Adam Smith Business School

Dr Timothy Hill, University of Bath

"Sorry, Not Tonight”: How Firms Curate Social Fit to Create Social Atmospheres
Wednesday, 20 November 2024. 15:00-16:30
Adam Smith Building Room 386AB

 

Abstract

In sectors across the experience economy—from live sports to festivals, nightlife entertainment, private members’ clubs, and invite-only events—firms compete by creating social atmospheres. When firms deliver meaningful shared experiences of place, they benefit from enhanced customer experiences, loyalty, and place attachment. However, social atmospheres often fail when firms struggle to bring together the ‘optimal mix’ of customers. Yet marketing research offers limited insight into how firms can attract and select heterogeneous customers who fit together to create social atmospheres. Accordingly, this article draws on aesthetic work literature to conceptualize atmosphere curation—the process through which firms manage customer heterogeneity and achieve social fit among customers to create desired social atmospheres. Through an ethnographic study of Berlin’s iconic electronic music club scene, this paper reveals a three-stage atmosphere curation model,
comprising curation mechanisms of cultivation, selection, and mystification. This research advances marketing scholarship’s understanding of social atmospheres, customer heterogeneity, and marketplace inclusion and exclusion. By outlining the managerial tasks associated with each curation mechanism, this study provides actionable guidance for managers across various service contexts on how to curate the right crowd to deliberately stage social atmospheres.

Bio

Timothy Hill is senior lecturer in marketing and director of studies for the BSc Business degree. His research focuses on studies of outsiders and uses ethnographic methods. His research is published in Journal of Marketing, Sociology, and Marketing Theory.

 

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First published: 7 November 2024