Subscribers’ Overall Evaluation of a Multi-experience Cultural Service, Tolerance for Disappointment, and Sustainable Loyalty

Zakia Obaidalahe, Francis Salerno, François Colbert

Zakia Obaidalahe is a research and teaching assistant in Marketing in the School of Management (IAE Lille) at the University of Lille 1, France. Her research revolves around theatre marketing practices, particularly subscribers’ experiences and loyalty. Her recent work examines the impact of multi-experience cultural service on tolerance for disappointment.
Francis Salerno is a professor of Marketing in the School of Management (IAE Lille) at the University of Lille 1, France. His areas of teaching and research include digital marketing, social marketing and consumer behaviour. His current work deals with the impact of users’ cross-channel experiences on their attitudes and behaviours.
François Colbert is a professor of Marketing at HEC Montréal, where he holds the Carmelle and Rémi Marcoux Chair in Arts Management and the UNESCO Chair in Cultural Management. He is also co-director of the Master of Management in International Arts Management program, Founding Editor and Executive Director of the International Journal of Arts Management, and the author of Marketing Culture and the Arts.

ABSTRACT 
In the eyes of theatre professionals, a theatre subscription is a valuable tool for building audience loyalty. There is a risk, however, that subscribers’ loyalty will last only one season; a subscription is no guarantee of loyalty in the long run. Based on their exploratory study, the authors propose a theoretical framework to explain the sustainable loyalty behaviour of subscribers despite any disappointment they may experience during their subscription. This framework integrates earlier research on the role of social experiences and peripheral services in the overall evaluation of a multi-experience cultural service (theatre, opera, museums), while adding two important components: social identification and tolerance for disappointment. The findings point to the importance of peripheral services and social interaction as compensating factors that foster tolerance and loyalty on the part of subscribers.
KEYWORDS
Sustainable loyalty, subscription, multi-experience cultural service, social identification, tolerance for disappointment
RÉSUMÉ
Aux yeux des professionnels du théâtre, un abonnement saisonnier est un outil important en vue de fidéliser le public. Un risque existe, néanmoins, que cette fidélité ne se limite qu’à une saison, l’abonnement n’offrant aucune garantie d’une fidélité durable. Cette recherche exploratoire permet de développer un cadre théorique explicatif des comportements de fidélité durable des abonnés malgré les déceptions qu’ils peuvent vivre au cours de leur abonnement. Ce cadre incorpore des recherches antérieures portant sur le rôle des expériences sociales et des services périphériques dans l’évaluation globale d’un service culturel multi-expérience (théâtre, opéra, musées) et ajoute deux composantes importantes : l’identification sociale et la tolérance à la déception. Les résultats démontrent l’importance des services périphériques et des interactions sociales afin d’agir comme facteurs compensatoires, favorisant ainsi la tolérance et la fidélité de la part des abonnés.
MOTS CLÉS 
Fidélité durable, abonnement, service culturel multi-expérience, identification sociale, tolérance à la déception
RESUMEN 
Desde el punto de vista de los profesionales del teatro, una suscripción teatral representa una herramienta valiosa para forjar la fidelidad del público. Sin embargo, existe el riesgo de que la fidelidad de los suscriptores solo dure por una temporada sin garantizar la fidelidad a largo plazo. Basándose en un estudio exploratorio, los autores proponen un marco teórico para explicar la conducta de fidelidad sostenible de los suscriptores a pesar de las desilusiones que puedan vivir durante su suscripción. Este marco integra investigaciones anteriores sobre el papel de la experiencia social y de los servicios periféricos en la evaluación global de un servicio cultural de experiencia múltiple (teatro, opera, museos), mientras que añade dos componentes importantes: la identificación social y la tolerancia a la desilusión. Los resultados identifican la importancia de los servicios periféricos y de la interacción social como factores compensadores que promueven la tolerancia y la fidelidad de parte de los suscriptores.
PALABRAS CLAVE 
Fidelidad sostenible, suscripción, servicio cultural a experiencia múltiple, identificación social, tolerancia a la desilusión