How the Attributes of a Museum Experience Influence Electronic Word-of-Mouth Valence: An Analysis of Online Museum Reviews

Research on museum marketing has studied the influence of core and peripheral attributes on customer satisfaction and behavioural intentions. It has not explained whether positive or negative incidents with these attributes influence satisfaction and electronic word of mouth (eWOM) valence. The authors analyze the content of online reviews of the museums that are most reviewed on TripAdvisor. The emerging experience attributes were classified on the basis of the Three-Factor Theory of customer satisfaction that distinguishes bi-directionals (influencing both satisfaction and dissatisfaction), satisfiers (influencing satisfaction only), dissatisfiers (influencing dissatisfaction only) and neutrals (no significant influence). The results indicate that the core offerings of a museum (the artistic content) are bi-directional and that almost all attributes related to peripheral services and ambiance are either dissatisfiers or neutrals. This suggests that non-core attributes do have an influence on customer satisfaction and eWOM valence but that this relationship is strong only regarding dissatisfaction.