The art of entrepreneurial market creation

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to use the case of the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) in Hobart, Tasmania, to investigate the role of entrepreneurial marketing (EM) in shaping an arts enterprise. It draws on the notion of effectuation and the process of EM in explaining new venture creation and assesses the part played by David Walsh, the entrepreneurial owner/manager. Design/methodology/approach – This case study analysis enables an in-depth appraisal of the impact of EM and effectuation within the growing domain of arts marketing. Findings – The paper offers a glimpse into how creativity and business interact in the creation of new markets. It demonstrates how formal methods of marketing are bypassed in the search for owner/manager constructed versions of situational marketing. In addition, it provides insight into dominance of entrepreneur-centrism vs customer-centrism in entrepreneurship marketing. An additional contribution to knowledge is the use of effectuation to assist in better understanding of the role of EM in the market creation process. Originality/value – The research carried out here builds on a growing body of work adopting the EM lens to better understand arts marketing and new venture creation.