Bridging internet and cultural heritage through a digital marketing funnel: An exploratory approach

Digital marketing and cultural heritage: what may have in common two areas that seem so different? What may connect a dynamic, evolving and even catchy field to a rather static, outdated and quite boring one? Maybe a funnel. Actually, a marketing funnel. More precisely a digital marketing funnel aiming to support the capitalization of the cultural heritage by drawing attention, raising interest, stimulate desire and generate action related to the cultural heritage output – goods, services, brands, events, and activities – under of the forms of discovering, exploring, experiencing and enjoying this heritage. Using secondary data regarding the cultural heritage in the European Union, the paper investigates the connections between the usage of the internet for cultural heritage purposes, different forms of consumption of the cultural heritage, and main barriers limiting this consumption and illustrates that building and employment of a digital marketing funnel is indispensable in the capitalization of the cultural heritage.