultimately creates the desire to bring sensory products of related memories -, imbuing the designed items with value. This value gives "souvenirs" a spirit and significance distinct from "merchandise." From a practical and psychological perspective, souvenirs serve as important tangible products linking the film festival image and the audience. This study attempts to analyze, from the perspective of souvenirs, how they become elements attracting potential audiences and explore the relationship between audiences and the film festival image and whether souvenirs, as a mediator between both, possessing influence. The research project will focus on some selected film festivals in Taiwan, collecting souvenir items and designing relevant market research questionnaires. By statistically analyzing the survey results, the study aims to understand audience perceptions and preferences regarding souvenirs. Furthermore, it seeks to identify the potential impact of souvenirs on previously unknown audience segments, influencing their participation in film festival activities. The intention of this research is to uncover potential audience segments, emphasize the importance of souvenirs in film festivals, and provide curatorial teams of various film festivals with a reference basis for cultural product development.